Death Note (2006)

First off, i will admit that I've never been much of a fan on shonen. Whether its anime or drama,I've always preferred watching romance. For someone like me, who only prefers romance dramas, i fell in love with this!

Yes, the movie definitely changed some things from the anime. But what movie doesn't? Especially for anime, some things would look a little weird without changing it while doing the live action. And this way, you're not watching the exact same thing. I found both the anime and the movie very entertaining, and i recommend both.

The acting in this was also really great! The actor who played Light was very impressive, I could see where he was coming from, and what type of personality he had easily. L was played really good too! I'm team L all the way, and never once was on Light's side!

So if your considering whether to watch it or not,here is what i suggest: if you are an avid anime fan keep an open mind that there are changes to the movie. If you've never seen the anime, i suggest watching that first. That way the movie won't spoil you with what will happen. Or vice versa. Whichever you prefer. Hoped this helped!

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I like these kind of dramas/movies and though I haven't watched any of its anime version or read its manga and I think it's a good thing cause I was able to enjoy the movie. I love the characters and how it was portrayed by the actors. I find the storyline unique and that kept me watching this movie till the end. The music was cool enough for me. I plan on watching the anime but I'm glad I watched the movie first before my impression will be spoilt if I did the other way. I will surely watch this again. It's one of the classic Japanese movies worth re-watching because of it's unique plot and especially if you are a fan of it. I recommend it especially if you want to watch something with your friends. This is certainly worth a try and one of the best Japanese movies.

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My first impression: WOW! What an amazing movie! I've been postponing watching this series for quite a while (both the anime and the movie) since I'm not really a fan of most "serious" movies(comic relief in this movie is as good as non-existent), but I finally left my prejudice aside and saw it. This movie in a single word; "Brilliant". Actually speaking, its the plot that's brilliant, so full credit to the mangaka who wrote this amazing story(Death note was originally published as a manga and later made into an anime series as well).



The plot is gripping, and it had me sitting on the edge of my seat throughout the movie. The movie raises the important question, is killing justified if the people killed are criminals? The lead character(Light Yagami) is a superb protagonist( I love 'em smart dudes :D ), and "L" is the perfect antagonist to counter Light's intelligence. "Light" who sees himself as a new age God, striving to rid the world of evil, and "L", the sharp detective who sees such killings in the name of righteousness as murder, both provide interesting and contrasting views on "justice". This was one of the few movies that had me rooting for both; the protagonist as well as the antagonist. "L" was a refreshingly new character for me; I fell in love with his eccentric personality and investigative skills and "Light" aka "Kira" gives a whole new definition to the word "genius".



Its glorious to watch these two masterminds battle each other, in a war of wills and belief; in addition to the mysterious and thrilling "death note" and "shinigami" ( Ryuk in this movie, a wonderful CG character whom I love :)).



Acting: I think both the leads did an amazing job and made the story believable.

Rewatch: I don't think watching this movie again will be as much fun as the first time since the most amazing thing about this movie is its unpredictability, and that will be lost while rewatching.



I recommend this movie for anyone who enjoys a brilliantly written plot. Watch to find out who triumphs in this epic battle.

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I strongly advise anyone who is a fan of the anime and/or the manga to either stay away from this movie entirely or, like me, laugh (read: weep) at the inaccuracies. While most of the story is followed pretty accurately in this particular movie, there are some noticeable differences and if you love the original works, you may cringe at least a few times throughout the course of the movie. As such, the storytelling is still great, because as other reviewers have pointed out, Death Note itself is an enthralling tale, but you could get the same (nay, much better) experience from the anime, or if you're comfortable with reading a series, the manga.

The casting is so-so, with a Light who only looks like Light if you squint but an L who's fairly accurate and good at the required mannerisms.

The music is good enough... with the exception of a seemingly random Red Hot Chili Peppers song playing a multitude of times amidst rather serious content.

I've re-watched this movie several times by now simply from showing it to friends. The rewatch value is very high... but only from a comedic standpoint. Each time I find the movie worse and even more inaccurate than before, but somehow even more hilarious.

Taking into account my scores on everything else, I'd rate this movie a six. It was "okay" and that's about it. Certainly good if you've never seen or read the original stories, but decidedly Not Good if you have.

Long review short: go watch the anime and then try this movie.

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Story: As someone who loves both the manga and the anime, I was actually kind of hesitant about watching this movie, even though this actually came out before the anime. Knowing already that there are still two movies after this one, I felt like it moved at a nice pace. It had it's slower parts, but that's pretty much a given with any Japanese movie. There were some parts that were changed up, so I was a little confused at times, but I didn't feel like it hurt the movie in any way.

