Board 8 > That Death Note movie is now on Netflix

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'm 25 minutes in. So far it seems... Fine. Ryuk is predictably the best part.
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Okay, decent overall although it does seem like 5 minutes got chopped off the end there. It also isn't really a straight adaptation, it is more a new story with that setting and characters.

The deaths were great. Almost all the characters were spot on with some really good performances. L and Ryuk were standouts. It looks nice, and has some top-tier music placement near the end (this will be divisive).

On the downside, the pacing is really weird, and Light is a totally different character. Also the aforementioned ending issue.

Overall a fun easy watch, not a classic but alright.
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Lightning Strikes posted...

Almost all the characters were spot on with some really good performances.

oh good, I was worried about the Naked Brothers Band kid playing Light

Lightning Strikes posted...

and Light is a totally different character

oh. yeah, ok, expected that I guess
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I'm gonna watch it but have 0 expectations. Everything I've read about Light's new character sounds terrible.
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The American one? Or those Japanese ones?
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I assume the American one, since that's the one that just premiered on Netflix
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They decided to make light a whiny little bitch and dumb ass
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More relatable
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So they made him into Misa?
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kevwaffles posted...

So they made him into Matsuda?

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I'm very interested in the changes. Light's concept as a character just isn't really something that works in American society in the same way, and ESPECIALLY Misa's, so heavy alterations were inevitable. There are already like 4 Japanese Death Note movies for people that want that.

I look forward to watching it tomorrow!
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Johnbobb posted...

kevwaffles posted...

So they made him into Matsuda?

Yeah, for some reason I was fixated on the other Death Note users, but this works much better.
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LapisLazuli posted...

Light's concept as a character just isn't really something that works in American society in the same way

Umm school shooter edgelord? Of course it does. Misa is a bit harder but the whole obsessively-in-love-with thing is a common trope still, so they could've made that work.
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foolm0r0n posted...

Umm school shooter edgelord?

....I don't know how you read Death Note and come out the other side with that.

Either way I'm more referring to their backstories.
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School shooter edgelord types definitely grasped onto Death Note (and in many cases ironically outed themselves in keeping a "Death Note"), but Light certainly wasn't that.
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What I mean is the guy who thinks he's super smart and superior to everyone else and needs to cleanse the rotten society and such is very compatible with US school shooters. The only problem is most school shooters aren't actually super smart, but that's not hard to add to the character. His dad being a cop and everything would work just as well.
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i'm 27 minutes in and i think it sucks so far

i'll post after i finish, think about it a little more and calm down from my nerd rage

For what it's worth I think the first act is the weakest by far. After reflecting on it I actually like the third act quite a lot.

Also this version of Light is more edgelord school shooter. Although, I'm not American, but are there really not preppy golden boy types there?
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Lightning Strikes posted...

For what it's worth I think the first act is the weakest by far. After reflecting on it I actually like the third act quite a lot.

Also this version of Light is more edgelord school shooter. Although, I'm not American, but are there really not preppy golden boy types there?

There are, but I certainly wouldn't call Light a "preppy golden boy" type. When I think of a preppy golden boy type, I think of somebody that thinks they're above everybody/superior/etc., yeah... But it stops far before the "Cleanse the filth/play God" parts come in. The "preppy golden boy" type is basically somebody that's a douchebag, but relatively harmless.
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i'll just mention this part early on that i found incredibly mind-boggling and stupid

like a day after Light has the death note, it shows him randomly at the school gym (gym class? doesn't look like it. maybe it's after school during some team's practice?) just READING THE NOTE by himself and he gets seen by Misa which immediately prompts him to tell her about the death note because of the power of boners. i thought this was supposed to be a smart character. like they show certain things to show "yeah he is a smart kid" and then he BRINGS THE DEATH NOTE WHICH HE KNOW WORKS TO SCHOOL AND IS READING IT IN PUBLIC WHERE ANYBODY CAN SEE HIM. AND THEN TELLS SOMEONE ABOUT IT BECAUSE HE WANTS TO FUCK HER

Light's character would absolutely work in an American setting. Not sure why they felt the need to change him so much.
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finished it

it dfdsfsdfdsfdsfdsfdsfsdfdsfdsfsdfdsf fdsfsdfs f sucked

I think they could've made a good, different story in America with a Light-like character (not exactly the same but similar enough). But the changes here just make it seem like they didn't know the source material.
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this quote from Misa

"I'm a fucking cheerleader Light. Nothing I do has ever mattered until I met you."

