Despite the title of this review, I actually had a positive experience with the Netflix adaptation of Death Note. It condensed a long televised series into a somewhat coherent film. I tried to place myself in a world where this was the only version of Death Note that I had ever known, maybe it was a 1980’s gem I found at the local video store (I say that as if it wasn’t a Blockbuster, it was a Blockbuster) and it was some kind of cult classic few people enjoyed. In that light, Death Note shines a bit differently.

Unfortunately, none of that is true. But, it’s a nice thought. What does stand out about this film is that despite everything you could hate about it, the acting is uplifting, especially by L (Lakeith Stanfield) and Mia (Margaret Qualley). L embodied the spirit of his original counterpart, brought to life in a very visceral way, embracing the shackles that come with adapting the animated into reality, making the translation palatable. While there is no Mia in the original, she is in some form a warped Misa, stripped of her desire to serve Light completely and replaced with ambition of her own. Finally, there is no need to explain how perfect Ryuk (Willem Dafoe) was cast. On the other hand, Light Turner (Nat Wolff) was painted into a strange corner if you are a fan of the original. Easily excitable, far from bright, not terribly diplomatic, hardly likable, and impetuous, but in a vacuum, knowing no other version, it’s easy to see your dumbest friend in his position. You might be scared of Light Yagami, but Light Turner is a nickelodeon-esq goof minus the fairy god parents.

Adapting something beloved is obviously a labour of love and torture. More often than not, most people will find a sniggle or three, and in the case of Anime Fans and Tumblr, there is quite a bit of hate to go around. But I found a few things to enjoy. First, I enjoyed how they spun Light’s name. His mother was a flower girl, father was a hard boiled, serious type, and she got her way with the name. I enjoyed that they felt no need to explain why Mia was so broken, she was just power hungry, like the Joker. But, looking at the running time, they barely had time to explain anything. It also sports a cool toned 80’s style for seemingly no reason other than to give it some kind of flavor. Also, the fake japanese set was obviously way off the mark, but I am not sure why.

The original was a philosophical case of the many sides of justice. This film makes no attempt to focus on that but instead focuses on the age old story of the horny teenage boy who attains the power to kill anyone with a stroke of his pen and in trying to show of this power finds the girl who ultimately just loves him for his power and wants it for herself. It’s a mouthful, but really, it’s a poor substitution for such a tight, spellbinding original plot. Nonetheless, in some universe, this version is all they have, and honestly, it stands on its own two legs for better or worse.

~* 6.5/10 *~