Odd Thomas is a book about a guy who sees dead people. And other things...
The book/movie starts out with him confronting a killer of a little girl. The book, of course, does a much better job explaining this. But that's not my issue with this particular scene. Of course a book will explain better. The movie could have added in an extra quarter minute of narration to better explain the girl. Someone watching might not realize she's supposed to be dead...
The problem I had with that scene is once he starts chasing the killer, they run though a backyard. In the book they fall into a pool that is empty. In the movie, there's a whole pool party going on and it just detracts from the nature of the book/film. The little kid getting caught up in the killers goal to protect himself, fine, that part will work. However, that part even could have been much more beneficial without the detracting pool party.
Another big change is that in the movie we find out early on that his mom is in the nut house. In the book she's alive and crazy, but not in the way Odd is different. She's very narcissistic and hates dealing with anyone or having anyone in her world that she's not in complete control of. The book is the disservice here. Odd has to see his mom mid book to understand another part of the movie. To me, him seeing his parents in the book is just a filler. Seeing his mom explains his fear of guns but that could have been done in a different way. He already knew there was something off about the gunshot wound. He could have just gone back to the body in the first place.
We also meet his dad in the book. I don't mind the meeting of the parents and generally am okay with the book version of the dad meetup. The movie nixes that part. It isn't integral to the story line.
There is a bad man and Odd follows him to his home (this man is also the dead man with the gunshot wound). I much prefer the black room in the book to the dot that is in the movie in the bad man's office. Bad man is Robert Robertson. Also known as "fungus man". He however is not the only bad man in this story. The book didn't come out and make it obvious that he wasn't alone until his death. I like that. I don't like books that are obvious. More on that later... (Confessions of a Murder Suspect).
Then there is the big scene. I won't spoil it for those of you who actually want to read the book or watch the movie, but felt that it was adapted fairly well. The last part of the big scene Odd gets hurt in the book, and also in the movie. I like how the movie did that part other than how the lady with the dream was related to this version. She basically said how she saw Odd handle things in the movie and the book was different. I think that the book version was better with that aspect.
Then there is the end... after he leaves the hospital. Good on both accounts.
So, is the book better?? Or the movie??
I say that they are equal. I love to read so I'm glad I read the book (first as almost always).
The book and the movie won't be something I read or watch again. Neither are a "must read/see". Yes they are good, just not that good. I'd give them both a 3 out of 5.
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