3y & Odd Thomas (2013)

Incredibly enough, it seems that I managed somehow to catch up with the original .ro blog thread, where I write my entries first, and which was somewhat like a month ahead this one. It's already 3 years and a few days since I've started an English version for what I write, so bear with me for a couple lines for the sake of the "event" :). I have to admit that it was a pain to find time to translate, doing it typically at weird hours when I can barely keep my eyes open. That's probably one of the reasons why my English sucks, and the quality of the entries is therefore at least questionable grammar-wise if not more than that. But I managed somehow to keep doing it for 3 years now, and I'll do my best to continue .. no guarantees given though for how long. So, let's cut the blah-blah short and get to something more interesting = a movie = "Odd Thomas", which hopefully is good enough to fit the occasion ...

The movie is based on a book by Dean R. Koontz. My memory doesn't help me now to quote more from his work, but as genre is let's say somewhere between SciFi, thriller and a bit of horror (or at least showing some dark nuances from time to time). To give a hint, if you like Stephen King, probably you won't dislike Dean Koontz. Getting back to the topic though = "Odd Thomas", the movie is from what I heard, the only adaptation which the author liked (and seeing some of the others I can tell why). The story goes like this: Odd Thomas is one of the inhabitants of a tiny town (by name too = Pico Mundo), but with a police force and apparently a crime level a bit above what you would expect from a quiet country settlement. The guy, around the nice age of ~20, works as cook at a local diner, is still faithful to his childhood girlfriend, and lives an apparently simple life without many obligations, but he's gifted with a secret talent. He can see dead people :) And to make the "experience" more intense, in particular he intersects with victims of a violent life ending event. For who he feels the need to bring peace - that's why the poster tagline says: "I might see dead people ... but then, by God, I do something about it."

Fortunately the story is not just a variation of "The 6th Sense". Odd Thomas has also some derived abilities, like a sense to foresee situations which will increase the number of inhabitants in the netherworld. To close the summary, Odd's secrets are not just his, but known also by a small group of close friends like the local chief of police, or Stormy - his girlfriend. Friends who seem to have accepted during time Odd's oddness, especially since life seems a bit more safe with him around. The things get complicated though, when the regular "normal" solving of a new murder in town, is replaced by events which seemingly will bring the hell on earth. Or at least to Pico Mundo. How's this happening, you can see in the movie ;) ...

The production is directed by Stephen Sommers ("Deep Rising", "The Mummy", "The Mummy Returns", "Van Helsing", "G.I. Joe"). It might not sound very promising, looking at the last titles especially. Who has seen the first though, and is able to appreciate a movie which, as "Lone Ranger" as I was saying last time, is sufficiently fun and catchy, knows that this guy can produce something capable to drag you in a story. And I was expecting this since I've seen the "Mummy". Well, it's not exactly the same thing (the lack of success in time = lack of cash) but is probably the best movie since then made by him. It shows that's on a tight budget. The actors are generally quite unknown, and from what you see without much experience, except Anton Yelchin as lead and Willem Dafoe in a secondary role. The effects look nice, but you can feel that it could've been more. And still it doesn't really matter .. Because the movie's catchy. Especially if you're somewhere between 30 and 40 years old and you were spending time in cinemas on a regular basis in the 90s = if you're left with some nostalgia for the period :) It's true that the book contributes a lot, but the charm comes from elsewhere. Let's take the air of the little town under pressure + "the teen movie flavor" from Wes Craven's "Scream", the witty lines and the superb chemistry of the couple from "The Mummy" + the dark comedy nuance from Peter Jackson's "The Frighteners" (when he wasn't as known as now and wasn't exaggerating with the movies length as in LotR). How does all this sound stacked together ? Enjoy ;)

Rating: 4 out of 5

PS: By the way, if you didn't see "The Frighteners" and you like "Odd Thomas", check the first out - you'll love it. The subject is very similar and the movie's I guess a bit better than what we have here + Michael J. Fox probably makes his best role in a SciFi/action outside the "Back to the Future" series.