The Omen (DVD)

...son died at birth, and the hospital and was replaced by an orphan, although wife Katherine doesn't know this. Katherine, however, isn't so sure that everthing is rosy; she has seen a number of things in son Damien that scare her. Then strange things begin to happen, such as the sudden suicide of Damien's nanny in front of all the children at Damien's birthday party, and a near fatal accident for Katherine. Another nanny is hired and life goes on, ...
...find out how to stop the evil before it takes more lives?

I will get one thing out of the way first. This is a re-make of the 1976 original, starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, and I remember watching it over twenty-five years ago and scaring myself to death. I can remember little of it though, so in many ways, watched this version with relatively fresh eyes. I don't particularly see the point of re-makes - if a film is popular, ... more

American Ambassador to London, Robert Thorn, seems to have it all; an excellent job, a beautiful wife and a lovely son. His son, however, is not really his - his own son died at birth, and the hospital and was replaced by an orphan, although wife Katherine doesn't know this. Katherine, however, isn't so sure that everthing is rosy; she has seen a number of things in son Damien that scare her. Then strange things begin to happen, such as the sudden suicide of Damien's nanny in front of all the children at Damien's birthday party, and a near fatal accident for Katherine. Another nanny is hired and life goes on, but Robert is eventually convinced that something is seriously wrong when a priest and a photographer separately contact him to express their fears. Can Robert find out how to stop the evil before it takes more lives?

I will get one thing out of the way first. This is a re-make of the 1976 original, starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, and I remember watching it over twenty-five years ago and scaring myself to death. I can remember little of it though, so in many ways, watched this version with relatively fresh eyes. I don't particularly see the point of re-makes - if a film is popular, why bother changing it? If someone can't be bothered to watch a film because it is in black and white, has subtitles or has poor special effects, then that is their loss. And in this case, there seems very little point in re-making it when it is apparently so similar to the original. To be honest, I thought I had picked the original up when I got hold of this, and was a little disappointed at first. Nevertheless, whatever people's views on re-makes are, it has been made and I wasn't going to turn down an opportunity to watch it just because people sneer at re-makes. I will not be making too much comparison between the two versions, simply because I cannot remember enough of the original to do so - although I hope to watch the original very soon.

Liev Shreiber plays Robert Thorn, and is very much the main character, although he is slightly over-shadowed by his screen son. I thought he was good. He looks and sounds the part of an Ambassador, and I enjoyed watching his portrayal of a man whose life suddenly crumbled around his ears. I don't doubt that there is any number of actors who could have played the role just as well, and I don't doubt that Gregory Peck's performance in the original was outstanding. Nevertheless, this is a good solid performance and one that I thoroughly enjoyed watching. I was less sure of Julia Stiles as Katherine. This is perhaps unfair, because I think it is largely that I am used to seeing her in fluffy films, and here she obviously has a much more serious role. I think on the whole, her performance was convincing enough and towards the end when she really has a chance to show her fear, she does very well.

Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick came across very well as Damien. He doesn't have a massive role in the film, and actually has very few lines, but he does own the screen when he is in it. This is partly because he is a very attractive little boy, but mainly because he really does look evil - and it is all in the eyes rather than any change in facial expression. He really did give me the creeps. Mia Farrow is excellent as the nanny who replaces the one who committed suicide. Initially, she seems really calm and ordinary, but it soon becomes clear that she is not all that she seems. Again, she really gave me the creeps, especially when together with Damien. I wasn't keen on Mia Farrow in Be Kind, Rewind, but here she is really well cast and gives a really great performance.

I also have to mention David Thewlis as Keith, the photographer, and Pete Postlethwaite, who plays the priest, who separately approach Robert about Damien. Thewlis, who most recently has played Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter films, doesn't really come into his own until later in the film, but he is good, although perhaps not entirely convincing. However, I think this is more because the story is hard to accept rather than anything he does wrong as an actor. I found Postlethwaite a bit mis-cast at first - he is a real character actor and is so immediately recognisable that I couldn't really get my head around him being a priest. I think his accent was a bit off too - he eventually settles into an Irish accent, but it sounded more Yorkshire to start with, which was a bit off-putting. Once he settled into the role though, he was very convincing and I enjoyed his performance.

This is a horror film and there are some very gory moments. Probably the worst is towards the end when a man's head is cut off. However, as horrors go, it isn't that graphic and I think that the rating of 15 is probably about right. Certainly I watched the original at around that age and didn't suffer too much from it...I don't think so anyway! What is frightening about the film though is the build-up of the atmosphere, which I think director John Moore did really well. For much of the film, it is the possibility of something happening that kept me on my toes, and when it did, I more often than not jumped. And watching as much horror as I do, that doesn't happen very often. The soundtrack matches what is going on on-screen perfectly.

As well as the bloody deaths, there is another issue that may offend - Damien's role in the film is very much rooted in Christianity, because he is supposed to be the Anti-Christ, and some see this as twisting the Catholic faith and its teachings. I am not religious, so this did not bother me, nor am I stupid enough to believe that what I am seeing on screen is the truth. However, if you are likely to be offended, then obviously this film is not going to be for you.

The set is incredible - whether it is in the Vatican, a graveyard, the American Embassy or the Thorn's own home. There is a lot of space involved - the Thorn's home, for example, seems to be a massive stately home, with high ceilings and cold floors. The director makes the most of this, often shooting from on high or down below and this helps to add to the eerie atmosphere. A couple of deaths involving things falling from great heights are particularly well done. All this adds up to make the film visually very attractive and I found myself reluctant to take my eyes off the screen.

There are a number of special features with the film. First, an audio commentary by the director, producer and editor of the film. This is interesting if you are a real fan, however, as they go through the entire film while telling us their thoughts on the film and why it was made in the way that it is, which gets a little tedious after a while. Then there is a documentary about the making of the film, the stunts and how 'The Omen curse' affected those involved with making it, which is a little weird, but quite interesting. Certainly there seem to have been a large number of accidents during the course of filming! There are a couple of short features on the score, recorded at Abbey Road in London, and the mystery of 666, supposed to be the number of the devil. They are followed by some extended scenes, alternative endings and trailers. These are worth a brief look at if you have time, but aren't totally necessary.

I think that if you are a big fan of the original film, you would probably do best to avoid this film. From what I can remember of the original and what I have read, it is very similar to the original and doesn't add anything to the story. Watching it is probably going to make you find fault and ultimately be disappointed with the comparison. However, I think that in its own right, this is a really well-made film with some good performances, and if you haven't seen the original, or think that you can watch this version with fresh eyes, then you will probably enjoy this version. Certainly with 25 years distance from the original, I found it very entertaining and definitely recommend it.

The DVD is available from play.com for £3.99.

Classification: 15

Running time: 110 minutes

 

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