Movie Review: Odd Thomas (2013)

I have a bookshelf dedicated to only Dean Koontz books.  I know what kind of stories he tells...supernatural slant, suspenseful thriller...sometimes we get a dog in the story.  Our hero is usually very normal until they're pushed.  In Odd Thomas, he turns all the tables.  Our hero is the town weirdo.  May or may not have accidentally been named 'Odd'.  Yeah-that's his real name.  Oh, yeah, and he can see dead people.

I found this movie compelling for several reasons.  One, his relationship with his girlfriend makes you want nothing but the happily-ever-after they deserve.  Secondly, you have this whole mystery involving these creatures that only show up when something really bad is about to go down.  There's usually only one or two.  In this town, hundreds are gathering and you have to keep watching to find out why.  The narration by Anon Yelchin was marvelous, as well.

You are immediately introduced to the love of his life, Stormy.  These two will forever be remembered as one of my favorite fictional couples.  They're stupid cute.  Also, most of the people (including the police chief played by the illustrious Willem Dafoe) seem to take Odd at his word.  So, even though everyone's pretty sure he's nuts, it's really refreshing to have that character that can 'see' things not have to be shot down and prove himself over and over.  It allows us to enjoy a supernatural story without watching the same tropes most of them use.

MEMORABLE SCENE:

Without giving anything away, it would have to be the runner-up.  What I like to call the 'Hellmouth' scene.

QUOTE:

Chief Wyatt Porter: "I can't hold him."

Odd Thomas: "All right, well, you do agree that he's strange and suspicious, right?"

Chief Wyatt Porter: "If strange and suspicious were enough to put someone in jail, you'd already be there."

RATING:

This type of thing is my jam and I'm disappointed that more people didn't like it.  It had a spot-on cast, a refreshing take on the Urban Fantasy genre and wit out the wazoo.  Was it not marketed to the right audience?  I don't know.  It was set up for a sequel that I, for one, would have loved to see.  It's pretty much 10/10 for me.  What did you think?