Sci-Fi can be so versatile. But the incredible mix of ideas, genres and images that recently started streaming on Disney+ is really something special.
A truly out-of-this-world sci-fi movie starring one of the stars of Stranger Things has just been released on streaming services and is wowing viewers with unique ideas, retro post-apocalypse and great music. No, we’re not talking about the most expensive Netflix movie, The Electric State, which we’ve already taken a close look at in our stream review. We’re talking about something completely different.
A wild, dystopian adventure that also contains all these elements, but feels fundamental, secretly launched on Disney+ on March 20. O’Dessa, starring Sadie Sink, skillfully blends cyberpunk, retro looks, a Mad Max feel and, surprisingly, musical and country into a unique experience.
In O’Dessa on Disney+, a young musician must fight for the fate of a dying world
O’Dessa (Sink) doesn’t know much more than her small farmhouse, her mother and her homemade guitar. In the endless prairie of a half-dead world, the two live on a little music and the memory of a better time, when O’Dessa’s father was still alive. When her mother dies, O’Dessa sets out to share her music with the world.
But the world and especially the people in it are much more brutal and cold than she could have ever imagined. In the big city, she encounters nothing but rejection and violence. The population is under the spell of the great television mogul Plutonovich. Those who do not want to follow his dogma suffer terrible consequences and are punished on live television.
The only one who seems to understand O’Dessa is the singer and nightclub dancer Euri (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). He not only falls in love with her music, but also with her herself. The two dream of a better future – but Plutonovich thwarts their plans. It is up to O’Dessa and her talent to save her love, her dreams and maybe even the world.
O’Dessa is a powerfully staged fireworks display of ideas, music and wild science fiction
In O’Dessa, Mad Max meets country musical and a pleasantly handmade retro look full of neon signs, tube TVs and smoky bars. There are an incredible number of wacky and creative little details in this movie. Every image is full of things to discover. The movie could have been made almost exactly like this in the 80s and would be a cult classic today.
The movie understands exactly how a musical should be. The story, the characters, and especially the wonderful Sink are driven by the power of music. That may sound clichéd. But mixed with the bitter taste of the post-apocalypse and the surreal shimmer of the dreamy staging, the result is a charmingly melancholy sci-fi fairy tale.
Yes, maybe O’Dessa is a bit cheesy. A bit over-romanticized and at the same time pulp-fiction dystopian. But he has his heart in the right place. He conveys so much positivity and hope. He’s bursting with ideas and a love of storytelling. O’Dessa is guaranteed to be unlike any sci-fi of recent years. Guaranteed to be completely herself. And guaranteed to be entertaining.
If you’ve always wanted to see what cyberpunk with a country twist might look like, be sure to check out Disney+ and tune into O’Dessa.