The director has gone on record saying he reread the entire manga during the early stages of making the movie. The changes he made were intentional deviations rather than due to a lack of knowledge about the source material. I agree with him when he says just taking the original series and cramming it into 2 hours wouldn't work but a good original story should have been possible.

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2017/06/29/how-netflixs-death-note-alters-the-original-story-with-its-american-setting
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just finished it. I didn't think it sucked. it wasn't great though.

basically served well as some death note fanfiction. someone wanted to tell a story with similar concepts but having little in common with the source material. honestly it would've been better if they just gave the characters all new names. this was obviously supposed to be a different setting, different story, different characters, but then they gave them all the same names which made it feel off.

maybe it's just a psychological thing but I was far less bothered by mia being way different from misa, as opposed to light being nothing like light. if he's not light then don't call him light. nobody in america would name their son that anyway so it's even more absurd.
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i'm watching this right now and think it sucks
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How was L? He's played by the guy from Atlanta right
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better than Light is what i'll say

i watched the first 10 minutes

it was bad laughably
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I still haven't watched it but my Death Note hating roommate texted me to say he liked it.

So maybe this is Death Note's DmC.
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XIII_rocks posted...

How was L? He's played by the guy from Atlanta right

one of the better actors in the movie. character has some good moments but ultimately they lose focus. if you want a version of L who is more emotionally invested in things and runs around in 'badass' chase sequences then this version of L is for you. if you wanted a version who would mentally battle against Light and dramatically explain the logic sequences that lead to his deductions you will be sorely disappointed. such scenes are few and far between and they are very dumbed down. there's not even a real confrontation scene between the two in the entire movie.

he's ultimately symptomatic of what is wrong with the entire movie and why the whole thing feels off. but you can say that about any character, really.

the director seems to have haphazardly changed every single character to try and make them more 'appealing' while completely losing sight of the original themes that those characters were supposed to represent. it's even weirder because he does seem to "get" L in earlier parts of the movie but things accelerate toward the conclusion too quickly and at that point things just become way too hands-on as a result.
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and for anyone who has seen the movie

the diner scene is definitely not a confrontation scene. there is never a single scene in the entire manga where L goes "hey I think you are Kira" and Light goes "yes you are right." nothing about this was a proper confrontation between Light and L. the fact that Light just instantly admits that he is Kira the first time they meet is frankly absurd. they skipped over what should have been the majority of the movie and what was the best aspect of the original series and condensed it into a 2 minute scene. yikes.
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Soon as I found out there's no chip scene I knew this movie wasn't for me
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kateee posted...

this quote from Misa

"I'm a fucking cheerleader Light. Nothing I do has ever mattered until I met you."

Tbf, that's not really far off from original Misa.
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That's certainly an odd line to point out as an issue. Seems pretty faithful.
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I was just pulling in and realized The Tick came out today....

That takes priority.
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15 minutes in and all i can say is they really butchered light's character
oh well, my expectations were low anyway

On the other hand Near isn't in it, so kinda has to be better than the original by default.
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By that definition the Japanese live action movies are better too. Or at least the ones that cover the actual Death Note material, I think Near and Mellow are technically in the other movie.

Actually, I do really adore the Japanese live action ending.
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The actor playing Light is my new favorite actor. His choices are just so odd but delightful.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPulAk0nuT4

Having only seen this clip I'm 100% sure I'd have a blast with this movie. I'm sure it's awful, but holy shit.
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There are quite a few nitpicks throughout the whole movie the homework Light does in the beginning is missing two answers and the paper itself looks to be thick enough to have an extra page, the train the cartel members leap in front of is knocked over somehow, no one noticing Watari is missing until day two or close to it, the police not tapping Light's phone, etc, the pacing is predictably too fast, Light is a bit more angsty than I would like, the ending has at least three loose ends, the death note has a few different rules than the one in the anime (not an issue, it just threw me off), and Mia's performance after the first act is hella dry.

That said, Light, L, Light's dad, and of course Ryuk were all solid. It was okay but clearly should have been at least around 2 hours and lacks those "Jesus! That's clever!" moments that made the anime so easy to watch...until the halfway mark.

StealThisSheen posted...

Lightning Strikes posted...

For what it's worth I think the first act is the weakest by far. After reflecting on it I actually like the third act quite a lot.

Also this version of Light is more edgelord school shooter. Although, I'm not American, but are there really not preppy golden boy types there?

