THE OMEN is an interesting film with a great cast. I still didn't like everything about it. Unfortunately, the 2006 remake
has a few of the same problems with a a couple of new ones. Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles are miscast. Sometimes Liev seems
perfect for the role of U.S. Ambassador (to Great Britain) Robert Thorn when he is in a scene with the rest of the great cast.
He's no Gregory Peck. As good as an actor Liev is, he is wrong for this role. Wait, I think the kid who plays Damien just
sucks. He comes off as a brat who always wants to pout with red make-up under his eyes. It was also the problem of the original,
but the actor playing Damien this time is even worse.
THE OMEN is the film that is about a family who happens to have the Anti-Christ as their son. Damien starts acting odd
after five years. A new nanny (Mia Farrow) comes in after the previous nanny commits suicide in front of everyone at Damien's
birthday party. Strange things start to happen more and more and Thorn starts to investigate who this kid he took to replace
his wife's dead child (without telling her). Helping him is a photographer (David Thewlis- one of the great actors in this
film). Mostly everyone should know the plot if they have seen the original.
THE OMEN remake has some great new touches, but the ending still falls short like the original. I do wish the screenwriter
took more risks and made the remake even more different. The remake is good and sometimes great, but overall it leaves me
hoping they don't make a pointless sequel. Please just let Damien rest. I had enough of THE OMEN and that little brat kid.
Maybe the big problem (as evidenced by the extras on the disc) is that the director comes off too much of a fanboy of the
original 1976 film.
VIDEO: 1.85:1 (Anamorphic Widescreen)
AUDIO: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French Dolby Surround, Spanish DS
Subtitles: English, Spanish
SPECIAL FEATURES: The audio commentary with director John Moore, producer Glenn Williamson and editor Dan Zimmerman is
the best extra to describe the process of making the film. The OMENISMS featurette is an unwieldy making-of featurette with
some interesting details and interviews (with cast and crew), but it is poorly edited together. REVELATION 666 is a promotional
piece for THE OMEN which goes into talk about 666 and the Anti-Christ. ABBEY ROAD SESSIONS looks at the recording of the excellent
score.
The two extended scenes and the alternate ending are basically longer and gorier versions of scenes seen in the released
film. To round things off, trailers for the film and the 2 disc CE of the 1976 original are included.
FINAL ANALYSIS: The remake isn't bad, but a few miscast roles and a disappointing climax like the original make it a mixed
bag despite it's visual touches and new twists. The extras are also up and down.
this review is (c)10-14-2006 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission (except for excerpts and a link
to the review). Look for additional content at http://enterlinemedia.livejournal.com and send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com
