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Death Note (2006) - Nippon Television Network (NTV), Warner Brothers ****  [Image]  AKA, the one I WANTED instead of getting L:Change the World, but that I had to go through all my other stuff to...not find and so I have to go online to find it. *cries*

Anyway...

The first of two movies based on the anime and manga sensation, Death Note (2006) does a wonderful job of setting things up, showing you all that is going on and giving you a fairly good retelling. Light and L are aged up - mostly noticeably Light, who is now a college student - due to casting, and the tone of mystery, wonder over what's really going on, and the tense atmosphere (only partly failing because acting out death-by-heat attack is VERY SILLY) and actually does a good job of showing both the good and bad of Kira and his motivations. The changes to the original story work as far as how some adaptations should be - they can't give you everything, and the small changes only add to this Light's actions, motivations, and how he acts and reacts. I love both L and Light in this, and the movie does a good job of setting up the cat-and-mouse game that will be a major part of the second movie. It also does a great job of characterizing Light and L, and the main connection the two have - Light's father, who is not only tasked with finding Kira and thus helps L in his search, but also works to try to keep his family, specifically Light, safe as evidence mounts that he cannot ignore which ties his son to the killings.
I do like that early on, there is a bit of the moral, given by the movie-only addition of Shiroi, Light's girlfriend - "There's a limit to everything." Even Kira will one day reach his limit - how far he'll go while being 'good', how far he'll take his choice to become the God of Justice, or even just the God, of the world he creates. The limit of what the Japanese system could do (and this is a system that has a 99% conviction rate, as this video on the tv-series kill-rate will show) is what drives this Light, and what I honestly like how things are laid out. It sets up the universe that this new Light will inhabit, where he becomes disillusioned with the law enough to pick up the Death Note after throwing away his contrasting white-colored "Compendium of the Law". His choice for the first death is also different, but as I said, the changes for the movie, especially due to the limits of budget and because this is a movie made pretty much solely in Japan, with only a small budget in comparison, and with a primarily all-Japanese cast. Though it takes away from the worldwide impact of it that is seen in the original series and manga, it still works at giving us Light's reactions, at Light realizing the power and what he can use the Death Note for, and at creating a fake but still-intimidating Ryuk.
Seriously, I like the reaction they pulled out of the main actor, Tatsuya Fujiwara, acting against possibly a random actor or even just a tennis ball for "this is where his face is". There's some bit of overacting at the beginning, sure (ok, if you were faced with Death Incarnate, you might laugh a bit too at seeing it......but you might not suddenly quiz it on what happens if you give the book back and get it's NAME) but overall the buildup in the beginning, showing Light's early time as Kira, and even how he starts down that road, and leading up to the cliffhanger ending, of Light and L beginning their chessmatch completely, is wonderful.
...and because I had to mention it...
Light, reading Nietzsche, you obviously deep fellow...also please don't say that you'd kill a woman's fiancee immediately after meeting him, you ass. Your pure-as-fresh-snow-girlfriend is...you know what, never mind, you only turn decent in the second movie, I can't say anything right now.
Now, go eat potato chips in your room.
Also - RHCP "Dany California" is a great ending song.


Now -
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Ok, let's see how good this Netflix one is...Because that last one was fun! I mean, they couldn't mess it up THAT BAD COULD THEY?

Death Note (2017) - Netflix Original
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1/1000
(this is lower than Stonehenge Apocalypse, I'll explain)

For a funnier review, see CrystalMath's review. But for mine....
--
ok, to be fair, the first beer would be from just the intro and music. and I was half-invested and playing D&D while I watched this. My actual talk while playing D&D- me: I am legit more invested in what you're saying in D&D then this, I'm 2 minutes in, and I'm DRUNK
friends: *laugh*
(keep in mind I don't listen to this friend in ANYTHING D&D related) -- I have yet to watch something that makes me say to people that I want to "legit stab" someone, but this movie makes me want to stab someone. Seriously, I was playing D&D with friends, we stopped because I was like "I will take anything over this movie." That included: Stabbing someone, stabbing her teammates, stabbing anyone. I've gotten to where the GM and one other person in the group is just listening to me rant. I'm at the 4 minute mark. Oh goddess, I only find the principal believable because of the news about the girls who got put out for random clothing, but I want Light to die. horribly. in a ditch. why does he have an apple? Why are the rules written like this? your laws suck. what the hell? you have the 40-second rule and suck at it. I like that there are more names in the first but at the same time stop trying to scare me with marbles. I watch youtubers fight Mickey-Mouse versions of Evil, this is not scary. friend: *posts pictures of corgis* me: it is the 8-minute mark and I want to kill EVERYONE. I am only ranting while the DM changes our map DM: don't bring me into this me: THEN CHANGE IT SO I CAN STOP WATCHING THIS!!
a minute later me: I wanna kill ryuk
DM: That's a litch so...
me: I'm not gonna kill a litch just because I hate this movie.
DM: Well, I mean... me: FINE, sure, let's gain XP from my character STABBING A LICTH IN THE EYE BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH I HATE THIS MOVIE.
DM:..................................
Other player:.......................
me: I'm a bit upset.
DM & other Player: NOOOOOOO, really?
me: I am 9 and half minute in.
DM&friend: YOU'VE BEEN RANTING FOR 3 HOURS. Your mike now wants to you stop.
Me: -_- you're not the boss of me.
Mike: *dies*
Me: *curses, continues to watch*
I don't like this movie, and I manged to make it through Stonehenge Apocalypse. I agree with Crystal, the music isn't great and if I wanted random Final Destination deaths, I'd watch Final Destination. Also, you know what would've made this awesome? If Light had done a Sailor-Moon Style attack. Like, Exploding chest-bursting Heart Attack! [Image]
I made it twenty minutes in and failed to continue. I called out "RED" and just ended my pain. At RYUK'S design when I saw him sitting on the bed. *sigh* ok, I will try for a sober review. later. but I doubt it'll be much better. on the plus side I managed to entertain my two d&d buddies for three hours so points.