Cinema review
Directed by Shusuke Kaneko
Starring Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Takeshi Kaga, Erika Toda and the voice of Shido Nakamura
Release date Out now (UK)

Light Yagami (Fujiwara), the death note killer from the original movie, tries to avert suspicion by teaming up with candy-chomping detective L (Matsuyama) to track down Kira. Meanwhile, TV personality Misa Amane (Toda) is presented with another death note by the demon Rem – and begins a new wave of killings…

The second Death Note movie picks up immediately where the original left off, but tweaks the death-by-scribbling-a-person’s-name formula just enough to avoid it becoming repetitive.

This time a second death note is introduced, along with a new killer in the form of bouncy talk show host Misa Amane. She’s given a potentially intriguing backstory - after her family were horribly murdered, a chubby little demon sacrificed himself to prolong her life. But as soon as she runs into Light, Amane becomes a pretty pathetic character who purely exists to do his bidding. It highlights the problem that both movies have with creating strong, complex female characters, perhaps hinting at a squarely male adolescent target audience.

The Last Name also features a new demon in the form of the floppy haired, earring-wearing Rem, who watches over Amane. The late scenes in which Rem mooches around the police station after the cops obtain the power to see him is entertaining, but he’s far less morally ambiguous (and therefore less fun) than the apple-munching Ryuk. Thankfully Ryuk is also back, and though he doesn’t get quite so much screen time, he still nabs the best scenes – the strange sequence in which Amane presents him with an apple and he goes wild to a sudden burst of rock music is hilarious.

At the heart of the film is the continuing battle of wits between Light and L, which follows in the tradition of the best detective fiction. Although the Death Note movies initially seem to involve a fairly simplistic battle between good and evil, the line is often blurred. After all, both Light and Amane initially start off with the aim to rid the world of criminals and murderers before power corrupts them, and in one sequence the police employ a form of torture to try and extract information.

The movie manages to weave complex ideas about justice and power into its bright comic book plot, and cleverly makes both L and Light equally engaging so that your allegiances are constantly torn. At 141 minutes, it’s too long, and many of the intricate death note rules are rather difficult to follow, but this is another highly entertaining supernatural thriller. Matt McAllister

VERDICT: 7/10
New characters and a twisting plot make this an engaging fantasy sequel.