Acting/Cast: Fujiwara Tatsuya was the biggest factor when I decided to finally give the movie a try. After viewing Light in a certain way for all of these years, I really wasn't a fan of his portrayal of him at first. But, as time went on, and I continued watching, I really ended up loving him in the role.

Matsuyama Kenichi is the perfect L. Everything from the way he talks, to the way he sits, to the way he acts, was just totally spot-on. I had absolutely no trouble believing he was L.

The rest of the characters didn't get too much time of their own, but when they did, I wasn't disappointed.

Music: Honestly, I don't remember much of the music from this movie. There's the suspenseful music every now and then, but that's all I remember.
After being so used to hearing it every few minutes in the anime whenever Light's coming up with a new plan, it was kind of disappointing to have it lacking in the movie.

Rewatch Value: After watching the anime repeatedly, and reading the manga just as much, I can safely say I would do the same with the movie.

Overall: Overall, the only things I can think to complain about were the music and the occasional slowness. Like I said though, it's pretty much a given when watching a Japanese movie, so it didn't bother me enough to not give this movie a 10.

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I can't help but give this movie a rating of 10/10, because it most definitely deserves it!
Definitely being my favourite movie by far - Death Note has a plot like no other, it's so unique and different that you're hooked from the very beginning. The acting throughout the movie is spectacular and Yagami Light and L's characters are so accurate, it seems as if they have been plucked directly out of the manga and thrown onto the big screen.
Immediately after I had finished watching Death Note, I rushed into my sister's room and demanded that she watch it too. I will always recommend this, as I have not yet found anyone who doesn't like this movie.
With a twisting and shocking plot, filled with death gods and murder-solving, you won't be able to take your eyes off the screen!

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You won't regret watching it!

As a fan of the manga, it's true that this movie changed a few details, but it manages to catch the atmosphere of the manga. I'm not entirely sure about the actor chosen for Light, although he definitely got better through the movie. I get why he was chosen. L's actor did a great job making me envious of his food XD, and was the one that most resembled the original character. I'm still trying to guess why Misa has black hair now, but I guess they wanted to be more natural looking. Please Misa, give me your recipes :) ! Also, Ryuk looked a bit fake, but who cares about that.
I know I'm funnily describing all the issues, but don't worry, they don't affect the enjoyment of the story. It's a pretty witty movie, it will twist what you see and deceive you all the time. And even when you rewatch it, you'll be amazed at how it all actually happens. Seriously though, who wrote this story has quite a twisted mind XD. I wonder if the second movie (which ends the manga storyline) will be just as good.

Long story short, this movie doesn't disappoint both new and old fans, so do watch it!

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By itself with no previous history of the story Death Note is watchable at best. I say watchable because Death Note is a story that will draw almost anyone in, and the movie has a decent cast and soundtrack. I would have to advise anyone who's a fan of the manga/anime to stay away though. The stories are very different and one has a hard time even taking anything seriously. The actors' portrayals of Light, L, and Ryuk are laughable to say the least. (Seriously, I found myself bursting out laughing multiple times.) All in all, the movie is average on it's own but doesn't live up to it's name and legend for fans of Tsugumi Ohba's work. I would recommend anybody seeking out this movie to view it as a parody rather than a feature film to fully enjoy it. If anyone is a fan of the live action but hasn't experienced the anime/manga you definitely need to check it out, even if anime isn't normally your thing.

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Hey it wasn't that bad, wasn't that good but not bad. I loved Ryuk even though the animation for him was kinda lame, I liked him. The guy who played light wasn't too bad either, actually I think he portrayed the twisted side of Light very well. The girl who played Misa was not bad. Now the guy who played L was definitely the best of all, they cast him very well. He's how I would imagine L in real life. I've watched the anime and read the manga, and I'm glad they changed somethings. If you're not a hardcore death-note fan then I recommend this, if you are then you might be disappointed with the way they did this movie.

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This is a positive review because I havent read the manga.
The movie got me from the very beginning. It was very interesting and nicely done. Main reason why the movie is good is for the great story line. Acting did its job but could have been better.

I liked that you couldnt really guess what was really gonna happen in the end. I liked that in the movie there were younger people doing older peoples jobs.

I didnt like that some scenes in the movie were really fake therefore almost ruined it for me, since im a perfectionist. Cast could have been better. Also I dont liek the special effects of this movie once again makes it look fake. Especialy Ryuk.

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