This new version is an almost scene-for-scene remake, which is good news in the first half and bad news in the torpid second.
The Omen (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:35
Fresh:11
Rotten:24
Average Rating:4.8/10
Consensus: Even with the force of a "classic" behind it, remake fever can't hold up the hollowness of this style-drenched Omen.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for disturbing violent content, graphic images and some language
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:Jun 6, 2006 Wide
Box Office: $54,484,565
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
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Release:
Mar 11, 2008
Reviews for The Omen
Not since Gus Van Sant inexplicably directed a shot-by-shot remake of Hitchcock's Psycho has a thriller been copied with so little point or impact.
I felt like I was seeing The Da Vinci Code with slightly shadier priests.
I don’t approve of remakes, but The Omen redux is riveting, imaginative and ultimately bone-chillingly satisfying.
If the movie didn't take itself so seriously, it could have been a great popcorn muncher. As is, it'll still work fine for those willing to forgive its trespasses.
Other than the obvious marketing advantages of releasing this movie on 06/06/06, a second Omen seems completely unnecessary, even if it is kind of fun.
There seems little rationale for Omen '06 except to resuscitate a brand name that carried enough pop-culture clout in Watergate's aftermath to inspire a host of gnarly sequels.
The devil takes care of business in exactly the same way, as if he's reading from the book of Re-Revelation. But director John Moore has added some creepy visuals and assembled an unusually strong cast for a horror flick.
Future generations can only hope something so nice happens when they get their Omen revival. For now, there's Damien Part Deux. Enjoy him, kids. Chances are, he'll be around for a while.
In their religious fidelity to the original, director John Moore and writer David Seltzer don't attempt to paper over anachronisms from Seltzer's 1976 script.
It's a terrible sign for a movie when the sole reason for its existence is a satanic opening date.
When all else fails, pump up the thunder and lightning. That seems to be an operating principle behind the supremely unnecessary remake of the 1976 horror fest.
Yes, it may be 6/6/06, but was there a reason beyond that to remake the 30-year-old horror classic?
If the opening-date driven re-make of The Omen succeeds in tapping into any fears of the existence of evil in the world, these will be most acutely felt when you realize that Satan, the old showbiz devil, has picked your pocket once again.
Schreiber seems to wander through the film like Hamlet's ghost, waiting for his soliloquy to come, and it never does. He's kind of a cold fish, and Stiles isn't much better.
It's hard to imagine college age movie goers being attracted by such a passé premise. And fans of the original will end up doing shot-by-shot comparisons. On every level, The Omen isn't just bad filmmaking, it's bad storytelling.
While it's not exactly a horror, it's still a long way from a great horror film.
I say rent the original. It tells exactly the same story, with a better cast and with special effects that are as good or better.
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