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Death Note: L Change the World

Original title: L: Change the World
  • 2008
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 9m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
8.6K
YOUR RATING
Ken'ichi Matsuyama in Death Note: L Change the World (2008)
CrimeDramaThriller

A spin-out sequel to the popular Japanese thriller. This time it focuses on the character "L."A spin-out sequel to the popular Japanese thriller. This time it focuses on the character "L."A spin-out sequel to the popular Japanese thriller. This time it focuses on the character "L."

  • Director
    • Hideo Nakata
  • Writers
    • Tsugumi Ôba
    • Takeshi Obata
    • Hirotoshi Kobayashi
  • Stars
    • Ken'ichi Matsuyama
    • Alistair Abell
    • Michael Adamthwaite
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    8.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Hideo Nakata
    • Writers
      • Tsugumi Ôba
      • Takeshi Obata
      • Hirotoshi Kobayashi
    • Stars
      • Ken'ichi Matsuyama
      • Alistair Abell
      • Michael Adamthwaite
    • 39User reviews
    • 28Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos37

    Shunji Fujimura and Ken'ichi Matsuyama in Death Note: L Change the World (2008)
    Shingo Tsurumi in Death Note: L Change the World (2008)
    Shunji Fujimura and Ken'ichi Matsuyama in Death Note: L Change the World (2008)
    Shunji Fujimura in Death Note: L Change the World (2008)
    Yûki Kudô, Shingo Tsurumi, and Mayuko Fukuda in Death Note: L Change the World (2008)
    Yûki Kudô and Shingo Tsurumi in Death Note: L Change the World (2008)
    Erika Toda in Death Note: L Change the World (2008)
    Ken'ichi Matsuyama in Death Note: L Change the World (2008)
    Renji Ishibashi and Masanobu Takashima in Death Note: L Change the World (2008)
    Ken'ichi Matsuyama in Death Note: L Change the World (2008)
    Narushi Fukuda in Death Note: L Change the World (2008)
    Ken'ichi Matsuyama in Death Note: L Change the World (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ken'ichi Matsuyama
    Ken'ichi Matsuyama
    • L
    Alistair Abell
    Alistair Abell
    • Doctor
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    • …
    Michael Adamthwaite
    Michael Adamthwaite
    • Rei Iwamatsu
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    Sota Aoyama
    Sota Aoyama
    • Detective Matsuda
    David Bueno
    • Scientist
    Garry Chalk
    Garry Chalk
    • Commanding Officer
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    Shannon Chan-Kent
    Shannon Chan-Kent
    • Misa Amane
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    Louis Chirillo
    Louis Chirillo
    • Pedestrian
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    Ted Cole
    Ted Cole
    • Kimihiko Nikaido
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    • …
    Richard Ian Cox
    Richard Ian Cox
    • F
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    • …
    Trevor Devall
    Trevor Devall
    • Medical Dispatch
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    • …
    Michael Dobson
    Michael Dobson
    • Koichi Matsudo
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    • …
    Michael Donovan
    Michael Donovan
    • Daisuke Matoba
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    Brian Drummond
    • Hideaki Suruga
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    • …
    Shunji Fujimura
    Shunji Fujimura
    • Watari
    Tatsuya Fujiwara
    Tatsuya Fujiwara
    • Light Yagami
    Mayuko Fukuda
    Mayuko Fukuda
    • Maki Nikaido
    Narushi Fukuda
    Narushi Fukuda
    • Boy
    • Director
      • Hideo Nakata
    • Writers
      • Tsugumi Ôba
      • Takeshi Obata
      • Hirotoshi Kobayashi
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      (at around 2h) The robot that L gives Near at the end of the movie is the same robot that is shown in the anime series that belongs to Near.
    • Goofs
      (at around 36 mins) When the necklace is passed and the shot changes angle, the necklace changes from stuffed in the hand to neatly dangling.
    • Quotes

      L: No matter how gifted, you alone cannot change the world.

      [Straightens up]

      L: But that's the wonderful thing about this world.

    • Crazy credits
      After the credits there is a scene showing L sitting on a chair eating chocolate. He then turns around and walks off. It then says L Lawliet rests in peace.
    • Connections
      Followed by Death Note (2015)
    • Soundtracks
      I'll be waiting
      Song by Lenny Kravitz

    User reviews39

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    2/10
    A step down
    Living up to the excellence of Shusuke Kaneko's Death Note films was always going to be a daunting task. The makers of this film responded to this challenge by avoiding it.

    The film's prominent ties to its predecessors, most notably the inclusion of several characters and events from them, are entirely superficial, and I was left with the distinct impression that Nakata's primary desire was to make a bioterrorism thriller, with the Death Note movies and the character of L serving merely as convenient springboards.

