Rotten Tomatoes Rating: NA (Critics) / 77% (Audience)
Directed By: Stephen Sommers
Written By: Stephen Sommers
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Nico Tortorella, Addison Timlin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Willem Dafoe
Studio: Freestyle Releasing

Synopsis: Stephen Sommers adapts Dean Koontz’s best-selling book Odd Thomas with this Fusion Films production concerning a clairvoyant 20-year-old (Anton Yelchin) who discovers a dark secret about a stranger in his hometown. Willem Dafoe, Patton Oswalt, 50 Cent, and Addison Timlin co-star. – (Source)

The Good:
I don’t think there could possibly have been a better casting decision than the one to cast Anton Yelchin as Odd Thomas. He embodies all the quirky bravery that I envisioned in the character from reading the books and he does a really good job carrying this movie. He also had nice chemistry with Willem Dafoe as the chief of police for the small town of Pico Mundo who knows Odd’s secret and utilizes him to solve crimes in the town. And the chemistry between Yelchin and Addison Timlin was sweet (even if it did verge on the cutesy at times) and Timlin made a fine Girl Friday to Yelchin’s Odd.
Stephen Sommers also impressed me for the first time since the first MUMMY movie with not only his directing but his script too. He laid off the over the top big budget tricks that have been a hallmark of his work since 1999 and showed a lot of well-placed restraint with this film.

The Bad:
There was a certain nonchalance that Odd and Stormy had with their witty banter that came off as forced and rang really false in the face of the bizarre situations they found themselves faced with. I also found the reveal of the bad guy’s identity and the big twist at the end were really easy to predict.
And as a fan of the Koontz books I do have to say that the lack of Ghost Elvis in this movie is downright appalling!

The Ugly
The fact that this movie may never get a release in theaters in the US due to lawsuits between the various producers of the film is a darn shame.

Final Verdict: A fun mix of supernatural action/comedy/horror with some good performances from the very fine cast and nice direction and effects from director Sommers. While there were some spots in the film that were a bit predictable the overall product is well done and sets up an interesting universe that is ripe for future films and even better as a weekly TV series.

Grade: B