O'Dessa (2025) - Film Critique

      O’Dessa, 2025.

      Written and Directed by Geremy Jasper.

      Featuring Sadie Sink, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Murray Bartlett, Regina Hall, Pokey LaFarge, Mark Boone Junior, Bree Elrod, Dora Dimić Rakar, Ivona Tomiek, Marinko Prga, Judy Malka, and Rithvik Andugula.

      SYNOPSIS:

      A girl from a farm embarks on a grand quest to retrieve a beloved family heirloom. Her adventure takes her to a peculiar and perilous city where she encounters her one true love – but to save his soul, she must put the powers of destiny and song to the ultimate challenge.

      Part rock opera and part film, O’Dessa begins with extensive exposition that sets up this world and the hero’s journey, prompting the thought that it might also be a novel. This is not a criticism; writer/director Geremy Jasper, who also collaborates on the music and lyrics with Jason Binnick, has created an intriguing alternate reality ravaged by a toxin that has nearly turned civilization into slums, with one individual's music as society’s last glimmer of hope. However, the narrative shifts direction and fails to capitalize on much of this setup, evolving into a different kind of story while leaving behind numerous missed opportunities.

      The villainous Plutonovich (Murray Bartlett) benefits from this chaos, emerging as a popular game show host in Satalytte City, one of humanity's final strongholds. He also serves as a merciless dystopian leader, tormenting dissenters. The games are designed to distract from the harsh reality and keep society clinging to a thread of hope.

      Change is foretold to originate from Sadie Sink’s titular O’Dessa, the seventh son of a seventh son, who wanders and rambles (not through words, but music) with a guitar crafted from a burning willow tree. For the purposes of this review, O’Dessa’s gender will remain unaddressed aside from noting that the film presents the character as androgynous, comfortable exploring identity within the central romantic relationship (especially during the wedding scene and the dynamics of who wears what).

      This concept recalls the plot of the Jack Black-led video game Brutal Legend. O’Dessa’s music is intended to incite a revolution and rekindle emotions in others. While not directly comparing the two mediums, O’Dessa pales in comparison to that game. At times, it seems like Geremy Jasper struggled with what to do after the extensive setup or how to maintain excitement in the film, resulting in a generic and tedious tale inspired by Greek mythology. The chemistry is lacking, and the romance lacks spark, with the only notable aspect being the ambiguity regarding each character's gender.

      It’s puzzling that once O’Dessa sets off on the journey (following her mother’s demise at the end of the prologue), Geremy Jasper places this character, who is convincingly naïve, in a situation where she risks losing the important family heirloom. Although O’Dessa shows resourcefulness by quickly crafting a temporary guitar out of scrap materials, the opening text has already framed this story as an adventure centered on the significance of that generational guitar. This means we spend around 20 minutes watching the character navigate neon-lit slums without any real world-building or character development beyond introducing Plutonovich's right-hand woman, Regina Hall's Neon Dion, a threatening figure wielding electrified brass knuckles. Without giving away too much, her exit from the film is unintentionally humorous and contributes to the film’s overall off-key tone.

      Eventually, O’Dessa finds herself at a music show where Kelvin Harrison Jr.’s Euri Dervish performs a pop star spectacle. That night, their paths cross, and Euri graciously offers shelter and, presumably, O’Dessa’s first shower in an indeterminate amount of time. O’Dessa’s singing comforts Euri, allowing for a moment of connection. However, the lack of characterization leaves the romance feeling flat. The film is drenched in neon hues, synthetic retro-style music, and a prolonged sluggish pace that saps energy and intrigue from the otherwise fascinating premise. This is not a critique of the film's transition into romance, but rather that the romantic elements are superficial and unengaging.

      Even glimpses of Plutonovich’s malevolence, which include soul-sucking through facial surgery, fail to evoke genuine horror or create unsettling anticipation for what awaits when one of our protagonists inevitably enters his domain (complete with a ridiculous autotune theme song). Sadie Sink possesses an excellent vocal talent, and some early songs pique interest in the possibilities of this journey. Nevertheless, whenever the narrative shifts to romantic themes, it never quite reaches the emotional high point it aims for.

      O’Dessa is ambitious with what seems