    After going to the trouble of hiring several actors to reprise their roles, (Such as Erika Toda as Misa, Asaka Seto as Naomi Misora, and Shunji Fujimura) their characters are criminally underused. This is not just lazy, it is cruel. It's the equivalent of dangling food in front of a starving dog only to pull it away after only letting them lick it. Even the unperceptive viewer can tell these are blatant attempts to fake a connection which is essentially nonexistent.

    The sheer magnitude of neglected opportunities to capitalise on the wealth of plot and character established by the Death Note films is staggering. A event as stupendous as Kira's reign of death would have a lasting effect on society; the Death Note films show the beginnings of this, with people divided over whether his actions were right, and many supporting him to a religious degree. Yet in L: Change the WorLd, its almost as if none of it had ever happened. Life goes on as usual, with scarcely a mention of the monumental upheaval the world has just undergone. This also could've provided many interesting possibilities, such as the Kira cult becoming involved in the plot, or characters such as Misa and Ryuk playing new roles and continuing to develop. Apparently, Nakata couldn't care less.

    What's more, he can't resist falling back on his roots as a horror director, and is determined to scare the audience with the victims of the virus. Unfortunately, the result is corniness rather than adrenaline. The rest if the time, he's either plodding through the drama on autopilot, or inserting light comedy in a haphazard manner.

    The writing isn't much better. The script is brimming with trite clichés, yet is oblivious to this and makes no effort to put a fresh spin on them. It has some admirable aspirations, namely its attempts to explore L's human side, and capture the topical issues of terrorism and the Bird Flu/SARS scares in the same way that its prequels addressed justice and the death penalty, but in execution it fails. Overall, it largely plays like amateur fanfiction, overusing the surface strengths of the originals (namely L's eccentricity) while losing its deeper strengths. Interesting ideas are left to rot on a compost heap of generic characters, messy plotting, and lame attempts to emulate the excesses of the typical Hollywood action movie.

    To his immense credit, Kenichi Matsuyama lifts L above this malaise and squeezes a river of blood from the stony script in his typically witty and charismatic performance. Once again, he embodies the character down to his finest mannerisms, and makes like he just crept off the set of The Last Name. True, his English skills are modest, but this is actually believable; I met many Japanese people who spoke in this way during my time in Japan.

    Sadly, however, much the use of English throughout the film is reminiscent of the Heisei Godzilla series in its grating inanity. Also, the Japanese performances outside of Matsuyama range from decent, (Fukuda Mayuko as Maki) to downright cheesy. (Most of the villains) Even Erika Toda as Misa had none of the spark Kaneko drew out of her in the prequels during her brief cameo.

    Even Death Note veteran Kenji Kawai's score, while certainly not bad, is a far cry from his work on the previous films, though largely because he's mostly forcibly limited to low key background music and the long periods of sluggish silence Nakata so adores. He finally finds a chance to shine towards the end, where he provides two impressive pieces; an epic cue that accompanies L's arrival at the climax, and a melancholy piece that fits the fittingly touching conclusion nicely.

    Cinematography is also a step down, losing the smooth, rich clarity of the Death Note movies for a dry and altogether bland visual style.

    Thankfully it's not all doom and gloom; there's some good apples among the piles of rotten ones. As mentioned previously, the ending is suitably poignant, though the tears it almost brought to my eyes are due primarily to my love of and familiarity with the character. I also laughed aloud at several of L's displays of quirkiness, and flushed with joy at the rare but delicious moments of Death-Note-style "intellectual pwnage." The opening title sequence is slick and classy, capturing the feel of its predecessors wonderfully.

    The FX are strong for a Japanese film, and are actually slightly more advanced than those of the first two films. The destruction of the infected village is vivid and impressive, and the practical effects for virus's symptoms are mostly well done. Ryuk's execution via CGI during his brief appearance is about on par with his previous incarnations.

    But you know something's wrong when your counting the good moments rather than the bad ones.

    In the end, the film's highlights are like sweet chocolate chips in a bitter and mouldy cookie. It succeeds as fanservice and as cold commercial calculation, but fails as art, entertainment, or storytelling. It's an awful shame, because with the ingredients left by its marvellous predecessors, it could have been truly great.
    helpful•30
    12
    • curl-6
    • Jul 12, 2008

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • 2009 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Official sites
      • Warner Bros (Japan)
      • Warner Bros. (Japan)
    • Languages
      • Japanese
      • French
      • Italian
      • Thai
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Death Note 3
    • Filming locations
      • Bangkok, Thailand
    • Production companies
      • Horipro
      • Nikkatsu
      • Nippon Television Network (NTV)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $10,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $35,319,632
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 9 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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