[Death Note]
Plot:A mysterious character named "L" and a few others try to track down a very intelligent high school student named Light Yagami, who has in his posession a notebook which allows him to summon a demon simply by writing someones name in it. Even though he knows killing is wrong, Raito uses the book to kill those he deems as evildoers because he believes evildoers must die to make the world a much better place.

Cast:Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Asaka Seto, Shigeki Hosokawa, Erika Toda, Shunji Fujimura, Takeshi Kaga.

My Thoughts:Overhyped.

Review:After all the hype that had been surrounding "Death Note", the Japanese horror/fantasy film...I was pretty excited going into it. After it was all said and done though, I thought to be honest, it just wasn't worthy of the praise and hype it's received and is still receiving. The movie follows a group of people who are trying to track down a genius high school student named Light Yagami. Light Yagami is believed to be responsible for a series of mysterious murders, after it's revealed he is in possession of a magical notebook, which when scribbling someones name into it, can be used to engineer their death. Light Yagami continues his reign of terror on those who he deems "morally inferior", and goes uncaptured despite numerous attempts to find him by many parties within Japan.

Soon however he draws the ire of a mysterious organization, which sends the worlds greatest detective, named "L" - after Light Yagami. Now it's a race against time for "L" and the others to stop Light Yagami before he and the death note can claim more victims. "Death Note" (Desu Noto) does indeed have one of the most unique and interesting premises to come out of the horror genre in quite awhile, even when it comes to Japanese horror. But the movie just does not deliver on many fronts. The characters first of all, beyond Light Yagami and the mysterious "L"...are not really noteworthy. They are very much under-developed, and feel more like they're just there to fill up space, rather than be a part of the overall story.

But this doesn't hurt the film too much, considering what the main bad guy and main good guy have to offer. Watching the battle of wits between Light and L does provide some very intense and excellent moments within the movie, and should act as brain fodder for the viewer who likes a strong dose of intelligence sprinkled into their horror films. The movie does an excellent job of building up the rivalry between the two, who are obviously playing on opposite sides of the moral spectrum...even though the character of Light Yagami believes what he is doing is morally acceptable. By ridding the world of criminals, by any means necessary.....he feels that despite their lives being taken from them, that he's making the world a better place and his ends justify the means.

It's really the age old story of two wrongs not making a right, and how one who means well by battling eveil can eventually become the very thing they're fighting against when given a magnificent power which shouldn't be wielded by any human being, and for reasons which the movie make very obvious. At the same time though, the film is very careful to portray Light as a misguided prodigy, instead of a psychopathic monster who is just out to take as many lvies as possible. That aspect of the character is balanced very well, and while some might come to dislike Light as a character strongly, others might come to appreciate his sharp wit, and driven and ambitious personality....despite his character flaws.

Another interesting wrinkle tossed into the movie is the death note itself, which is carried out by a demon of sorts. A grotesque-looking, winged creature which carries out the demises of those who Light puts into the notebook. I think this would've worked better however if the creature didn't seem so out of place within the movie. Instead of using any creature fx for the demon, it's simply left as a comic-animated character thrust into a movie with real people in it. While some may view this as no big deal, I thought it was one of the weakest areas of the film.

I really felt that had some creature fx been used, even of the least to moderately expensive variety...it could've really gone far in blending the demon better into the movie, even though as a plot point...the creature is only visible to Light and no one else. "Death Note" doesn't offer up much in the realm of blood and gruesome demises, as most of the kills see the victim having a heart attack or some inner malfunction which leads to their death. There isn't any hacked off limbs, or blood flow all over the place in "Death Note".

A move which I think director Shusuke Kaneko and writers Tsugumi Ôba Takeshi Obata decided on more out of class, and story development...rather than any concerns over a specific rating. The ending of the pic, albeit an odd one...still manages to be very effective and powerful in the edgy and clever way it plays out. "Death Note" does manage to be a clever and unique horror product, but it's flawed monster, lack of major action sequences, and overall avoidance of pushing the envelope all combine to cause the movie some moderately serious problems. Still, it scores many points for creativity.

Positives:Good performances by Tatsuya Fujiwara as Light Yagami and Ken'ichi Matsuyama as L. An intriguing and specifically unique story.

Negatives:Bad looking creature, seeming fear to push the envelope, and a lack of any major action sequences.

Overall:Creative effort from Japan with some moderately serious flaws.





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