ODD THOMAS

Odd Thomas is a young man like any other, with a humble job as a cook in a fast-food restaurant, a troubled family past, and a girlfriend, Stormy, with whom he has a beautiful love story predicted by a fortune teller since they were children. Everything would suggest a normal and carefree existence if not for a strange ability he has had since birth: communicating with the souls of murdered people to help them avenge themselves against those who committed injustice against them. This ability allows him to collaborate with the local police in preventing crimes and arresting troublemakers. Everything flows peacefully in the quiet town of Pico Mundo until the arrival of a mysterious man surrounded by a group of shadowy figures resembling hyenas that follow him wherever he goes. Unencouraging signs and harbingers of dire events on which the young protagonist begins to investigate until he discovers the designated date for an unprecedented massacre... August 15th. Thus begins the classic struggle between good and evil to prevent this from happening. Stephen Sommers is part of that numerous group of directors who, although endowed with undeniable mastery of the cinematic medium and admirable visionary abilities, have never managed to find their right dimension and have lived careers whose course is similar to that of a roller coaster. It was 1999, in fact, when his "The Mummy" was a hit in theaters, garnering public and critical acclaim and creating a franchise that would lead to sequels and spin-offs accompanied by excellent box office returns. Sommers' rise seemed unstoppable, but something went wrong and so, after the action horror "Van Helsing" and "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," the spotlight faded and work opportunities diminished. About five years after his last film, the American director once again attempts to make a comeback with "Odd Thomas," a fantasy-horror film based on Dean R. Koontz's novel "Odd Thomas," which underwent numerous legal and financial trials (it seems some financiers pulled out just when they were supposed to invest 35 million dollars!) before its delayed release in theaters by two years. The result is an enjoyable film, not without flaws and weak points but with an overall positive outcome and an attractive appearance capable of attracting audiences even in a period unfavorable to cinemas like summer, always considered suitable for visiting outdoor places. Horror? Fantasy? Action? Scrolling through Sommers' previous works, it is clear that his main prerogative is the mixing of genres and that classifying this latest work within a specific category is a daunting and reductive task, limiting a comprehensive judgment. "Odd Thomas" indeed draws strength from the different souls it employs and from this mix of genres that, on the surface, promises nothing positive as one realizes how each element, or almost, manages to fit appropriately, although this characteristic evaporates inexorably in the second half. The beginning seems to follow the tracks of a sentimental comedy for teens with stereotypical characters and the usual couple living in a sunny town far from the chaos of metropolises. But starting from this banal situation, Sommers manages to build a plot that evolves and develops a taste for entertainment enhanced by his renowned mastery in creating special effects and numerous scenes of frenetic action that give the film a sparkling and even spasmodic rhythm at some points. Even the parts closer to horror hold their own thanks to a decent management of tension and the ability to create dark atmospheres with a hint of macabre, although without exaggerating to stay in line with the spirit of a film that never takes itself too seriously. When previously mentioning an enjoyable but not beautiful film, it was done considering that the things that do not work are there and how. The plot, for example, presents numerous flaws and script holes with some pieces inserted into the puzzle with approximation and without considering narrative coherence soon sacrificed on the altar of continuous plot twists at all costs. To this, we must add a very superficial characterization of the characters and a cast in which, with the exception of the talented Anton Yelchin, we find an Addison Timlin impalpable as a girlfriend not very useful to the story and Willem Dafoe now very similar to those former football stars who, at the end of their careers, accept to work in any team just to earn the last lucrative contract of their career. In short, Sommers' return is not as negative as expected, but this "Odd Thomas" will certainly not allow him to relaunch himself as he hoped.