TEAGAN ROEDER: Netflix’s Death Note is one of those adaptations that does nearly everything to make fans of the source material angry. I am a fan of the original anime for its clever main character and collection of nerve racking situations. This film’s version of the main character is a complete bastardization. It fails to understand why the original character was so compelling, and only takes bits and pieces from the original to make an outcast trope character.

The problem with the film as an adaptation is perfectly encapsulated by the different introductions of Ryuk, a God of Death. In the Anime version, Light Yagami is surprised but quickly regains his composure. In the film’s version, Light Turner screams like a goat and goes into the fetal position upon seeing Ryuk for the first time. The contrast is jarring. I do have to commend Willem Dafoe as Ryuk; he is the only part of the film that didn’t actively violate the source material. His character was nearly perfectly translated from the anime to the film. The rest of the film’s characters take bits and pieces to varying degrees from the source material, but none share the depth of character and connection I felt with the anime.

As far as production quality, I feel it was decent. Nothing spectacular, though I do have to question the overly grotesque deaths. I felt like I was watching Final Destination instead of Death Note. However, that prompts the question of if I ever felt like I was watching Death Note. The film is an awful adaptation of the anime, and is not worth watching for any fan of the show.

ORSON CODD: As someone who wasn’t familiar with the source material, I watched the Netflix version not knowing what to expect. After watching the film and speaking to Teagan, he informed me what I watched was far from superior when compared to the original.

Personally, the film didn’t bother me as much. It had some enjoyable moments. For example, Willem Dafoe, who’s always a legend, plays Ryuk, which he did a fantastic job portraying. He brings a creepy and edgy element to the character, especially with the voice.

The main character, Light Turner (Nat Wolff), was a bit cartoony and overdramatic, though. After getting the death notebook, he begins taking out people who have wronged him, but after a while he uses it to kill random people. One problem I had with is that his intentions weren’t clear. He was trying to create world peace, but by doing that he created chaos. I understand that’s the whole point of his character arc, but to me, it felt more unbalanced.

Also, the editing came across a tad sloppy, especially in the second act. It felt like some of the scenes could’ve been placed anywhere. Plus, the runtime was SUPER long, as there were many things that could’ve been cut because they had little relevance to the plot.

Overall, the film was fine. That doesn’t mean it didn’t have issues. I did a longer review on my YouTube channel called A Talk In Depth.