Odd Thomas
2013  NR  ACTION  1h 33min
CAST— Anton Yelchin, Willem Dafoe, Addison Timlin
MUSIC— John Swihart  DIRECTOR— Stephen Sommers  BASED ON— Odd Thomas (novel), by Dean Koontz

     Stephen Sommers directs this take on a Dean Koontz novel, one that has become a true fan favorite. Apart from his rather odd name you might think that Odd Thomas is your average small town fry cook. You’d be wrong on that one. Odd has hidden talents; besides being able to whip up the fluffiest pancakes on Earth he can (among other things) see the lingering dead, those needing to be avenged and those who just like to stick around. But Odd must call upon every talent he can muster if he’s gonna take on the town of Pico Mundo’s latest threat. Weird creatures that feed upon death and destruction called Bodachs have swarmed into town ready to feast upon a great tragedy. Odd, accompanied by his quick-witted girlfriend Stormy, must race against the clock before time runs out for Pico Mundo. Good news for fans: the film stays remarkably close to the source material. For the most part what you’ve read is what you’ll see. Pretty faithful, even to its detriment (the cutesy Koontzisms spouted by Stormy worked better on paper), though with enough changes to freshen things up. Casting (with the exception of Addison Timlin as Stormy) is impeccable, and the fright-driven effects are scary good. Possibly the best film adaptation of a Koontz novel ever made (not that there have been many good ones in the first place).
OUR RATING— ***