L: Change the World (2008)

Director:

Hideo Nakata

Writers:

Tsugumi Ôba (story) &
Takeshi Obata (story) ...

Release Date:

2009 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The final death note showdown!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Cast

Ken'ichi Matsuyama	...	L
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sota Aoyama	...	Detective Matsuda
Shunji Fujimura	...	Watari
Tatsuya Fujiwara	...	Light Yagami
Mayuko Fukuda	...	Maki Nikaido
Narushi Fukuda	...	BOY
Sei Hiraizumi	...	Dr. Koichi Matsudo
Shigeki Hosokawa	...	FBI Agent Ray
Renji Ishibashi	...	Shin Kagami
Yuta Kanai	...	Tamotsu Yoshizawa
Youki Kudoh	...	Dr. Mikiko Kujo
Tim Man	...	Scientist
Bokuzô Masana	...	Asao Konishi
Shido Nakamura	...	Ryuuk (voice)
Kazuki Namioka	...	F
Kiyotaka Nanbara	...	Hideaki Suruga
Megumi Satô	...	Hatsune Misawa
Asaka Seto	...	Naomi Misora
Ron Smoorenburg	...	Sergeant
Masanobu Takashima	...	Daisuke Matoba
Yôji Tanaka	...	Taxi Driver
Erika Toda	...	Misa Amane
Shingo Tsurumi	...	Kimihiko Nikaido

Also Known As:

Spin-Off L (Japan) (working title)
The Last 21 Days of L (Japan) (working title)
Untitled Death Note Sequel (Japan) (working title)

Runtime:

Japan:129 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:U | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R13

Filming Locations:

Bangkok, Thailand

Company:

Horipro

Trivia:

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:

Continuity: When the necklace is passed and the shot changes angle, the necklace changes from stuffed in the hand to neatly dangling.

Quotes:

L: Mankind must be allowed to make its own future.

Movie Connections:

Follows Desu nôto: The last name (2006)

Soundtrack:

I'll be waiting

Powerful and intense, a true thriller of its kind!

L: Change the World is a spin-off from the Death Note movies, not the mangas. The mangas/anime are better than all the films. Death Note: Part 1 is a better film than L, but I enjoy the last the most. Death Note: Part 2 is all-over the place though.

Hideo Nakata was able to craft an intense and heart-pounding thriller, and Matsuyama Kenichi is just simply amazing as the almost heartless L, but we see more of him as a "human".

Basically, L: Change the World chronicles the last days of L, similar to what Passion of the Christ did to Jesus. Other than the amazing Kenichi, the young boy F is adorable and we see him become Near - who we never see - in the near future; hence the toy robot.

Overall, L: Change the World is a worthy spin-off to the shaky films and superior mangas/anime. Highly recommended!