Death Note

Director: Shūsuke Kaneko 
Writers: Tetsuya Ôishi
Based on the Manga/Anime by: Tsugumi Ôba/Takeshi Obata
Producers: Toyoharu Fukada/Takahiro Kohashi/Takahiro Satō
Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara/Ken’ichi Matsuyama/Asaka Seto/Erika Toda 
Year: 2008
Country: Japan
BBFC Certification: 15
Duration: 125 minutes

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.

A human whose name is written in this book shall die…

Death Note has caused quite a bit of controversy in countries such as America, some even banning the show because students started writing names in homemade Death Notes which worried parents and police. Being a big fan of the show, I couldn’t wait to watch this movie and after watching it, I wasn’t disappointed. The story was handled very well and followed the anime better than I thought it would. The characters were written well and most of the cast looked like their characters from the series. The actors did a great job as their characters and the CGI was great. The scenes were well executed and the writing and dialogue is great and smartly written. This is definitely a must for fans.

I loved this live-action movie, I thought it was brilliant. Although it’s bad news for people who hate reading subtitles since it’s Japanese but the good news is it is dubbed and, I never thought I’d never say this but fans of the show must watch this in English dub! The reason why is because all of the cast who did the English voiceovers in the anime series do it in the movie series too, although there are a few scenes that look weird. Even though it’s nice to see and hear the original cast of the English voice actors play their roles again, I preferred watching this with subtitles. Overall, it’s a great movie and a brilliant addition to the Death Note franchise. If you are a fan of the series or you like horror fantasy movies, then you will like this.

8/10
Death Note is easily one of the best anime series ever written and this movie is a great adaptation. This is definitely a must-watch for fans!