Odd Thomas (2014)

Very well executed

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Nice effects though.

Great Film overall

Overall, surprisingly well done. The characterizations are just expository enough to be good without being too upfront. The acting is mostly fairly good, especially by the Anton Yelchin (who also did well in the recent faux Star Trek films) and Willem Dafoe (who always does a good job). I would be willing to watch a sequel. That said, the movie does have some flaws. Some of its special effects are too gross for kids to watch (the faceless people, a couple of the roach stunts), which is a pity because it would otherwise make a good kids' movie. Also, I have a bone to pick with the writing of the ending *spoiler alert from here on out* Having Odd and Stormy being able to kiss/touch when she's a ghost breaks the rules the movie set up only a couple of scenes before. Also, the ending fanfare scenes of the townspeople cheering Odd and the part where Stormy dissipates into butterflies didn't fit the feel of the rest of the film and took all the wind out of the movie's flow and rhythm. That's just bad writing. Here's the fix I would have suggested: Firstly, it's illogical that Odd forced the gal with the kids to leave but made no effort to save Stormy before the bad stuff went down. He should have told her to go, and then maybe she could have been distracted a little too long by trying to make the customers leave first. Then, in the moment when Odd steps into the ice cream shop and sees Stormy stand, causing his heart to lift and him to smile, the next beat should have been him walking towards her and her trying to speak to him and but being unable to. Then, just as the blow of the realization that she's a ghost hits him, the other ghost appears to notify him it's not over yet. There would be a brief, soul-crushing moment where Stormy urges him that he needs to follow the other ghost, and after the big action sequence she could come back later to pull him from unconsciousness in the hospital and say a proper goodbye then. See? Better, right? Well, I think so anyway.

Odd Thomas (first name Odd, surname Thomas) is a griddle cook in a small desert town. He is fated to be with the love of his life Stormy Llewellyn (a fortune-telling card told them so). He is also fated with being able to see the dead (while they have unfinished business and before they move on) and creatures called bodachs, harbingers of doom. And an explosion in the bodach population indicates that something awful is about to happen: can Oddie track in down and prevent it?The first of Dean Koontz' Odd Thomas novels is the best, and this is a good adaptation of it. Odd is an engaging character, naïve and knowing at the same time, and driven by his abilities - unwanted but accepted - to try to do the right thing, even in the face of personal jeopardy.Anton Yelchin is a personable Odd and Addison Timlin is a delightful Stormy - their individual quirkinesses intertwine nicely. The rest of the cast are also good in a plot which is possibly a little too serpentine.But the set pieces are fun, the location works, and the kicker at the end is gut-wrenching, as it was in the book.Of its type, this is one of the best.

First off, I need to say that I didn't expect to like this movie. I came into it just looking for something to pass the time. Imagine my surprise when this movie not only caught my attention, but it actually pulled it away from the work I was doing at the time. The story isn't something over complicated, but the mystery it creates as it tells said story, is engaging.The characters are actually well done, leading with Oddie,... who lives up to his namesake. The actor who played him, really nailed it. This movie actually had a reminiscent feeling of Shaun of the Dead with a little twist of The Mist of all things. The ending,... was a really nice twist, and really worth the wait.So far, one of my long term favorites.

I can't believe how cringey this movie turned out being. It honestly surprised me. From start to finish it is filled with cheese and cringe. It tries to be serious and/or clever and falls short constantly. I wouldn't be surprised if the director had a team of teenagers on standby that he was consulting and pulling ideas from throughout the filming of this. The best thing about the movie is Addison Timlin in her underwear. Serious kudos for that outfit choice.