Odd Thomas (film)

Last updated
Odd Thomas
Odd Thomas poster film.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Stephen Sommers
Written byStephen Sommers
Based on Odd Thomas
by Dean Koontz
Produced byJohn Baldecchi
Howard Kaplan
Stephen Sommers
Starring
Cinematography Mitchell Amundsen
Edited byDavid Checel
Music by John Swihart
Production
companies
Fusion Films
The Sommers Company
Distributed byFusion Films
Future Films
Release dates
  • April 6, 2013 (2013-04-06)(River Bend Film Festival) [1]
  • February 28, 2014 (2014-02-28)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$27 million
Box office$1.3 million [2]

Odd Thomas is a 2013 American mystery thriller film based on Dean Koontz's 2003 novel of the same name. It is directed, written, and co-produced by Stephen Sommers and stars Anton Yelchin as Odd Thomas, with Willem Dafoe as Wyatt Porter, and Addison Timlin as Stormy Llewellyn. [3]

Contents

Plot

Odd Thomas is a psychic who lives in a small town in California. He can see mysterious creatures he calls "bodachs" which are otherwise invisible to everyone else. Odd knows they feed on fear and misery, and the greater the number of "bodachs" the more misery is coming. One day at work, Odd sees a strange man swarming with bodachs. Because of the man's strange hair, the back of which looks like a fungal toupee, Odd nicknames him "Fungus man." Odd follows the man to his house, and learns the man is named Bob Robertson. Odd finds a mysterious "doorway" in Fungus Bob's house where hundreds of bodachs are entering the world. Through some investigation, Odd determines that Bob is planning to do something violent. Odd reports his suspicion to his friend Chief Porter, who assigns two deputies to follow Fungus Bob.

Odd meets his girlfriend Stormy Llewellyn for dinner in the belfry of a church. He sees Fungus Bob approaching and they flee to the sacristy, which Robertson destroys as they escape. Stormy calls Chief Porter, who finds the church vandalized but no evidence to link it to Bob. Odd's psychic magnetism leads him and Stormy to a bowling alley, where the bowling shirts from his vision have just become the new uniform. Chief Porter sends Officer Simon Varner to watch the place on Odd's advice.

Odd finds Fungus Bob shot to death in his bathtub, with evidence framing Odd for the murder. He discovers that Bob has been dead for quite some time and deduces that the encounter at the church was with the dead man's restless spirit.

Chief Porter is shot in a home invasion. Odd rushes to the hospital and learns that Porter is alive but in serious condition. The chief is saved from death due to a medallion that Odd had given him (deflected the bullet).

Odd investigates Bob's fatal bullet wound, and finds a tattoo matching Varner's. Odd realizes that Bob was eliminated by his co-conspirators because Odd had begun to look into him. Odd's powers lead him back to the mall, where Officer Eckles has murdered the mall security staff; Odd disables him with a baseball bat. Officer Varner has started shooting in the mall, killing quite a few. Odd discovers Bob's moving van packed with explosives on a timer — apparently part of a plan to kill the shoppers in the mall and arriving first responders. Odd drives it away from the mall, when Varner returns and shoots Odd. Varner clings to the outside of the van, attempting to finish off Odd. Odd jumps from the van as Varner enters the cab, and the van crashes into a man-made canal and explodes, incinerating Varner but killing no one else.

Odd wakes in the hospital to find himself hailed as a local hero. Later, Odd retreats to Stormy's apartment to enjoy uninterrupted time with her. It is revealed that Stormy was killed in the mall shooting. Porter, realizing that Stormy's spirit is staying in this world only for Odd, advises him to let her go. Odd bids her a tearful farewell, promising her that they'll be reunited one day. Then Odd travels to Las Vegas to continue his crusade.

Cast

With cameo appearances by Patton Oswalt as Ozzie, Matthew Page as Harlo Landerson, Morse Bicknel as Kevin Goss, Ashley Sommers as Penny Kalisto, and Arnold Vosloo as Tom Jedd.

Production

Anton Yelchin was attached to star in the film early on. [4] Sommers said that Yelchin was his only choice to play Odd Thomas. [5] Early casting announcements included 50 Cent as Shamus Cocobolo [6] as well as Lily Collins [7] and Tim Robbins [7] none of whom ultimately ended up appearing in the film. Production began in May 2011 in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Albuquerque. [8]

Dean Koontz himself enjoyed the film saying "It is so wonderful that I am whacked flat by happiness." [5]

The film wrapped in 2011 but was delayed. [9] In July 2013, it was reported that the release of the film had been delayed because of legal action by Two Out of Ten Productions against Outsource Media Group and others for breach of contract. The suit alleges that $25 million should have been spent on prints and advertising to support a release of Odd Thomas in the U.S., and another $10 million to partially refinance certain loans. [10]

Reception

Critical response

Odd Thomas received mixed reviews from film critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a rating of 38% rating based on reviews from 47 critics, with an average score of 5.2/10. The site's critical consensus states: "Anton Yelchin is the right man for the title role, but Odd Thomas suffers from a jumbled tone." [11] Metacritic gives it a score of 45 out of 100, based on reviews from 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [12]

