So I eventually binged watched Money Heist or La Casa de Papel... i prefer to sound fancy... Honestly I get why everyone was obsessed with this show for years. Like genuinely, I sat down thinking I'd watch a couple episodes and then i just didn't stop... That's kind of the whole vibe of this show honestly... it just sucks you in and doesn't let go...
So basically the idea is this mysterious guy called "The Professor" recruits a bunch of criminals then gives them all city names instead of real names.. Tokyo, Berlin, Nairobi, Rio, Denver, Moscow e.t.c.. so nobody can be identified and they pull off this massive heist at the Royal Mint of Spain but it's not really about stealing money that already exists, it's about printing billions of euros themselves while holding hostages, which honestly is such a clever twist because it makes the whole "are they good guys or bad guys" question way more interesting than a normal heist show.
Tokyo narrates the whole thing, which I actually really liked. It gives it this personal diary-like kind of feel instead of just watching things happen from the outside... Her narration is dramatic, sometimes a little over the top but it works for the tone of the show.
The characters are what really makes the series stand out Every single one of them feels different and has their own whole personality and backstory and the show does a really good job of making you care about people who are, let's be real, criminals...
Berlin was probably my favorite, he's just so unhinged and dramatic in this weirdly charming way, like you shouldn't like him but you kind of do anyway... Nairobi is amazing too, so much energy and attitude. And The Professor is just endlessly interesting because he's always five steps ahead of everyone especially the cops and watching his plans unfold or sometimes almost fall apart is honestly the best part of the whole show.
The tension in this show is insane too.. There were so many moments where I was legit stressed out watching it, like actually nervous for these characters even though I know it's just a show... The back-and-forth between the heist crew and the police, especially with Raquel/Lisbon's character just adds this whole extra layer because you've got someone on the inside kind of playing both sides emotionally and it gets messy in a really good way.
Now I will say, and I think a lot of people agree with this, the show does drag a little in some of the later seasons. Like the first heist (the Mint one) feels tighter and more focused, but once they do the second heist at the Bank of Spain, it starts feeling a little repetitive with the whole "hostage situation, someone almost dies, big emotional moment, repeat" formula... Some episodes definitely could've been shorter or cut altogether without losing much.
Amnd also the romance subplots are a hit or miss for me.. Some of them added good emotional stakes but others felt kind of forced or dragged on way longer than should have been but even with those complaints, the show is just so much fun to watch. It's stylish, it's dramatic, the music (that Bella Ciao moment, come on) gives me chills every time, and the twists keep coming even when you think you've figured everything out. It's one of those shows where you're constantly asking "okay but how are they gonna get out of THIS one" and somehow they always do, in these wild elaborate ways that shouldn't work but somehow do because The Professor's brain is just built different.
Overall I had a great time watching this because It's tense, it's emotional, it's got great characters, and even when it drags a little in the middle seasons, it always pulls you back in.... its Definitely one of those shows that earns the hype it got.
So I watched Odd Thomas a while back, and honestly, this movie kind of flew completely under everyone's radar, which is a real shame because it's such a weird, charming little gem that more people should know about. It's based on the Dean Koontz book of the same name, and it stars Anton Yelchin as this guy literally named Odd... not a nickname, not a description, that's actually his given... Someone who can see dead people. Now I know that premise probably makes you think "oh great, another Sixth Sense knockoff," but it's really not like that at all. It's way more charming, funny, and just plain fun than you'd expect from a "guy sees ghosts" setup.
Odd works as a cook in this small, sleepy desert town, living a pretty low-key life on the surface But underneath that normal exterior he's got this whole supernatural thing on the side.. Besides seeing actual ghosts who hang around asking for favors, he can also see these creepy, shadowy creatures he calls "bodachs." These things show up right before something violent or terrible is about to happen... it's almost like they're drawn to tragedy before it occurs. So basically Odd is like an early warning system for disaster, and a big chunk of the movie is him trying to piece together what's coming and figure out how to stop it before people get hurt... It's part comedy, part horror and part mystery all mashed together and somehow it blends way better than it has any right to.
Anton Yelchin is honestly the biggest reason this movie works as well as it does because He's got this really likable, really dorky, everyman charm to him that makes Odd instantly easy to root for... His narration runs through the whole film too, and it gives everything a storybook kind of quality just like you're being told a story by a friend rather than just watching a plot unfold... It's actually quite bittersweet rewatching this now especially since Yelchin passed away in a awful accident a few years after this movie came out because you can just tell watching this performance that he had a ton more good work left in him... There's a real warmth and talent on display here that makes you wish he'd gotten more roles like this...
The chemistry between Odd and his girlfriend Stormy, played by Addison Timlin, is genuinely one of my favorite parts of the movie because their relationship doesn't feel like some random romantic subplot tacked on just because movies "need" a love interest and It feels real, playful, and lived-in like these two people actually know and love each other... There's a running thing throughout the movie about their future together that keeps popping up, and it ends up mattering a lot more by the end than you'd expect going in. Because you actually care about them as a couple, certain moments later in the film hit way harder emotionally than I was prepared for.
The tone is honestly what makes this movie stand out from a lot of other supernatural movies because One minute you're laughing at Odd's crazy narration or some funny little interaction he is having with a ghost who won't leave him alone and then the next minute the bodachs show up and the whole mood shifts into something genuinely tense and dark.... . It really shouldn't work as smoothly as it did... mixing lighthearted comedy with actual horror and dread but the . somehow keeps that balance without ever feeling totally messy or confused about what kind of movie it wants to be.
If I've got any real complaints, it's that the pacing gets a little uneven in the middle section, like it slows down in spots where you're just waiting for the next piece of the mystery to click into place. Also, some of the visual effects, especially with the bodachs themselves, look a bit dated and cheap at certain points, which makes sense given it was clearly a smaller budget production.
I really enjoyed the whole ride... The ending especially caught me completely off guard because It goes to a much heavier, more emotional place than I was expecting from a movie that spends a good chunk of its runtime being pretty lighthearted and quirky... I won't spoil anything because I need you guys to watch it, but it definitely shifts gears in a way that stuck with me long after the end and honestly made me appreciate the earlier, funnier parts of the movie even more.
Overall, Odd Thomas is one of those underrated kind of forgotten movies that honestly deserved way more attention and love than it got when it came out... It has got humor, heart, some genuinely creepy and tense moments and a lead performance that I think a lot of people ignored... If you're into stories that mix supernatural elements with a heartfelt growing up vibe and you don't mind a movie that goes from goofy to gut-punching pretty quickly then this one's really worth tracking down.
Rating: 90/100