Rated: TV-MA
Starring: the boy from Paper Towns, the girl from The Leftovers, the man from Boardwalk Empire, a half-porcupine/half-tree voiced by Willem Dafoe
Plot: A teenage boy discovers a supernatural notebook that has the power to kill anyone whose name is written within its pages. The boy undertakes a secret mission of ridding society of its worst criminals . . . but at what cost to him?
Tanya’s Verdict: I should’ve realized this Netflix original movie was going nowhere fast when I learned the main character’s first name was Light. Based on a Japanese manga book series, the flimsy plot moves along quickly making it difficult to keep up with what exactly is going on – and to be honest, I was tuning much of it out. But I can see why it’s so attractive to the teen set – it’s bright, loud and shot from gimmicky angles. Plus there’s a plethora of exploding heads. In my opinion – there’s WAY too much unnecessary profanity and gore. It ends with a twist I didn’t see coming . . . because I still don’t understand it. Even the 80s songs within did little to boost this unorganized flick – and trust me – usually INXS, Berlin and Chicago can uplift ANYTHING! This utterly forgettable film is perfect slumber party fare – as long as you are okay with a steady stream of the f-word and excessive blood and gore. My 13-year-old claims to have somewhat liked it – but I’m doubtful.