Odd Thomas – The movie

I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t looking forward to this one. I was also very skeptical about it since the past few reviews haven’t been quite that great. The Odd Thomas books were good, I liked them and although they became less good as the newer ones arrived I still liked the series. When I heard there was a movie in the works a range of emotions passed through me. I went from excited to skeptical to scared to positive to unsure and then eventually I became patient about it.

Now I have a personal problem with books being made into movies because 98% of the times it’s a complete and utter mess-up. They get characters wrong, they skip or completely change key parts of the story or they just turn it into something it wasn’t meant to be (see my previous review).

So the first question here is: How much of the book was shredded?
It’s been a while since I read the first book, so forgive me if I leave anything out (don’t worry, no spoilers). As far as I could tell (and remember) there wasn’t really anything important left out. Nothing key seemed to have been changed and the characters were generally very true to the book.

Odd was quite how I imagined him to be and his relationship with Stormy Llewellyn was very accurate. The wit was there and that true, young love was clear and ever present. Willem Dafoe did his character justice, as he usually does, and I felt so many good memories of the book coming back to me while watching the flick.

My issues? Well, if there weren’t any issues then Odd Thomas the movie would’ve been the next Titanic (to those who liked it). Addison Timlin as the choice for Stormy seemed a bit off to me. She was tough enough, yet feminine enough for the role but I often found it difficult to take her serious. I’m not saying she’s a bad actress, I’m just saying that she sometimes seemed a bit detached from her role. Or the movie. My example…when she was concerned for Odd’s safety she barely frowned and I was sitting there wondering whether she was serious or not. The chemistry between her and Anton Yelchin wasn’t bad at all. I got their strong feelings for one another (even when it was mostly from Odd’s side) and at the end of the movie Anton really had me…well…let’s just leave it there, shall we? As far as Anton’s work is concerned he was a decent choice. His acting was believable, solid and he got that blend of innocence and wisdom that Odd has down to a T. I really can’t complain there.

The movie flowed well, felt a lot like the book did (at least to me) and there wasn’t a second where I didn’t enjoy it. All in all, I’m happy with the book-movie crossover.

Pros:
Decent adaptation of the book, they even put in the guy from the workshop with the off arm. Good action without compromising the story and those bodachs were just great.

Cons:
Stormy sometimes came across as a bit less warm blooded than she was meant to be.

Ambitious rating:
80%

Verdict:
I liked it. It’s that simple. It was straightforward without too much Hollywood overkill and it served the book well. I want to watch it again.
Well done.

Odd Thomas

Odd Thomas. The kid that’s seen quite a few ups and downs, and quite a number of weird things too.

The Odd Thomas series, written by the famous Dean Koontz, was recommended to me back when the first book came out. I tried it, liked it a lot, and consequently bought every following book.

Where to start?

The Odd series is a supernatural book series. Odd, the short-order cook, can see  and interact with (to a certain extent) ghosts. Class dismissed. The one half of my messy brain not being that into supernatural books I was a bit reluctant to try it at first. It seemed a bit like an old idea, re-hatched, but then I considered Dean Koontz’s ability to really do these classic ideas some justice (see Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein).

Odd is an interesting character and he feels very real, regardless of his odd history. Pun intended. The series starts off very well and leaves you wanting more. Unfortunately, however, I felt that it lost a bit of its flavour as the series progressed.

Odd Thomas
The first of the series. Seriously entertaining and keeps you flipping the pages. Through talks with the dead Odd learns of something bad on the way. He has to try and stop it, come August 15, but he’s not even sure what it is.
It’s fresher than it should be and it really ends with a bang. Ambitiously. – 83%

Forever Odd
Odd is a bit older and a bit more used to getting things done. This time the people he’s dealing with are a little bit more serious and significantly more dangerous.
More action and some pretty cool moments that you enjoy more than you morally feel you should’ve. I particularly liked Forever Odd. – 86%

Brother Odd
With age comes wisdom and a bit more confidence. “Odd Thomas is stalking spirits of an infinitely darker nature.”  He’s living at an abbey. Yes, not quite so mundane. Trouble returns to Odd and he faces something unexplainable and suspiciously clever.
I went into the book with the idea of the old Odd Thomas, but he’d changed and so did Dean Koontz’s take on the series. It wasn’t what I expected, which isn’t necessarily bad, but it just lost a bit of Oddthenticity. – 70%

Odd Hours
Enter the fourth book in the series. Odd goes to a small California coastal town where things seem to be a bit strange. More sinister spirits and dangers, and then a realisation of something big.
Odd Hours felt closer to the old Odd than Brother Odd had, but it was still lacking that something special that made the first two so good. Strange and vague characters also didn’t help its cause much. – 67%

Odd Apocalypse
Just picked this one up, but so far it’s not the most compelling book. It may take a while before you see a review of it.

Verdict:
I am a fan of the Odd series. I really am. It just felt like Dean was distancing himself from the character as the books progressed, which made the reader feel detached. Maybe he’d lost interest in Odd as a character. Be as it may, be sure to check it out. It’s emotional and hard, and a lot of fun.O yes, and they’re now making a movie of the first book. It’s due 2013. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t as excited as a drag queen at a glitter sale. So far it’s looking to be quite a decent film. It stars Willem Dafoe, so that should say something.
“From time to time, I do consider that I might be mad. Like any self-respecting lunatic, however, I am always quick to dismiss any doubts about my sanity.”