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Sure,
I may have only ever actually sat down to watch a Japanese film in full
twice before (and even then, it was a film and it's sequel) but if Battle
Royale and Death Note
represent what's on offer - then thats one hell of a good strike rate!
Based on the hit Manga Comic Book (and subsequent Anime cartoon), Death Note follows
college student Light
Yagami. A brilliant university student whose life undergoes a drastic
change when he
discovers a mysterious notebook lying on
the ground, known as the "Death Note", which changes the course of the
world forever.
In short - The Death Note's instructions claim that, if a human's name
is written within it, that person will die. Soon, the number of
inexplicable deaths
of reported criminals catches the attention of the International Police
Organization and a mysterious detective known only as "L". Light
realizes that L will be his greatest
nemesis, and a race to prove mental superiority between the two
begins.
The
brilliance of these two films included in this package (in Japan the
two volumes were releases within close range of each other, very
similar to the way Kill
Bill was
promoted) is due to the complex simplicity of the plot. For some
reason, Japanese film makers are masters of really simple, cool ideas.
For many, the idea of reading four odd hours of subtitles may be a turn
off, but for mine, Death
Note is
as enthralling as any Hollywood masterpiece. It's strength lies in the
fact that it plays out on so many levels. A film, which essentially
feels like you're watching a marathon DVD session of 24
(you know those days where you simply can't stop watching). Top
quality, consistently intriguing, unravelling and evolving at the
perfect pace.
The look of the film is sublime too, keeping
numerous aspects from the Anime and Manga - but keeping it's own visual
style in toe as well. The cast deliver solid (if not occasionally
exagerated) performances, with the two leads utterly superb in their
respective roles of L and Light.
Two fantastic movies (which
were so successful, led to a spin-off film being made) which stand on
their own to two feet - not simply just being "cool foreign flicks".
Must watch.
EXTRAS
Some pretty cool features here, although not
all of which will benefit English speaking audiences.
There
are some surprisingly interesting and watchable behind the scenes
featurettes (for some reason, these featurettes are starting to become
more than just boring bits of fluff lately), if only to see the
cultural differences between Hollywood and Japanese sets.
As per
usual, Madman have gone above and beyond the call of duty when it comes
to presentation. A monster sized 24-Page full colour booklet is
included here which gives great detail into the characters, production,
and most importantly - looks awesome.
There's also a bunch of Trailers and TV Spots which prove that the
producers of Cloverfield
aren't the only ones who know how to
deliver a decent teaser trailer.
Well worth hunting down at the DVD store.
Conclusion:
Movie 90% Extras: 70%
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