The Omen (2006)
Re-make of the 1976 classic, based on Biblical & nutball theories presupposing the reincarnation of Satan in human form. This story chronicles an American vernment official (Schreiber), his wife (Stiles) and his son Damien (intriguing newcomer Davey-Fitzpatrick) - whom they believe embodies the coming of the Antichrist. Opens worldwide on 6/6/6 (which is a mighty coincidence, in fact one might guess the film got made just to capitalise on this release date).
The film opens with the epigraph "From the Eternal Sea he rises/Creating armies on either side/Turning man against his brother/'Til man exists no more." And thunder crackles, and animals crazy, 9/11 & Katrina catastrophes occur... Beelzebub is near people.
- Director:
- John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines, Flight of the Phoenix)
- Writer:
- Dan McDermott
- Cast:
- Liev SchreiberJulia StilesMia FarrowDavid ThewlisPete PostlethwaiteMichael GambonSeamus Davey-Fitzpatrick
Reviews & comments
Variety
pressRemaking the original with only modest updates and augmentation, "The Omen" poses an intriguing question: Will a movie that scared the bejezus out of moviegoers 30 years ago pack the necessary wallop and carnage to satisfy fans of blood-soaked modern horror? The answer is a qualified yes, if only because the premise of the Devil's child loosed upon the Earth remains so inherently spooky, feeding the modern fascination with conspiracies and apocalyptic threats. Cleverly unleashing the film on 6/6/06 (a Tuesday? Why not), Fox should attract those yet-to-be born for the earlier version, while fostering curiosity among those who were...
The New York Times
pressWhen all else fails, pump up the thunder and lightning. That seems to be an operating principle behind the supremely unnecessary remake of "The Omen," the 1976 horror fest that, along with "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist," plunked everyone's favorite baddie, Satan, into the Hollywood mainstream...
New Zealand Herald
pressRoman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby in 1968 set the benchmark for devil movies. William Friedkin's wonderful film The Exorcist followed five years later and the highest of many low points that followed was The Omen, which was made in 1976 and spawned several sequels - one with Sam Neill...
Empire Magazine
pressWhen Gus Van Sant was asked exactly what the point of making a shot for shot remake of a classic (in his case, Psycho) he responded, "So nobody else has to." Director John Moore obviously wasn't listening, because what he has managed to produce is the ultimate in pointless exercises, a remake that is neither much better nor much worse that the original...
BBC
pressAlmost everyone comes to a sticky end in The Omen, just as they did in the 1976 original. From the moment that Liev Schreiber's ambitious young diplomat secretly adopts a child from a shifty-looking priest, the accidents start to pile up: burnings, hangings, beheadings... The source of all these horrors is, of course, Damien: the toddler antichrist, and much of the enjoyment in John Moore's glossy remake comes from predicting who will make it to the final reel alive...
Variety
pressRemaking the original with only modest updates and augmentation, "The Omen" poses an intriguing question: Will a movie that scared the bejezus out of moviegoers 30 years ago pack the necessary wallop and carnage to satisfy fans of blood-soaked modern horror? The answer is a qualified yes, if only because the premise of the Devil's child loosed upon the Earth remains so inherently spooky, feeding the modern fascination with conspiracies and apocalyptic threats. Cleverly unleashing the film on 6/6/06 (a Tuesday? Why not), Fox should attract those yet-to-be born for the earlier version, while fostering curiosity among those who were...
The New York Times
pressWhen all else fails, pump up the thunder and lightning. That seems to be an operating principle behind the supremely unnecessary remake of "The Omen," the 1976 horror fest that, along with "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist," plunked everyone's favorite baddie, Satan, into the Hollywood mainstream...
New Zealand Herald
pressRoman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby in 1968 set the benchmark for devil movies. William Friedkin's wonderful film The Exorcist followed five years later and the highest of many low points that followed was The Omen, which was made in 1976 and spawned several sequels - one with Sam Neill...
Empire Magazine
pressWhen Gus Van Sant was asked exactly what the point of making a shot for shot remake of a classic (in his case, Psycho) he responded, "So nobody else has to." Director John Moore obviously wasn't listening, because what he has managed to produce is the ultimate in pointless exercises, a remake that is neither much better nor much worse that the original...
BBC
pressAlmost everyone comes to a sticky end in The Omen, just as they did in the 1976 original. From the moment that Liev Schreiber's ambitious young diplomat secretly adopts a child from a shifty-looking priest, the accidents start to pile up: burnings, hangings, beheadings... The source of all these horrors is, of course, Damien: the toddler antichrist, and much of the enjoyment in John Moore's glossy remake comes from predicting who will make it to the final reel alive...
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