netflix's adaptation of the manga/anime series death note is often terrible but occasionally entertaining, albeit often for the wrong reasons. director adam wingarde provides a live-action take on the story of a young man with a book that will kill anyone whose name is written inside, but the results are likely far below what the fans hoped for. part of the problem is that the characters in this film are hilariously two-dimensional, something that not even fairly talented actors can overcome. no one has more development than can be told in a single sentence. the story is an interesting concept but boiling it down to a 100-minute film strips anything intriguing away. the cast is fine, although willem dafoe's particularly distinctive voice is a detriment to the death god ryuk, however fine a job he does. also...listen, i know that death note shares some narrative similarities with the final destination films. that's fine. but don't go the extra mile in making this feel like a copy of those films by borrowing the same color aesthetics. it could have at least stood on its own if it didn't try to look so much like part of the franchise. providing an actual ending would have been nice too, instead of neglecting a hard conclusion so the sequel could be set up. there's some moments where the film seems to try to embrace the ridiculousness of the whole thing, but by and large it takes itself way too seriously. i won't say i was bored by the film, because it does get entertaining when it leans into the wackiness. but those moments were way too few and far inbetween. wingarde, nat wolff, margaret qualley, dafoe, netflix...you're all better than this. i'm not mad, just disappointed.