Death Note & Death Note: The Last Name review

When teenage genius Light Yagami stumbles upon a Death Note, a ledger of the gods of death used to kill humans, one would think he would hand over the dangerous weapon to his father, the chief of police. Instead, Light begins to unsubtly kill off criminals in droves, alerting worldwide police attention and that of the notoriously clever detective, L. Engaging in a battle of wits, L begins to track Light with every intention of bringing him to justice, while Light tries desperately to kill L and prevent his actions from going unpunished.

Along with his own private god of death, Light demonstrates how meticulous planning and cunning can propel a story. Although Light’s preparations are often farfetched and seemingly impossible (consommé flavored chips anyone?), Death Note is intense and nerve wracking.

Death Note: The Last Name picks up right where Death Note left off, with Light’s epic desire to discover L’s last name so he can kill him with the Death Note. When a popular TV actress gets thrown in the mix, Light suddenly has to learn how to play with another—or risk revealing everything.

Adapted from the wildly successful manga of the same name, Death Note and Death Note: The Last Name are visually stunning films that do an excellent job at adapting the lengthy manga for an equally lengthy feature film. If you can suspend disbeliefs long enough to believe Light is truly that brilliant, then the Death Note movies are absolutely something you want to pick up.

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