For nearly as long as I've been a fan of Dean Koontz I've been waiting for a good movie based on one of his stories. I don't think Dean would argue that his films have been anything more than tolerable at best. I was slightly nervous when Odd Thomas was announced because it's quite possibly my favorite of his novels, I didn't want it marred by another bad film adaptation. Dean spoke well of the project, and I've like director Stephen Sommer's work in the past so I found it in myself to extend hope that this would finally be what I've been wanting all these years.

 

Odd lives a life worthy of his name. He sees the lingering dead and has dreams of the approaching future then he does something about it. Getting into dangerous situations as he helps the dead find closure is nothing unusual in his life, but he and his girlfriend Stormy are about to get into something far worse than anything they have previously encountered.

 

Bodachs are something different altogether from the lingering dead. They are more like spectral spectators of especially heinous violence. When Odd begins seeing them around town he immediately knows something bad is about to happen, when he sees massive swarms of them pouring in through a hellish gateway he fears that something apocalyptic is coming to the little town of Pico Mundo.

 

Odd uses his peculiar abilities to unravel the mystery of what evils are looming. He will do whatever he can to stop disaster from striking, but for all his supernatural insight this humble fry cook is caught up in a plot that is far over his head.

 

Odd Thomas the movie follows the book impressively well. It does, of course, omit some things and change others, but I quickly identified lines and events that precisely match what I remember seeing in my mind's eye while reading the printed pages. I made assumptions about scenes based on what I had read and was proved accurate with each one.

 

Some might say that Sommers was too tightly bound by the source material. I suppose this is a valid criticism if you're wanting a film inspired by instead of based on the original work. Sometimes this is not necessarily a bad thing. I liked Blade Runner more than Dick's original story, and the change to the end of Watchmen didn't bother me.

 

Sometimes it's the worst path possible. Taking Dean's stories and simplifying them into campy B movies has been the bane of getting a good film made from his work. Odd doesn't need his story mucked up by someone thinking he can do a better job with the character than Dean can. It needs the kind of care put into it that Frank Darabont puts into his Stephen King adaptations, and that is what Sommers delivers.

 

I would classify this as horror because it involves ghosts, monsters, bloody corpses, and morbid comedy. It's not at all what I would consider scary, though nor is it trying to be. It is more of a mix of drama, humor, and adventure flavored with the supernatural aspects normally more closely associated with slasher-flicks or zomidies (zombie comedies). It's somewhere in between a true comedy like Ghostbusters and a more serious horror like Sinister.

 

The characters and the storytelling are a bit quirky which is where a lot of that humor comes in. For some this is exactly what draws in fans because it provides more personality and fewer cliché conventions; for others it's nearly intolerable because it becomes unrelatable or unpleasantly silly. I would agree that Dean can overdo the silly at times, but I find Odd Thomas to have an excellent blend of elements that makes the characters endearing and the stories touching.

 

The style of the movie is a quirky as the storytelling. Unusual wipes especially in the flashbacks, extra effects, and other flourishes add an almost comic book-like quality that I think goes well with the personality of the stories. Odd narrates the movie just like he does the books. I wasn't sure if I was going to like this much narration since it spoils a lot of movies, but I think it's done well and adds a lot to the notion that this is Odd's recounting of the events in his life.

 

The one nitpick I have is the Bodachs, and I am torn on it because I actually like the portrayal in the movie. They are creepy and interesting but not really what is described in the books. Maybe Dean's original vision for them was too hard to pull off on film.

 

I can't say that any of the actors are how I pictured the characters as I read the stories, but I can't think of much to complain about. I'm not exactly blown away by any of the performances but neither am I disappointed. Anton Yelchin and Addison Timlin have good chemistry and sell the emotional scenes.

 

Speaking of emotion, don't be surprised if you shed a tear before this is over. There is some strong emotion that will leave you with a lump in your throat if you get into the characters at all.

 

The production quality shows the film's lower budget to some extent. This doesn't have the massive budget that some of the major blockbusters get. If I scrutinize hard enough I can pick out flaws, but I can't find a lot about which I can rightfully complain. The bodachs look otherworldly, but they're supposed to. The graphics of the bullet through the heart don't need to be hyper-realistic anyway. The only thing that really stands out to me as needing improvement is one of the big explosions.