Death Note - Foreign Film Review

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Created in: Japan

Language: Japanese

Synopsis: Based on the Japanese manga (comic book series) of the exact same title by Tsugumi Oba and Takeshi Obata, the plot entails a university student named Light Yagami (Tatsuya Fujiwara). Light hopes to grow to be a police detective one day, and studies diligently to achieve his goal.

He hates crime and corruption, and while walking dwelling 1 night, finds a supernatural notebook owned by Ryuk, the God of Death (voiced by Shido Nakamura). Light learns that the name of any human written in the notebook will die, and soon goes to function trying to rid the world of killers and thieves.

He takes on an alias identified as Kira, and soon becomes a controversial underground celebrity. Light wields his power mercilessly, and discovers that the act of writing in the notebook also provides him the God-like capacity to control an individual's actions and alter the course of a person's destiny.

With the companionship of Ryuk, Light uses his brilliant intellect to exact his individual form of justice while staying 1 step ahead of the law.

But the law is trying to track him down, and Light finds himself hunted by a mysterious detective identified only as "L" (Kenichi Matsuyama). "L" is every bit as brilliant as Light, and the game of cat-and-mouse escalates as each are tested to the limits of their intellect.

The Superior: Death Note is an ingeniously developed story with a especially cool plot. The supernatural element is especially complicated, but is clearly explained and contained within the context of the story. Any attainable plot holes are expertly plugged, which is impressive for the reason that this movie could have simply fallen apart.

The story twists are particularly well thought-out, and this is ultimately an unpredictable movie that will maintain you engaged until the rather end. Light is a fascinating protagonist, and his God-complex reveals a quantity of jaw-dropping philosophical/ethical points of discussion.

Despite the fact that I've never ever read the original comic book series or watched the anime version, Death Note appears to be a highly successful adaptation. Considerably of the story/character nuances popular in comic-book series are preserved, generating it an encounter that is as enjoyable as it is complex.

The Bad: Some of the digital effects involving Ryuk are type of hokey. And considering that of the ending, the full impact of this movie will only be completely enjoyed upon the very first viewing.

Who would like this movie: I'd suggest Death Note mainly for the 18-35 demographic. It's a especially intelligent movie, and not necessarily just for fans of foreign films.

You will appreciate it if you are a fan of comic books (particularly Japanese manga), thrillers, and imaginative storylines. It is a comic-book adaptation that visually opts for elegance and subtlety over colorful garishness.

(three and 1/2 stars out of four)

Director: Shusuke Kaneko

Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Shido Nakamura, Takeshi Kaga, Yu Kashii, Asaka Seto, Kenichi Matsuyama

Year: 2006

Evaluation written by: Joe Yang