Crafting a genre mashup is much more complex than many imagine. However, when the combination is not executed at a high level, the weaker aspects of each genre become even more apparent to the audience. O’Dessa, unfortunately, falls into this realm, with the sci-fi, post-apocalyptic musical struggling to blend its ideas into a story that rises above service-level cultural critiques. While director Geremy Jasper tries to infuse style into the tale, the execution does not match O’Dessa‘s ambition. This makes the musical feel like a frustrating miss from its opening sequences.
O’Dessa — The Plot
After the death of her mother, O’Dessa (Sadie Sink) travels to the big city to recover a stolen instrument. Unbeknownst to O’Dessa, she is a special figure known as the “Seventh Son,” which will allow her to change the world. Once she reaches the city, O’Dessa finds herself in love with another singer and prostitute, Euri (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). While the two of them push back against his pimp/boss Neon (Regina Hall), they find themselves caught up in a far more complicated fight against the tyrannical gameshow host Plutonovich (Murray Bartlett).
Style Over Substance Becomes O’Dessa’s Calling Card
As we move between the folksy farmland to the neon-infused big city, there’s no question that O’Dessa is dripping with style. The visuals become a blend of outrun and synthwave, combining purples, blues, red, and green neon in a futuristic setting. At the same time, Jasper infuses the rockabilly style into the corners of the frame, with the titular O’Dessa standing in as its primary representative. Adorned in white Elvis suits and bolo ties, she stands out as the down-to-earth rockstar who cannot be corrupted by modern life.
Ultimately, that’s where Odessa‘s criticism and power ends. The entire story can be calculated and understood within its first twenty minutes, as the big bad guys are all those swayed by the allure of the city. As the city itself corrupts each individual, they fall under Plutonovich’s spell. The reality TV show competition host rules like a dictator, and it’s only through the story of a savior that the rest of society can be saved (and she even does it through song!). For as intriguing as the visual elements are, they do not say much. Instead, O’Dessa is pretty to look at but is hollow to its core.
The Performances Are Just As Shallow
Sadie Sink has shown promise but is wildly miscast in this role. It’s not that she cannot sing — she actually does her best work during these moments. However, Sink is asked to throw on an over-the-top accent that would make Austin Butler blush, putting her at a massive disadvantage. Kelvin Harrison Jr. does not get much more to do, playing a damsel-in-distress type who needs to be rescued by his lover. With no agency to himself, it’s just a gender-flipped version of underwritten love interests.
While Bartlett and Hall have fun in their roles, the performances are also shockingly thin. Bartlett screams at every character that joins him on screen and does not bring anything unique to the role. Bartlett has turned in marvelous performances in The Last of Us and The White Lotus, but here, he’s all id with no subtext. Hall plays a flat character, and thanks to her brilliance as a performer, she still reads as a woman destroyed by trauma and violence. Both performers have little to play, in favor of the style. O’Dessa is worse off for it.
Is O’Dessa worth watching?
Unfortunately, this musical is an easy skip unless you’re a Sadie Sink superfan. Not only does the comedy not work, but the genre mashup feels forced. The entire message is obvious in O’Dessa‘s first fifteen minutes, and the music never delivers an earworm. It’s a frustrating miss, but it should inspire audiences to check out Streets of Fire or Phantom of the Paradise if you’re looking for unusual dark musicals.
O’Dessa releases on March 20, 2025. Searchlight distributes the feature, and it is set to stream on Hulu.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