Brian Tallerico for RogerEbert.com gave it one and a half stars calling it "a film that's going through the motions with too little character, style, or atmosphere to keep it engaging." [13] Dennis Harvey for Variety said the film "is neither witty nor macabre enough to pull off Koontz’s balance of elements in cinematic terms. So it winds up coming off as just another CGI-laden ride that’s at once overstuffed and undernourished." [14] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter found the script felt rushed and while the cast was enjoyable "Odd Thomas just doesn't leave us with much desire to return there." [15]

Drew Taylor for IndieWire gave the film a B and called it "the best Koontz adaptation, by a fairly considerable margin." [9]

Box office

The movie was a box office bomb. It began its theatrical roll-out in the Philippines on July 17, 2013. It debuted at #6 taking in $52,623 from 35 screens. The film ended its two-week run with $118,835. The film opened in Finland where it took in $6,309 from 31 screens for a 14th-place finish. [16] The film grossed a total of $1,321,097 at the international box office. [2]

After having been delayed due to legal disputes, the film had a limited theatrical release in the United States, in February 2014. No domestic box office figures were reported. [16] [2]

Home media

The film was released on DVD in the UK in February 2014. A German dubbed version was released in December 2013.

It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States on March 25, 2014. It has grossed a total of $3.2 million in DVD and Blu-ray sales in the United States, As of January 2021. [2]

Related Research Articles

Dean Ray Koontz is an American author. His novels are billed as suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate elements of horror, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and satire. Many of his books have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list, with fourteen hardcovers and sixteen paperbacks reaching the number-one position. Koontz wrote under a number of pen names earlier in his career, including "David Axton", "Deanna Dwyer", "K.R. Dwyer", "Leigh Nichols" and "Brian Coffey". He has published over 105 novels and a number of novellas and collections of short stories, and has sold over 450 million copies of his work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willem Dafoe</span> American actor (born 1955)

William James "Willem" Dafoe is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor as well as nominations for four Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, four Golden Globe Awards, four Critics' Choice Movie Awards and five Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has frequently collaborated with filmmakers Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, Lars von Trier, Julian Schnabel, Wes Anderson, and Robert Eggers. Dafoe was a founding member of experimental theater company The Wooster Group.

Stephen Sommers is an American film director, screenwriter and producer, best known for big-budget action films, such as The Mummy (1999), its sequel, The Mummy Returns (2001), Van Helsing (2004), and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009). He also directed The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993), Disney's live action version of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (1994) and the action horror film Deep Rising (1998).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anton Yelchin</span> American actor (1989–2016)

Anton Viktorovich Yelchin was an American actor. Born in the Soviet Union to a Russian Jewish family, he emigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of six months. He began his career as a child actor, appearing as the lead of the mystery drama film Hearts in Atlantis (2001) and a series regular on the Showtime comedy-drama Huff (2004–2006). Yelchin landed higher-profile film roles in 2009, portraying Pavel Chekov in the Star Trek reboot and Kyle Reese in Terminator Salvation. He reprised his role as Chekov in the sequels Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016).

<i>Odd Thomas</i> (novel) 2003 novel by Dean Koontz

Odd Thomas is a thriller novel by American writer Dean Koontz, published in 2003. The novel derives its title from the protagonist, a twenty-year-old short-order cook named Odd Thomas. The book, which was well received and lauded by critics, went on to become a New York Times Bestseller. Following the success of the novel, six sequels, Forever Odd (2005), Brother Odd (2006), Odd Hours (2008), Odd Apocalypse (2012), and Deeply Odd (2013), were also written by Koontz. The final novel in the series Saint Odd (2015) was released on Jan 13, 2015. Three graphic-novel prequels, In Odd We Trust, Odd Is On Our Side and House of Odd have also been released. In the postscript to the graphic novel, Koontz states that "God willing, there will be six Odd Thomas novels." A Special Odd Thomas Adventure, Odd Interlude, was released on December 26, 2012, and another Odd Thomas: You Are Destined to Be Together Forever on December 9, 2014.

A bodach is a trickster or bogeyman figure in Gaelic folklore and mythology. The bodach "old man" is paired with the cailleach "hag, old woman" in Irish legend.

<i>Brother Odd</i> 2006 novel by Dean Koontz

Brother Odd is a novel by Dean Koontz, published in 2006. The novel is the third book in Koontz's series focusing on a young man named Odd Thomas.

<i>Forever Odd</i> 2005 novel by Dean Koontz

Forever Odd is a 2005 novel by Dean Koontz, and the sequel to Odd Thomas. The plot takes place six months after the events of Odd Thomas.

Odd Thomas is a fictional character who first appeared in Dean Koontz's 2003 novel of the same name, Odd Thomas. He is a twenty-year-old man who lives in the fictional desert town of Pico Mundo, California, and is able to see the spirits of the dead. He is able to make himself heard to them but they cannot speak to him, although they may make signs or mouth words. This fact complicates much of the books.

