Death Note (live-action movie #1)

Title:Death Note (live-action movie #1)
デスノート (Japanese)
Overall:Watch
Keywords: , , , , , , , , , ,
Notables: Original Concept - OBATA Takeshi
Yagami Light is a brilliant college student who, one day, finds a notebook simply titled "Death Note." Inside of this book is a list of rules and details as for the use of the "Death Note." When he realizes the power he holds, he decides he's going to make over the world. He wants to make it into a better place by killing those who do others harm. He has been nicknamed by the police "Kira." L, a brilliant detective who lives in secrecy, rises from the shadows and puts his life on the line trying to capture Light. Both L and Light believe themselves on the side of Justice, and the two match wits trying to show exactly which of them is "good" and which of them is "evil."
(synopsis courtesy of Anime News Network)

Running time: 110 minutes

The live action movie series consists of two 110min movies.

The first movie was licensed by VIZ who released it to the US audiences as a full feature film. It has been reported in reported in ANN that VIZ is considering releasing 2nd movie in late '08.

For images from the movie - click here

Also see animated series Death Note and live-action spin off - L Change the WorLd (live-action)

31sec English Language Promo - ANN (high res) Steaming Promo
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Watch 10 10 10 10 Violet D [series:1830#1393]
I rented this at Hastings a couple of weeks ago and decided to give it a try. I felt this is really good and the actors playing the parts of Light and L did an excellent job. Other then seeing Speed Racer. My attention has always been with animation pictures. But this was really good. I plan on renting L changes the world. Which I heard is excellent also.

Last updated Saturday, May 30 2009. Created Saturday, May 30 2009.
Rent Stretch [series:1830#628]
While going to see another movie I noticed that a poster for this film was displayed in the theater and decided to return that evening for the screening (the only one of the day). This being a “movie” after all, I expected some sort of conclusion, hopefully with a different fate for my favorite character than in the anime TV series. In fact, this was pretty much just a retelling of the first couple volumes of the manga, without any major differences from the TV series or much of a conclusion at all. The biggest difference is the inclusion (or addition?) of Shiori, Light's girlfriend prior to Misa. The story ends just as he's accepted into the anti-Kira task force and Misa becomes involved. One more movie has been made, which, it turns out, is supposed to have the alternate ending I was hoping for. There's also the "L Saves The WorLd" spinoff. I had suspected that this film would be subtitled, but in fact it had been dubbed by Viz using the same VAs as the anime series. One inexplicable problem is that no subtitles at all were included, even though often times the viewer needs to be able to read signs and notes written in Japanese. There were enough differences from the TV series and original bits and pieces to keep me from being disappointed. A little more effort was made to express Light's frustration with the Japanese legal system before he acquires the notebook. Also interesting was the method L used to explain his conclusion that a lone criminal was responsible for the mystifying rash of heart attacks among convicts. One problem was that the CGI Ryuk didn't seem to fit all that well with live actors, and his voice seemed somehow uninspired and out of sync. In short, this movie would be an expensive way to rewatch the same story retold in a slightly different manner (and I think the anime is better anyhow), but it does have it's good points. Having the complex story summarized in the space of two hours can be handy, and Death Note fanatics won't be able to resist the chance to see another version. A special bonus, which came as a pleasant surprise to me, was that a short documentary about the making of the film was included afterwards. Nothing amazing was revealed, but it was interesting nevertheless.

Just as interesting as the movie itself was the behavior of the viewers. I detected a distinct rowdiness from the moment I arrived. I wondered if this might be a special screening for some sort of club, since there had been a number of changes to the usual theater practices. Clearly somebody knew that these were anime fans since the only preview was for an upcoming Bleach movie, "Remembrances of Nobody" (or something like that). Also unusual was a notice warning viewers not to try to record the film with camcorders. The teenage male viewers could be rather obnoxious, talking freely and making lewd comments until an usher was stationed in the theater to keep an eye on them. I felt embarassed to be watching the same film as these people. At critical moments in the film wildly enthusiastic applause broke out, quite unlike anything you would hear at an ordinary movie. When L first revealled his face the girls squeeled loudly and one shouted "I love you, L"! An interesting experience, to say the least!

Last updated Saturday, May 24 2008. Created Thursday, May 22 2008.

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