Death Note: the Last Name

This souped-up sequel to manga adaptation Death Note sees Tokyo law student Light (Tatsuya Fujiwara) get a smitten accomplice to help him continue his supernaturally aided vigilantism. But TV star Misa Amane (a whiny Erika Toda) quickly becomes window dressing in a twisting yet overlong tale that intensifies the original film's battle of wits between Light and his teen detective nemesis, L (Ken'ichi Matsuyama). With two CGI gods of death - both beautifully integrated into the live action - and two fatality-causing notebooks now at his disposal, Light's darkly comic ruthlessness is a frequent delight, and it's enjoyably matched by L's unexplained super-brain. The consequently busier storyline is ultimately superior to its predecessor, though once again a torpid midsection needed major pruning.