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Independent Pick: Odd Thomas (2014)

Now, let’s just be clear. I’m not suggesting that Odd Thomas is a flawless film – it most decidedly isn’t. What it is, is fantastically entertaining. An adaptation of the Dean R. Koontz novel of the same name, it’s crafted with palpable love and devotion by writer-director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy) – who captures, in every single frame, a deep passion for the source material that is almost infectious.

Odd Thomas – played here by Anton Yelchin (Star Trek) – is a clairvoyant short-order cook whose abilities lead him to uncover a dark and devastating event building within his small desert town. Framed with an almost gumshoe-esque narration from the lead character, we follow him as he works against the clock to understand what is about to happen, and prevent it.

The film requires a suspension of disbelief – not least regarding the willingness on the part of the Chief of Police, Wyatt Porter (Willem Dafoe), to indulge the young man’s every claim and deploy resources on his direction. This convenience is explained by Porter himself as being a response to the fact that Odd Thomas is always proved right. It also requires the audience to turn a blind-eye to the use of female characters as plot devices.

For a lesser film, those audience requirements would quickly become irritations – but for Odd Thomas, these points are easily forgotten for one simple reason: Anton Yelchin. The young actor delivers a performance that is so perfectly in harmony with his co-stars and the overall tone of the film, that we are swept up – from the opening scene – and carried through the twists and turns of the story. It is testament to both the actor and the writer-director that an immediate connection is forged with this character – such that, by the end, all manner of involuntary emotional reactions are spilling forth.

Odd Thomas is at once funny, thrilling, scary, charming, heart-breaking and action-packed – and it is a real gem of a find among the titles available on Netflix. If it is genuine, vibrant and energetic filmmaking you seek, this one comes highly recommended.