Netflix’s Live-Action Adaptation of Death Note gets its First Trailer: Where’s the Crisp Shot???
(Image sourced from https://twitter.com/saga_nerd/status/768194734418497537)
The Facts:
This past Thursday Netflix released a trailer for one of its
new upcoming original movies. Big whoop right, Netflix does that all the time,
right. Well when the trailer is for a highly anticipated adaptation of one of
the biggest and most beloved anime classics of all time, Death Note, then yeah,
probably gonna be a whoop.
Starring Nat
Wolff (Paper Towns) as the morally ambiguous Light Turner, Margaret Qualley (the
leftovers) as love interest Mia Sutton, Keith Stanfield (Get Out) as nemesis L,
Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) as Ryuk one of the gods of death, and
being directed by the Blair Witch Projects Adam Wingard.
The
trailer is currently sitting at 7,310,711 views on Netflix’s official US and
Canada YouTube channel, with 132,822 likes and 54,367 dislikes.
(Image sourced from https://moviepilot.com/p/death-note-2017-trailer-netflix-remake-anime/4231202)
For
any of the uninitiated, Death Note follows Light as he stumbles across this
mysterious black note book that randomly falls from the sky. On closer inspection
the book seems to have rules scrawled on the back of its front cover explaining
how this book can be used as a tool of death, with any name written in it
resulting in the owners of that name’s death. Curious to see if the book is
legit or not Light writes in a name and sees just how the pen can be mightier
than the sword. From here the events of the anime spiralled into an unrelenting
chess game between the questionable Light and the police force dedicated to
stopping him.
The
Netflix original film will be released on the 25th of August.
IMO:
Now
with all the facts out of the way, let’s get into what works and what doesn’t in
this sure to be controversial trailer.
Let’s
start with the focal point of the whole series and now film, Light. While I love
Nat Wolff and am happy to see him get work, from this trailer, I didn’t really
get a boost in confidence that he will be able to live up to the seemingly
untouchable animated version of the character. Light, in the anime, is a
stone-cold force of intellectual nature, not intimidated by anything or anyone
and wholly convicted to his cause. Guy is pretty scary, and all he has in his arsenal
is a pen and fashionable notebook. But I didn’t get any sense of that from this
trailer. Now the trailer is only 1 minute long, but what we did get to see
looked more like a lost confused boy, a thing Light is for about 15 seconds in
the anime. I do have hope that Wolff will do a great job, but sadly I don’t have
any evidence to back up this claim. Yet.
(Image sourced from http://mobilephonespricess.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/so-luce-l-in-death-note-adaptation.html)
Another
issue that tinges this trailer in a feeling of unease for any fan of the
beloved anime is the clear and off-putting Americanising of the property. The original
Death Note is a relatively sombre and methodical thriller that doesn’t rely on
big explosions or action to carry its plot because the intellectual tennis
match between Light and L is enthralling enough. But in this trailer the
creators have seemed to rely on the easy decision of using set pieces to keep
the audience’s attention, with one shot in-particular of a collapsing ferris
wheel giving me the most pause as I can easily see this incredibly smart premise
be boiled down to nothing but set pieces and chase scenes.
Another
symptom of the Americanisation of Death Note comes in the form of an added
romance to the story. In the original anime the character of Misa, now Mia for
the film, was completely and utterly in love with Light, to a fault, but that
love was never given back by Light as he saw her more as a tool than a lover. But
from the looks of the trailer, the film seems to have forgone the twisted
relationship of the anime and relegated it to the conventional love story seen
in a million films before it, and a million films after I am sure.
(Image sourced from http://elcomercio.pe/luces/cine/netflix-empezo-filmacion-death-note-noticia-1913574)
Now
the film might surprise me and give a really compelling story of why these two
are drawn to eachother, but as it stands, this all to conventional change both
takes away a great element from the story, and takes away from what made Light
such an interesting and conflicting main character as in the anime your left
always wondering if he is or isn’t actually the bad guy of the story, ala
Breaking Bad, an interesting thought this film hopefully wont forgo.
Before
someone attacks me in the comments for just hating on this because it’s not
exactly like the anime and I’m not giving them any creative freedom as an angry
fan-boy of the anime, I just want to say I am more than happy for people to
bring another interpretation to this really interesting premise. But why does
it have to be the original storyline with the original characters from the
anime. I’m sure there are going to be a lot of conversations about turning
these inherently Japanese characters into Americans for the film, and people
will shout out from the roof tops: “#NOTMYLIGHT!!!” So what I don’t understand
is, with all this in mind, why not just make up new characters and a new story.
The Death Note could fall anywhere and get into anyone's hands. The anime did a
fantastic job of showing what happened once it got into Light’s hands, why not
use this opportunity to show what happens when it gets into an American kid’s
hands? Here they could have dodged all the controversy and fan outcry and
brought something new and interesting to the table instead of a, at this point,
worrying adaptation of a beloved and in many anime fan’s eyes sacred property.
(Image sourced from http://cinemavine.com/trailer-for-death-note/)
But
there were some glimmers of hope in this trailer. Director Adam Wingard seems
to be bringing a really cool and interesting style to the project, with some
great dark but visually popping shots sprinkled throughout the trailer. From
the smoking cheer leader, hallway bathed in red light, and disturbingly
graceful fall of three suicidal people from a skyscraper, my eyebrows were
brought to a intrigued raised position as a spark of hope was ignited for this
film.
But
no matter how this version of Death Notes plays out, whether it’s a bastardisation
of the original anime or a surprisingly good adaptation, one thing is for sure.
Willem Defoe as Ryuk is going to be perfect. From his one line at the tail-end
of this trailer his voice is already the best fit for the flying god of death
and I can’t wait to hear Defoe obsess over Apples like its Heroin.
(Iamge sourced from http://www.antena3.com/se-estrena/noticias/willem-dafoe-sera-ryuk-pelicula-death-note_2016080357a193e76584a8541f4b2cb1.html)
So,
there are my thoughts on the upcoming adaptation of one of the best animes ever
created, what did you think of the trailer? Do you have hope or are you going
to boycott the film altogether. Whatever your thoughts voice your opinions in
the comments below and while your (hopefully) enjoying my content why not check out my YouTube
channel, BurtonReviews, where I upload awesome gaming montages put to badass
songs or scores every Sunday.
Thanks
for reading.
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