O’Dessa is a little of The Wizard of Oz, a little of Romeo and Juliette, and a little of Orpheus and Eurydice all thrown together in a musical coming of age story starring Sadie Sink.
O’Dessa had some good points. I thought the original songs were good – they were a kind of folksy pop rock. Sadie Sink has a good voice. I thought the movie was visually interesting. It looked a lot like a graphic novel come alive. It should have strong appeal for the young adult audience, but I enjoyed it as well. It was a bit wobbly in places, but not terrible.
O’dessa (Sadie Sink) lived on a dry land farm with her mother. Her father left her a guitar made from a burning willow tree and the family legend that she was the 7th son (minus a few bits) and was destined to save the world with her guitar. When her mother died, she took off for the city with nothing but the guitar, the family photo, and her mother’s wedding band – a twisted ring of silver wire.
The city was full of sinners and brainwashed near auto-humans who spent their time watching Plutonovich (Murray Bartlett) do cruel things on television. Plutonovich was the wizard behind the screen, the keeper of Hades, the toxic center of the toxic city.
The first night O’Dessa was in the city, she met Euri (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). He was singing and dancing in a club where she hoped to make some money singing herself. Her guitar was stolen while she traveled. She found it in a pawn shop and intended to buy it back. But first she had to make some money.
Euri helped her. She fell in love with him. Euri hid her in his apartment.
Euri’s boss Dion (Regina Hall – almost unrecognizable in her costume) used his talents to make money for herself. She also fed Plutonovich a steady stream of people to maim and torture on his television show.
When Euri was captured and taken away to Pluto’s lair, O’Dessa journeyed across a toxic body of water to bring him back. It didn’t exactly turn out the way she wanted, but she did fulfill her destiny.
l liked the gender swap of the hero to female from the Orpheus and Eurydice story, but the ending was 100% Shakespearean. Sadie Sink and Kelvin Harrison Jr. had excellent chemistry.
This musical adventure is streaming on Hulu and Disney+. If you give it a watch, let me know what you thought of it.
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