There are, but I certainly wouldn't call Light a "preppy golden boy" type. When I think of a preppy golden boy type, I think of somebody that thinks they're above everybody/superior/etc., yeah... But it stops far before the "Cleanse the filth/play God" parts come in. The "preppy golden boy" type is basically somebody that's a douchebag, but relatively harmless.

That kinda IS Light Yagami though. He's a Good Kid. He's got his stuff together and he's really smart and he's out to do the right thing. And then he gets ultimate power and makes some choices and goes downhill. To me that is one of the most interesting things about the original- a well-meaning good guy who gets swept up in his own power and doesn't realize he's stopped being the good guy. Light Turner is just some edgy highschooler who bumbles around until realizing hey maybe this is a bad idea.

XIII_rocks posted...

How was L? He's played by the guy from Atlanta right

L did a good job. So did Ryuk and Watari. About halfway through the movie Light got the memo that he was maybe supposed to be conveying some sort of emotions, but he didn't pass that along to Mia.

MariaTaylor posted...

the director seems to have haphazardly changed every single character to try and make them more 'appealing' while completely losing sight of the original themes that those characters were supposed to represent. it's even weirder because he does seem to "get" L in earlier parts of the movie but things accelerate toward the conclusion too quickly and at that point things just become way too hands-on as a result.

This is incredibly accurate. Like okay sometimes you gotta localize and adapt some stuff but we took all the themes of the original and tossed them out in favor of Hot Topic: The Movie

can we talk about how he had a "Normal People Scare Me" sticker in his locker

also, recommendation: play Yakety Sax over the chase scene
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Tom Bombadil posted...

also, recommendation: play Yakety Sax over the chase scene

ROFL

the more I think about the chase scene the more I believe it is the worst part of the entire movie

there is never a time when L should be running around chasing Light with a gun
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My girlfriend and I are so psyched to watch this because we love so bad they're good movies.
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the chase scene was so good.

L just shoving random people into the wall as he ran past them for no reason was hilarious
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Freely unmarked spoilers for the movie

It wasn't good

but I can't even front, it had some neat ideas and honestly i didn't see some of the twists coming.


The thing is, oh my god Light is such a bitch. I can't even blame the writing, I don't think. They seriously, completely captured how much of a sniveling, pansy nerd someone like that really is. Showing off a demonic notebook to try to impress a girl is one of the many things they would do.
The problem isn't that it isn't like the original, but more that you don't make someone like that a main character. There is absolutely no appeal in watching a school shooter get power. Yagami at least had charisma and displayed his intellect much more, and his motives were way better and complex, he was better to watch.

Also fuck Mia lol. Misa betraying Light was something interesting but she just sucked though. I disliked that they tried giving her some dignity that wasn't there with her death, it wasn't gruesome enough. But instead, an explosion of flowers. On that same note, the death effects were great but they blew their load on the first one, it wasn't that good again.


This movie had neat moments, good ideas, but alot of cringe worthy segments and lots of just ...badness. Even more jarring is that these moments were all like 1 or 2 minutes apart. The film was just all over the place.but the negatives were much more prominent than the positives and thus sank it more

There were alot of moments that only made sense if you watched\read the original and they didn't really expand upon them either for the casual viewer. I mean, you could argue that this movie isn't for them, but I dunno, I don't buy that view

L and Watari were great. The singing thing was a bit awkward but everything else I enjoyed. I really felt it when L was pissed Watari was dead.

I didn't like that they tried to add batman elements to this. Light rising to avenge his parent as his first step. And making it a point that L doesn't like guns and then pushing him to use one. Come on, writers!

I did not buy that L seeked out Light's dad. Dad wasn't a higher up nor had any credentials worthy of L's notice. At least, That they DISPLAYED. I know L said he liked his way to suspect people...or something. But it felt WAYYY too forced. I honestly felt like they forgot to write it in until the last second.

Dafoe as Ryuk was fantastic. I like how they made Ryuk more villainous than he was in the original. Also I had no idea Dafoe did the mocap stuff too. So apparently the shinigami actually carries out the deaths. That was an interesting touch! They've never drawn attention on how some of the things happen or go into motion that revolve around the death. It actually made me overthink and realize that the Death Note may actually be a reality warper. But not in the case of the movie at least!


Thats all I can think of commenting on at the moment. I think i may have to watch it one more time with a clearer head but yea, as i said, its not good
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PrivateBiscuit1 posted...

My girlfriend and I are so psyched to watch this because we love so bad they're good movies.

There are movies that transcend so bad it's good
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Such as when you refer to them in the plural tense.
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