The Omen (2006)

Director:

John Moore

Writer (WGA):

David Seltzer (written by)

Release Date:

6 June 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

His Day Will Come

Plot:

A remake of the 1976 horror classic The Omen (1976), an American official realizes that his young son may literally be the devil incarnate.

Plot Keywords:

Fall From Height | Possessed | Loss Of Wife | Tense | Father Son Relationship

Awards:

5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. July 8	9:30 PM	HBO
Sun. July 13	1:50 AM	HBO

Cast

Predrag Bjelac	...	Vatican Observatory Priest (as Pedja Bjelac)
Carlo Sabatini	...	Cardinal Fabretti
Bohumil Svarc	...	Pope
Liev Schreiber	...	Robert Thorn
Giovanni Lombardo Radice	...	Father Spiletto
Baby Zikova	...	Damien - Newborn
Baby Morvas	...	Damien - Newborn
Baby Muller	...	Damien - Newborn
Baby Litera	...	Damien - Newborn
Julia Stiles	...	Katherine Thorn
Tomas Wooler	...	Damien - 2 Years Old (as Tomas Wooller)
Rafael Sallas	...	Rome Embassy Marine
Marshall Cupp	...	Ambassador Steven Haines
Martin Hindy	...	Haines' Limo Driver (as Martin 'Mako' Hindy)
Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick	...	Damien

Also Known As:

The Omen 666 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing violent content, graphic images and some language.

Runtime:

110 min | Philippines:105 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-15 | Denmark:15 | Brazil:16 | France:-12 | Singapore:M18 | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:16 | UK:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | Italy:VM14 | Malaysia:18PL | South Korea:15 (cable rating) | USA:R (certificate #42658) | Ireland:15A | Singapore:PG (cut version) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | New Zealand:R16 | Germany:16 | Hungary:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Portugal:M/16 | Japan:R-15 | Philippines:R-13 | Australia:MA | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Croatia

Company:

11:11 Mediaworks

Trivia:

Harvey Stephens, who portrayed Damien in The Omen (1976), appears in the film as a tabloid reporter.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Thorn and the photographer arrive in Megido they're stopped at an Israeli check point, but the Israeli army doesn't use the German style helmets used by the US Army and other armies.

Quotes:

Robert Thorn: But what if you're wrong?
Bugenhagen: I'M NOT WRONG!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Omen: Prophecy Fulfilled (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

KILLER STORM

Just saw a press screening Fri June 2

In a nutshell, if you've never heard of the original or are unaware of the storyline, the average horror film lover will enjoy this flick. If however you saw/liked the original, you'll likely still enjoy it..but you'll know exactly what's coming next because it is very faithful to the original. In fact, in most scenes, it's a line-by-line remake, and many camera shots are virtually identical to the 1976 version. What has changed is that Damien's parents are younger, and it's been updated to reflect a contemporary world of today. Also, the screenwriter decided to throw in 9/11 and recent disasters as indicators that the Armageddon is on it's way via Damien Thorne. (SPOILERS FOLLOW) There are elements of "Final Destination", but the original Omen was in fact the first to play with this type of death scene(s), where things mysteriously happen to people through strange accidents,etc. Having said that, these scenes are a little different from the original (most of them anyway) and again, as a horror fan, you'll enjoy the fact that they don't pull any punches graphically.

Acting wise, the film was somewhat weak - particularly Mia Farrow's performance. In an fitting homage to Rosemary's Baby, Farrow is cast as Mrs.Baylock, the satanic disciple, summoned to protect the Devil's son (in a sense, like her character in Rosemary's Baby)Damien Thorne, in the form of a nanny. I found that she was not nearly as creepy and menacing as the original actress. Julia Stiles was not strong either, and Schrieber was OK. The kid who plays Damien isn't bad, but it's just another brooding kid role with few lines so it's tough to screw that up.

Visually i loved this film, and a few sequences in particular were very very well done. As for the scares, there aren't many at all, and a few could be seen coming a mile away (dream sequence/mirror open then shuts to see apparition in rear,etc..) I did jump physically in one sequence where i wasn't expecting it (which i won't mention specifically so it may surprise you too).

So, it was an entertaining 2 hours. Nothing terribly new, and not as creepy or Gothic as the first one. In a way, i was hoping it might go in a different direction, but perhaps, it's the producers' ultimate compliment to the original - keep it very similar,just updating it for a new generation of horror fans. Recommended.