Creed II
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Mission: Impossible - Fallout
Homecoming
Log in with Facebook
OR
By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango.
Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password.
Critics Consensus: Even with the force of a "classic" behind it, remake fever can't hold up the hollowness of this style-drenched Omen.
Critic Consensus: Even with the force of a "classic" behind it, remake fever can't hold up the hollowness of this style-drenched Omen.
All Critics (164) | Top Critics (40) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (120) | DVD (10)
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.
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.
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.
This is one of those movies that profits from very low expectations. If you go in expecting something dreadful, be assured: It's only near dreadful.
I felt like I was seeing The Da Vinci Code with slightly shadier priests.
John Moore's remake of The Omen rivals Gus Van Sant's Psycho both for its fidelity to the source material and for its utter pointlessness.
It's a highly entertaining comedy, and the best thing about it is - you don't have to watch any football.
No gore, no death-defying screams and not too many scares either.
Clunky retooling
Certainly, it's not the worst remake of all time, but it really is one of the more ridiculous, unnecessary, and gimmicky of them.
While not a shot-for-shot copy of Richard Donner's far superior 1976 original "Omen," David Seltzer --the screenwriter of both films%u2014barely updates his original script for this gratuitous remake.
... it's as if someone took a corpse, embalmed it to preserve the external appearance, slapped on a layer of fresh makeup, and then stuffed it full of animatronics to make it move and speak.
Unnecessary remake of a classic, this version of Richard Donner's The Omen is almost exactly like the original horror classic. The only difference is, is that everything is up to date, style wise, technology wise and so forth. This remake is worthless, and what's surprising is the impressive cast here. Not even a cast like this can save a dull film like this. If you've seen the far superior original directed by Richard Donner, skip this film. I'm actually surprised that with the talent involved, the filmmakers couldn't create a more effective remake. Instead this is a shot for shot clone and it's boring, dull, and above all lacks any real horror because, well it's predictable. There are some remakes that are good, unfortunately this updated version of The Omen isn't one of them. The film is very much like Gus Van Sant's version of Psycho. The reason that this film is terrible is that the film doesn't do anything, besides copying the original. For what it is, this is a mediocre horror film that is somewhat entertaining, but lacks the fire of the classic. The film simply misses the mark, and this the type of film that really puts an emphasis on unoriginality. Despite the cast, this film simply lacked the fire of the original, it's exactly the same film, except it's updated for modern times. The reason the film fails is that we know right from the start what happens, and the payoff just isn't like the original film. If you do watch this, you're watching the same film, minus the original jolts that the classic Omen delivered so well.
Super Reviewer
I've not seen the original to be honest, so I can't compare them. I have to say though this was quite slow moving, more creepy than scary. The original has quite a reputation, which might be a little dated now. This just didn't deliver any scares, jumps or action for me, shame as it has a very good cast!
Didn't think it was 26% bad, but it could have been alot better. It has its fair share of good scares though.
Pointless remake which did nothing to add anything original and different except to jazz up the death scenes with a bit of blood. The 1976 original was superior in every way and not once did this remake come close to challenging it. Wasn't really scary, a few cheap frights were thrown in here and there and, like I mentioned before, a couple of the death scenes have been over-sylized which admittedly do look impressive, but it takes away any scare appeal. Marco Beltrami did a very good job with the musical score, but stil, it's not a match for Jerry Goldsmiths Oscar winning original. This one will probably be enjoyed more by people who have not seen the excellent original version.
View All Quotes
View All