The ultimate in pointless exercises, a remake that is neither much better nor much worse that the original.
The Omen (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:158
Fresh:41
Rotten:117
Average Rating:4.6/10
Consensus: Even with the force of a "classic" behind it, remake fever can't hold up the hollowness of this style-drenched Omen.
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for disturbing violent content, graphic images and some language
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:06-06-2006
Synopsis: Many believe the prophecy from the Book of Revelation provides a map to a terrifying future…or it presents fragments of history that have come to life in our time. The signs, they claim, are all... Many believe the prophecy from the Book of Revelation provides a map to a terrifying future…or it presents fragments of history that have come to life in our time. The signs, they claim, are all around us: terrorist attacks, extreme weather… the list goes on. The passage specifically points to the arrival of the Anti-Christ, who is branded with the numerical sequence “666”: the mark of the Beast. The Anti-Christ will receive his power directly from Satan to establish a counterfeit kingdom on earth, signaling the beginning of Armageddon… Robert Thorn is unaware of such dark prophecies. Thorn, a senior American diplomat, has other things on his mind. His wife, Katherine, has endured a difficult delivery and she’s as yet unaware their newborn child has died. Devastated by the loss, Thorn’s concern turns to Katherine, who had suffered two previous miscarriages. The news will surely devastate her. The hospital priest, Father Spiletto, presents Thorn with another child born that night, whose mother died in childbirth. The priest compels Thorn to take the infant boy as his own; Katherine will never know the truth, and their son, which they name Damien, will be raised as their flesh and blood. Katherine embraces the child as her own, blossoming in motherhood; Thorn, it would seem, has made the right choice. Thorn’s career ascends – he becomes the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain – and the family settles into an estate outside London. But certain events, all seeming to revolve around the now five-year-old Damien, are deeply disturbing: Damien’s nanny hangs herself at the youngster’s birthday party; a strange priest brings dire warnings to Thorn; a children’s trip to the zoo results in a panicked frenzy; Damien becomes hysterical during a drive to church; and blurred movements in a series of photographs portend shocking deaths. The troubling incidents multiply, pointing to something wrong – terribly wrong – with Damien. Enter Mrs. Baylock, Damien’s new nanny, who seems to have a preordained devotion to the child. Then tragedy strikes closer to home. But only later does Thorn comprehend the truth: Damien is no ordinary child; he is the long-prophesized Anti-Christ. Now, Thorn must make the ultimate sacrifice to prevent the unspeakable terror that awaits the world. The prophecy is clear, the signs unmistakable: Armageddon is upon us. On 6 / 6 / 06, the omen is revealed...and our darkest fears are realized. -- © 20th Century Fox [More]
Starring: Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Mia Farrow
Starring: Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Mia Farrow, Josh Hutcherson, David Thewlis, Pete Postlethwaite
Director: John Moore
Director: John Moore
Screenwriter: Dan McDermott
Composer: Marco Beltrami
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for The Omen
will no doubt divide viewers into those who agree that it is high time that the original received so slick a makeover, and those who wonder whether there is much real point to a retooling of such devilish fidelity to its source.
Moore's approach fails entirely to capitalise on Damien's creepiness and he might have best been left out entirely; the only adrenaline-pumping moments in the film come from the jump-scares throughout.
Ultimately, The Omen is both poorly directed and badly acted and Moore ensuring that there's plenty of red in every scene isn't enough to make it scary. Rent the original instead.
A disastrously miscast remake of the 1976 horror classic, which retains the apocalyptic themes of David Seltzer’s original script but renders them dull and fright-free.
John Moore's remake -- while arguably better than its source -- can't help but feel a bit stale. Still, it treats the hokum with enough seriousness to create a few chills between the giggles.
Clearly, Hollywood was required to release an antichrist fright-fest on 6/6/06, but instead of coming up with something inventive, they pawn off this limp remake.
You'd think they could have delivered the end of the world with a bang instead of a yawn.
A slavishly literal remake of the satanic-horror standby that elicits laughter, sleep and occasional eye-popped shock but drums up scant real terror.
lacks the energy of discovery or, you'll pardon the word, revelation. Rather, it feels like a RE-telling just going through the motions and hitting the motifs that we all loved in the original
[The 1976 version is] exactly the sort of movie that would be improved in the retelling, but there's one catch: You're not supposed to treat the original like holy writ.
I suggest you save your ticket money and rent the original. In fact, rent the entire trilogy.
It may be 6.6.06, but the date you should remember is 6.20.06, which is when the original is re-released as a Collector's Edition DVD.
Nothing ruins a gag faster, be it in humor or horror, than someone having to explain it to you. But in the case of The Omen, we already knew the tale. The constant repetition and reminders are just onerous overkill.
The last Damien is young actor Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick. He lowers his head, hardens his face and glares. Big woo. The movie's dogs do a better job of looking sinister.
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