Suppose you had a notebook and whatever name you wrote down in the book, that person would die 45 seconds later in whatever manner you wrote down. How would you use this power? Would you use it at all? This is the premise of Death Note, but it’s also the plot of a poorly 
executed Netflix movie.
Death Note is based on the Japanese manga of the same name. It follows a high school student named Light Turner who finds a notebook known as “Death Note.” Once he touches the book, he meets a demonic death god named Ryuk who teaches him how to use the book.
I won’t give you more plot summary, just know that this film had great potential and fell short in more ways than can be reasonably detailed. There was an outcry on social media about the casting of white actors in the Japanese roles of this film, but that is the least of this film’s problems. It just doesn’t work on any level.
There is, however, one high point. Willem Dafoe is stellar as the voice of the Shinigami Ryuk (pictured above). If you are familiar with the anime series of the same name, you will marvel at how close Dafoe nails the English voice dub of Brian Drummond of the series. However, Dafoe is not enough to save a poor written story.
If you are a fan of the Death Note manga, Netflix does have the original 37 episode anime series. You can also watch the 2015 eleven episode live-action Japanese TV series on Crunchyroll. The live-action series on Crunchyroll is first rate and is a reminder of what the Netflix movie could have been.
Look, having the ability to determine who lives and dies is a power that tests the morality of human beings everyday. It’s a power we delegate to our elected leaders, but what if YOU had that power. Would you risk being corrupted by that power. Sadly, the Netflix movie never challenges you enough for you to want to ponder those questions. And that’s the shame of this movie. The Netflix trailer is below.
