Odd Thomas contre les créatures de l'ombre

One of director Stephen Sommers' better films, "Odd Thomas" stars Anton Yelchin as Odd Thomas, a young man who is able to see and communicate with the dead. Structured as a detective movie, the film watches as Odd attempts to both solve crimes and prevent a horrific massacre.

"Odd Thomas" was based on a novel by super-hack Dean Koontz. Embodying all the endearing qualities of the author (a young hero who saves the day, an apocalyptic threat which only our hero knows of, likable small-towners, light comedy, super powers, romance, a dose of optimism etc) and quickly skipping over his unappealing ones, the film embraces its B movie roots. At times it recalls the teen oriented science fiction adventures of the 1980s. At other times, Sommers' direction is cringe-worthy; the pathetic attempts of a fifty year old man to dazzle young audiences born with ADD and raised by X-BOX.

"Odd Thomas" features Willem Dafoe in a small role. Addison Timlin co-stars as gratuitous eye-candy. Yelchin is good in the lead role, and makes for a far more interesting leading man than most actors.

7.5/10 - Worth one viewing.

Anton Yelchin is a very likable performer and Odd Thomas cashes in on his screen personality in spades. Stephen Sommers, who's been away from the directors chair for way too long, pens a witty and fresh screenplay that zips along and keeps the audience thoroughly entertained every step of the way.

The one liners are spouted fast and furiously, the dialogue sparkles and there are plot twists and turns a plenty. The film defies being classified into any one genre. It's a little horror, a little fantasy, a little science fiction and a little mystery, none of it boring or expositional.

It's also great to see Dafoe doing a little mainstream fluff piece for a change. But just as you think you know exactly where this film is going, it surprises you yet again and takes a U-turn in another direction. I realise the target market here are probably teens, but I must confess that I loved it.

A very solid 7 out of 10.

Firstly, I am a huge Koontz fan and a huge Odd Thomas fan. I've been waiting years for this movie so my expectations were pretty high. I'm sure that figures into my analysis of the movie, as I have been largely let down by adaptations from novels in the past. That being said...

Overall, good movie, good adaptation. Moving a story from a book to a movie always presents problems; always there will be portions of the story and significant nuances left out. This is no exception. The casting of Odd was very good. Yelchin did a fantastic job capturing the strong albeit naive nature of Odd. I was skeptical about Timlin as Stormy, but she not only pulled it off but, in my mind, perfectly captured Stormy. I will no longer be able to think of Stormy without seeing her face. I wish we could have seen more interaction between Odd and Ozzie; in the books this is a very important relationship for Odd. Also, in the books, Ozzie is 350 or so pounds and Oswalt is considerably smaller. That being said, I think his size in the books is more of a testament to his larger-than-life character and less about his physical size, which I believe, given the chance, Oswalt would have perfectly captured. He is a largely underrated actor.

As for the story, it sticks to the book even though there are a few things left out. It would have been nice to know more of Odd's background but it would have unnecessarily stretched the movie out. Well told, with appropriate use of flashbacks, and good use (and not overuse) of narration, just as in the books. One thing I really enjoy about Odd Thomas books is the quick-paced, quick-whited dialogue. I've rarely read another author that could match Koontz in this aspect. This was transferred to the big screen very well.

As I said, I've been waiting for this movie for a while and whereas I wish they'd done it as an eight hour miniseries and captured every nuance of the book, this was a superb adaptation and an excellent movie. I really hope they make more because Odd's adventures keep getting better.

8 of 10

If you read Odd Thomas, which fortunately I did, you will hopefully find this movie quite truthful to the book which is really great. Superb job from the screen writers. Really, the characters are perfect in the movie and I think there would be no one better than Dafoe to play the Chief!

The book was a really fun read and the movie has exactly the same feel, too bad it's too short. I think books are the best because the thrill lasts longer but this movie is a go.

The rest of the acting is not Oscar material, but it is a very enjoyable movie and goes well with a soda and a bag of popcorn.

As for the end - get your tissues ready. Oh Lord, the humanityyyyyy!!!

This is my first review i've done of a movie on IMDb, so maybe that alone shows how much I enjoyed this movie.

It was filled with action, adventure, romance, heart, even mild comedy when the character of Oz (Patton Oswalt) was introduced. This movie like most new movies is very fast paced, and witty with the word play and sarcastic tones that some characters had. The lead roles were chosen wonderfully. Anton Yelchin (Odd) in one of his maybe breakout rolls. I'd hope to see him play more lead roles very soon as he is a great actor, you can even tell by his large amount of upcoming movies in 2013 and 14. DaFoe was outstanding as he much always is, his character had bits and pieces it would seem from his role as the main Detective of The Boondock Saints. The supporting roles were great, and there's a twist at the end that caught me off guard.

Great movie!