HIGH DEF UNIVERSE

Reviewed by Allie Schembra

Small-town fry cook Odd Thomas (Anton Yelchin) is an ordinary guy with a paranormal secret: he sees dead people, everywhere. When a creepy stranger shows-up with an entourage of ghostly bodachs - predators who feed on pain and portend mass destruction – Odd knows that his town is in serious trouble. Teaming up with his sweetheart Stormy (Addison Timlin) and the local sheriff (Willem Dafoe), Odd plunges into an epic battle of good vs evil to try to stop a disaster of apocalyptic proportions. Based on the best-selling thriller by Dean Koontz, Odd Thomas is a supernatural action thrill-ride from the acclaimed director of The Mummy and G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra.

Odd Thomas is based on the first book of the Dean Koontz series of the same name. Odd Thomas is a guy in his early 20s who has some different abilities. He can see the dead. He uses this ability to help those who have died find justice. Odd wakes up one morning from a nightmare with the feeling that is all too real. After confronting a murderer, chasing him down and assisting in his arrest, Odd starts his normal day as a fry cook in the local diner. 

As he’s helping customers and flirting with his girlfriend Stormy, a strange man comes into the diner. With him are creatures of death he calls Bodachs. He’s never seen so many before and this concerns him. After following the man – Fungus Bob – to his home, Odd waits until he leaves, then breaks in. In the house, Odd finds some very… odd… things. A room in the house seems to be a portal for the Bodachs to enter the world. He lets the sheriff know and he puts an officer on the house.

As the day wears on, Odd finds more and more strange things happening. As he and Stormy are setting up for a romantic picnic in the bell tower of a church, Odd sees Fungus Bob coming toward them. They escape and report it to the police. Odd and Stormy follow his dream to the local bowling alley, where he believes a massacre is going to occur in the next day. Knowing that his coworker and friend, Vi, had a similar dream, Odd and Stormy visit her to get more details. Odd sees the Bodachs in Vi’s house and urges her and her daughters to leave town.

Odd drops Stormy off at her apartment and returns to the room he rents. In it, he finds Fungus Bob dead and knowing the sheriff will have to arrest him and this would prevent him from saving the day, Odd hides the body. When morning arrives, Odd returns to Fungus Bob’s house and does some investigating. After finding out where the massacre is really going to happen and that Fungus Bob has accomplices, he rushes out to save the day.

Odd Thomas is one of my favorite book series. I have read the book at least times and each time I enjoy it more and more. The movie version is a good adaptation of the book. I really liked how Odd narrated the story throughout and Anton Yelchin was a perfect Odd Thomas. In my opinion, the movie was not as dark as the book and I think that translated well.

Odd Thomas is presented in 1080p high-definition widescreen (2.35:1) and the picture was crisp and clear. The Bodachs, which are supposed to be fluid-like, were well done. They looked like water shapes and they were sharp and easily seen. Skin tones were clear and natural and the scenes were blood was present were good as well. Blood was not too red and looked natural, especially when it was supposed to be dried. The background was sharp and the colors didn’t overwhelm the rest of the film.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio was good. There was only one time I couldn’t hear the words, but the rest of the movie had good volume. Gun shots were sharp and loud, and very realistic. Background music and sounds were not too loud and did not take away from the rest of the movie. While some of the dialogue was a little cheesy, everything could be heard clearly, except for that one time.

There are no special features in Odd Thomas.

I am normally a “book is better than the movie” person, and while I still agree with that, this is a good adaptation of the book. I thought the actors playing each of the main characters were well-chosen and all were how I pictured them in my head. I hope the studio continues on with adapting the books into movies. I would watch them all and keep them in my collection.