In Odd We Trust!
by Nav Qateel
Dean Koontz has written almost ten Odd Thomas books with the first of them being finally brought to life. Anton Yelchin was perfect as Odd Thomas, and while he wasn’t quite how I pictured him when reading the books, Anton made me a believer within three minutes flat. Addison Timlin (Stand up Guys) made a pretty convincing Stormy Llewellyn, Odd’s love interest. Lily Collins, Emma Roberts, Kat Dennings and Portia Doubleday, were also considered for the role of Stormy, however Timlin was ultimately a fine choice. Apparently Tim Robbins was among those considered for the part of Chief Porter. The image I had of the police chief was that of a much older, heavy-set man, which isn’t anything like prolific actor Willem Dafoe, although Dafoe certainly put on a good turn.
- Odd Thomas
- Directed by
Stephen Sommers - Cast
Anton Yelchin, Addison Timlin, Willem Dafoe - Release Date
28 February 2014 - Nav’s Grade: B
Odd Thomas had a budget of $27 million but apparently filming was halted for weeks due to cashflow issues. Mr Koontz should’ve been happy with the finished article, as it stayed almost true to the book, with only The King missing. Elvis is represented very briefly, in a life-size cutout, as he poses in his golden jacket, however even the couple of things omitted were inconsequential to this story.
Odd Thomas is a short order cook extraordinaire who can communicate with the dead. He sees things that others can’t and because of that ability he catches murderers by reporting them to Chief Porter. He also does his own investigating. His fun-loving girlfriend Stormy, loves the fact that he’s different from other people.
While serving breakfast, Odd notices a man being followed by wraithlike semi-transparent creatures called “bodachs,” and he knows when they’re around anyone it doesn’t bode well for the person they’ve attached themselves to. After Odd follows the man to a house, he breaks in. However, the man has vanished but has led Odd to a lot clues. Odd has never seen so many bodachs before, and warns the chief of more trouble on the way.
The story is almost noir, but kept light by the breezy Stormy. Stormy acts as Odd’s sidekick while he follows supernatural leads that usually point to murder. The dialogue was smart and witty, just like the source material. I had a blast watching Odd Thomas and I’m sure fans of the Koontz novels will be well pleased with the way director Stephen Sommers’ has handled it. You don’t need to have read the books to love this movie. You only have to be Odd.
