I had no idea this was based on anything. Sure, I know Akira, Ghost In The Shell, Hellsing, Battle Royale and maybe a few others, but that's about the extent of my manga/anime knowledge. And as popular as manga/anime has become in the West, it is still a niche genre. Them's the facts.
If those superfans are able to step back out of their extreme partisanship, they would find a slick, competently produced, directed, shot and acted piece of cinema. Production values are quite high overall and the acting, while far from Shawshank, is also not abysmal by any means.
Trust me, I have seen a lot of abysmal acting in films.
Willem DaFoe's voiceover was terrific and I personally found the character of "L" pretty interesting.
All the 1 ratings are completely out of place for this film if one solely judges it as a standalone piece of cinema. And of course with a healthy does of suspension of disbelief, which given the actual source material is a complete must anyway. It can be argued that the MCU (and the DCU for that matter) has done much the same thing with their adaptations so what's the huge problem here?
Rather, a 5-7 star rating for this film as a standalone film would be far more appropriate. Honestly.
If those superfans are able to step back out of their extreme partisanship, they would find a slick, competently produced, directed, shot and acted piece of cinema. Production values are quite high overall and the acting, while far from Shawshank, is also not abysmal by any means.
Trust me, I have seen a lot of abysmal acting in films.
Willem DaFoe's voiceover was terrific and I personally found the character of "L" pretty interesting.
All the 1 ratings are completely out of place for this film if one solely judges it as a standalone piece of cinema. And of course with a healthy does of suspension of disbelief, which given the actual source material is a complete must anyway. It can be argued that the MCU (and the DCU for that matter) has done much the same thing with their adaptations so what's the huge problem here?
Rather, a 5-7 star rating for this film as a standalone film would be far more appropriate. Honestly.