Film Review - Odd Thomas (2013)

On DVD and Blu Ray- “Odd Thomas”-  (2013) – Author Dean Koontz’s clairvoyant short-order cook/Supernatural Detective, played here by Anton Yelchin (Star Trek 2009), gets his first film adaptation- it’s a little disheartening that it may also be the character’s last.  Essentially a Young Adult variation of occult detective characters like “John Constantine”, “Carl Kolchak”, “Fox Mulder” & “Dana Scully”, etc., Odd Thomas is an everyman who is gifted (or cursed) with the abilities to “see dead people”- his penchant for proactively seeking to aid those good-natured spirits with their plight usually lands him fending off the forces of evil.  This particular story finds Odd’s supernatural intuition drawn to a shadowy figure who seems destined to play an important role in an impending catastrophe.

Yelchin is able to hold the proceedings together through sheer charisma, while Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man 2002) pops in and out of the picture as the refreshingly understanding Chief of Police.  The unbelievably cute Addison Timlin plays Odd’s girlfriend, “Stormy Llewellyn”, and dammit, man, I’m a new fan!

A few innovative sequences, an exciting climax and a rather sad 11th hour event hint at what could have/should have been, though the narrative struggles with an uneven tone and the overall experience may be a bit too lightweight for its own good.  Lastly, the effects work involving the entirely CGI “Bodachs”, creatures who gravitate towards the elements of evil, is a bit dodgy-  the production was temporarily shut down due to financial difficulties and Director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy ‘99, The Mummy Returns, Van Helsing and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) has never been too demanding when it comes to the special effects in his films.

Overall, it’s a passable Supernatural Thriller (with a few elements of Horror thrown in) that I’d recommend as a rental.


6.5 out of 10


Director: Stephen Sommers
Cast: Anton Yelchin, Willem Dafoe, Addison Timlin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nico Tortorella, Kyle McKeever, Matthew Page, Patton Oswalt and Shuler Hensley
Run-Time: 97 minutes
MPAA: Unrated though the equivalent of a PG-13 for violence, frightening images and language