_Death Note_ - _★★★★_
While different from the anime, and surely the manga, Death Note is an enjoyable adaption. If you watched the anime, you know that the series’s first episode titled “Rebirth” starts out in the Shinigami Realm. We unfortunately do not see this scene or ever visit the Shinigami Realm but I think that’s just fine for this adaption as when we meet Ryuk for the first time, it’s so cool and terrifying at the same time. The film didn’t feel rushed despite having a fast pace but I never felt lost. In addition, the killings were gruesome. Also let me just say Margaret Qualley is bae to unbelievable max. Her Mia Sutton (originally Misa Amane) is just UGH <3 Nat Wolff was actually fairly decent as Light Turner (originally Light Yagami). Keith Stanfield as L was different but not totally in a negative way. And as expected, WILLEM DAFOE AS RYUK IS PERFECT!
Despite tentative hopes, the Netflix live action movie for Death Note was painful to watch. Watching with my husband and another friend who was a fan of the original anime, we switched it off after 10 minutes soon after Light's girly screaming. I did manage to play the rest on my own while multi-tasking since I felt I owed it that much. The shinigami Ryuk was the one cool thing, even if they changed his amused observer role the acting and effects for him were great. Everything else though? Instead of a top role model perfect student equally liked by fellow students and adults, Light became a whiney emo brat with so many issues. Mia, who filled in for Misa's role, instead of sweet ditzy but still somewhat smart (and definitely loyal to a fault in her love) just became a *itch. Now I always rooted for L, but these two are our protagonists of the story and unlike the original source, I could find nothing likable or admirable about them. The gore-fest was also distracting. Death Note is a very toned down thriller with most deaths happening naturally with heart attacks, implied suicides, hit by a car and so on but expect Final Destination shock-factor and gory deaths in this adaption.