Addison Timlin is an American actress. She played Jami Lerner in The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014), Colleen Lunsford in Little Sister (2016) and Sasha Bingham in Showtime's Californication.

<i>Odd Hours</i> 2008 novel by Dean Koontz

Odd Hours is the fourth novel in the Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz. It was released on May 20, 2008.

This is a list of every work by American novelist Dean Koontz.

<i>In Odd We Trust</i> 2008 graphic novel written by Queenie Chan and Dean Koontz

In Odd We Trust is the first graphic novel featuring Dean Koontz's character Odd Thomas. It was released June 24, 2008. It is written by Queenie Chan and Koontz, with illustrations by Chan in a manga style.

<i>The Beaver</i> (film) 2011 film

The Beaver is a 2011 psychological drama film directed by Jodie Foster and written by Kyle Killen. It stars Mel Gibson, Foster, Anton Yelchin, and Jennifer Lawrence. Marking Gibson's and Foster's second collaboration since 1994's Maverick, it follows Walter Black, a depressed executive, who hits rock-bottom when his wife kicks him out of the house. At his lowest point, he begins to use a beaver hand puppet to communicate with people and overcome his issues.

<i>Odd Is on Our Side</i> 2010 graphic novel written by Fred Van Lente and Dean Koontz

Odd Is on Our Side is the second graphic novel featuring Dean Koontz's character Odd Thomas. It was released in October 2010. It is written by Fred Van Lente and Koontz, with illustrations by Queenie Chan in a manga style.

<i>Dying of the Light</i> (film) 2014 film by Paul Schrader

Dying of the Light is a 2014 American spy film, written and directed by Paul Schrader. It stars Nicolas Cage as an ex-CIA agent suffering from dementia who is on a personal mission to track down and kill a terrorist who had tortured him two decades earlier. Anton Yelchin and Irène Jacob also feature in the cast.

<i>Experimenter</i> (film) 2015 biographical drama film

Experimenter: The Stanley Milgram Story or Experimenter, is a 2015 American biographical drama film written, directed and co-produced by Michael Almereyda. It depicts the experiments Milgram experiment in 1961 by a social psychologist Stanley Milgram. The film co-produced and stars by Danny A. Abeckaser, stars Peter Sarsgaard, Winona Ryder, Jim Gaffigan, Kellan Lutz, Dennis Haysbert, Anthony Edwards, Lori Singer, Josh Hamilton, Anton Yelchin, John Leguizamo.

<i>Saint Odd</i> 2015 thriller novel by Dean Koontz

Saint Odd (2015) is the seventh and final thriller novel in the Odd Thomas series by American writer Dean Koontz. The book was initially released on January 13, 2015 by Bantam Books.

<i>Love, Antosha</i> 2019 film by Garret Price

Love, Antosha is a 2019 American documentary film directed and produced by Garret Price, focusing on the life and career of actor Anton Yelchin. The film premiered in the Doc Premieres category at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2019. The film was released by Lurker Productions in New York and Los Angeles in August 2019.

<i>Innocence</i> (Koontz novel) 2013 novel by Dean Koontz

Innocence is a horror novel by American author Dean Koontz, first published in 2013. The book is known for its intricate plot, blending elements of mystery, suspense, and the supernatural.

References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 "Odd Thomas (2014) - Financial Information". The Numbers . Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  3. Fleming, Mike (May 20, 2011). "Stephen Sommers starts Odd Thomas". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011.
  4. Williams, Owen (2011-02-08). "Anton Yelchin Is Odd (Thomas)". Empire . Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  5. 1 2 Koontz, Dean (2012-05-08). "Dean Speaks About the Odd Thomas Movie". Dean Koontz . Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  6. Sneider, Jeff (2011-05-18). "50 Cent joins 'Odd Thomas' cast". Variety . Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  7. 1 2 Brock, Ben (2013-01-09). "New Pics From 'Odd Thomas' Starring Anton Yelchin, Film's Release Delayed Over Monetary Dispute". IndieWire . Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  8. Ramos, Octavio (2011-03-31). ""Odd Thomas" Movie Production to Begin in May in Santa Fe and Albuquerque". AXS. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  9. 1 2 Taylor, Drew (2014-02-28). "Review: 'Odd Thomas' Starring Anton Yelchin, Willem Dafoe And Addison Timlin". IndieWire . Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  10. Bond, Paul (2013-01-28). "'Odd Thomas' Producers Suing Over $35 Mil in Marketing and Distribution Costs, Loans". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  11. "Odd Thomas (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  12. "Odd Thomas". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  13. Tallerico, Brian (2014-02-28). "Odd Thomas". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  14. Harvey, Dennis (2013-10-20). "Film Review: 'Odd Thomas'". Variety . Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  15. DeFore, John (2014-02-24). "Odd Thomas: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  16. 1 2 "Odd Thomas". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 30 September 2016.