It feels kind of poetic that with about a couple days to go
before Ghost in the Shell hits theaters (I promise after this week ill shut up
about it) we’ll get another Live Action Anime adaptation coming a few months
later. Yes, Death Note American version
is happening and will debut as a Netflix exclusive film on August 25,
2017. The one minute trailer didn’t show
a tremendous amount but just enough to get the internet rilled up. Me, my feelings are mixed but I still intend
to watch and review for the blog. For
now, here are my Top 5 Thoughts on the Death Note Teaser for todays Top 5
Wednesday.
#5-Is a Movie a
Good Idea?
One thing that struck me while watching was, why make
this a single movie? Will it be a single
movie? The 2006 Japanese version was
split into two films (and even got a sequel late last year which I really want
to see). Trying to cram 12 volumes of
Manga or 37 episodes of Anime into a 2-2.5hr feature is a risky move. If anything, the premise of Death Note would
make for a solid TV series that would fit right into the line up on a Teen
centered network like the CW. CW has
found success with supernatural themed shows…like Supernatural. And it’s well known for it’s brooding teenage
shows (Dark Archie, er I mean Riverdale kind of matches the vibe of the Death
Note Trailer). Speculating all of this,
it is always likely that this is just the first of a planned set of films and
further chapters will be announced based on the success of this one movie. Wait and see approach is in effect.
#4-Death by Ferris
Wheel?
While ive never read the manga in full (just the first 4
volumes), I have seen the Anime at least twice all the way through (granted
that was years ago). I cannot recall a
time when Light and some poor guy were clinging for dear life on a collapsing
Ferris Wheel. This is a pretty big
sequence to tack onto a show that seems a bit more grounded in it’s epicness
without having to go all out. Also, what
exactly is happening here? Did Light set
some events in motion that got out of hand with his Death Note? Was he testing it? Who is he holding onto, could it be L? Just how the heck did this sequence get so
out of hand? Whatever the case, it’s a
pretty interesting way to get peoples attention and help the movie stand out on
it’s own, trying something new.
#3-Misa the
Cheerleader
Misa Amane is now Mia Sutton in the new movie,
Americanizing the names a bit but make sense of a US adaptation. We only get a couple of quick glimpses but
enough for a first impression. Mia
doesn’t give off the typical ditzy vibe of Misa. She seems a bit more rebellious (she smokes
during cheerleading practice) and a key candidate to form a cult around
Kira. Being what could be Cheer Captain
shows she’ll still have the popular girl aspect of her original character
intact. She’s also pretty easy on the
eyes (the actress is also the daughter of Andie MacDowell…wow that’s awesome),
which, love or hate her, Misa always was.
This will be a character to keep an eye on while watching.
#2-Light Turner
& Mr. Robot L
Ah the big two. As
soon as Light was first spotted, reactions went all over the place. Are they white washing again? For me, I was wondering if I was looking at
Light or seeing some kid trying to cosplay Quicksilver from Avengers: Age of
Ultron with that bleached hair. Again,
the argument of this being a CW series rather than a movie comes up cause he
looks like the kind of kid youd see in a CW show. It’s too early to judge him based on his
acting cause of a few quick lines. As
for Mr Robot, sorry L. The shot of the
detective walking down a red lit hallway with a hood and mask gives off a Mr.
Robot vibe. Still, not really much to
say as of yet. He’s being portrayed by
Keith Stanfeild, who played Snoop Dogg in Straight Outta Compton. With all the complaints of white washing, I’m
really glad this casting hasn’t gotten scrutinized yet as making L an black
detective (apparently doing his own in the field investigating, a far cry from
his manga counterpart who usually does everything behind closed doors) could offset
whatever levels of hate the trailer may have gotten and make the movie appeal
to a larger audience. Will this L still
be as quirky as the one we all know and love?
Hopefully we see more of him in the next trailer so I can make a better
guess.
#1-Ryuk is
Terrifying as F***
One shot is blink and you’ll miss, the other is blurred
out. But those eyes…those terrifyingly
disturbing eyes. Both the Anime and
Movie versions of Ryuk kind of made him look a bit goofy, which made sense as
he did provide a lot of dark comic relief.
Here though, he totally gives off the vibe of a true Death God, a
sinister force of nature that cant really be stopped. On top of that, he’s also voiced by bad guy
expert extrodinaire Willem Dafoe (Spider Man, The Boondock Saints). No matter your overall thoughts on the
casting, that is a perfect choice.
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