“I’m not a celebrity. I’m not the child of a celebrity. I’ve never been married to, abused by, or provided a kidney to a celebrity,” said Odd Thomas
Odd Thomas (servicably portrayed by Anton Yelchin) is a real man with an odd life. His name was a screw-up birth certificate; it was supposed to be Todd, but the “T” was dropped–but, he’s even not sure that nobody cares. Odd believes he leads an unusual life; although, he’s not a celebrity. Odd works as a pancake cook in small hut, but, he also has a paranormal ability to see the dead and foresee the future through the dead.
When suspicious Fungus Man comes around the city and a horde of paranormal beings, bodachs, swarm across the city, Odd has to team up with his destined-to-be-together-forever girlfriend, Stormy (Addison Timlin), and a local sheriff Chief Wyatt Porter (Wyatt Porter).
Stephen Sommers, a hit-and-miss blockbuster writer and director, makes this film dense and enjoyable, although there are piles of twists that are not necessarily twists. In case you forget, Stephen Sommers is a man who brought Deep Rising, The Mummy, Van Helsing, and the first installation of G.I. Joe to the cinema—which is the reason why I call him a hit-or-miss one. Once again, Sommers’ directing is rather dry and corny; but it is also pretentious compared to his latest productions.
We’ll see full and solid plot in Odd Thomas that makes it a little more meaningful compared to another paranormal blockbuster like R.I.P.D., Ghost Rider, or Constantine. Also, I agree if some people might compare it to a pilot episode of a TV series; as it almost wastes its 100 minute only to reveal who the hell is Odd Thomas. Furthermore, I found that Yelchin is more than serviceable in portraying this odd boy with shallow character, although Timlin is rather comical and Dafoe seems not to enjoy it. In overall, I wouldn’t say I hate this, but couldn’t say I love this.
For me, Odd Thomas has its guts and it’s good; but I don’t think that “Odd Thomas saves…” or “In Odd We Trust” signs in the end of the movie means something. Well, this adaptation of the first book of Dean Koontz’s 6-book series is okay; but I don’think we’ll see someone get the sequels filmed in the mean time.
Odd Thomas (2014)
Comedy, Horror, Mystery, Adaptation Running Time: 100 mins. Directed by: Stephen Sommers Written by: Stephen Sommers (Screenplay), Dean Koontz (Novel) Starred by: Anton Yelchin, Addison Timlin, Willem Dafoe, Nico Tortorella, Kyle McKeever
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