Netflix's Death Note adaptation faced intense backlash for its radical departure from the source material
In short: Adam Wingard's 2017 supernatural thriller reimagined the iconic Japanese manga for an American audience, swapping the original's cold, calculating protagonist for a more sympathetic high schooler. While the film aimed to explore universal themes of morality, it struggled to balance its ambitious premise, ultimately drawing criticism from fans and critics alike.
The development of the 2017 film was a decade-long journey that shifted through multiple studios and directors. Initially, Warner Bros. held the rights, with directors like Shane Black and Gus Van Sant attached at various stages. Warner Bros. eventually placed the project in turnaround, allowing Netflix to acquire it for a budget between $40 and $50 million. The final product, directed by Adam Wingard, relocated the story from Tokyo to Seattle, Washington, and introduced significant character changes, such as making Light Turner a more humanized, less sociopathic figure than his manga counterpart, Light Yagami.
Critical reception was largely negative, with the film holding a 36% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers frequently cited an overcrowded narrative and a failure to capture the essential cat-and-mouse dynamic between Light and the enigmatic detective L. Furthermore, the film sparked controversy for its use of real-life footage from a 2010 train collision in Buizingen, Belgium, which resulted in 19 deaths. This decision was condemned by survivors and rail operators as deeply disrespectful.
Despite the backlash—which led director Adam Wingard to delete his Twitter account—Netflix reported that the film achieved sizable viewership numbers. The original creators of the manga, Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, offered praise, noting that the film's divergence allowed it to reach a wider audience. A sequel is currently in development with writer Greg Russo, who has stated that the follow-up will be more faithful to the source material and will specifically address the criticisms leveled at the first film.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Death Note (2017 film)
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