“The Omen 666″

CATEGORY: REVIEWS – NEW AND NOTABLE

The Movie: “The Omen: 666” IMDB

Release Year: 1990 – Directed by: John Moore – Starring: Liev Schreiber, David Thewlis, Julia Stiles

SYNOPSIS: The son of American politician Robert Thorn (Schreiber) and his wife (Julia Stiles) turns out to be rather devilish.

DVD GRADES

THE MOVIE: There’s good movies, bad movies, and irrelevant movies. The Omen 666 is an irrelevant movie. A nearly shot-for-shot remake of Richard Donner’s 1974 horror classic, the new version doesn’t even try to do anything different from the original, robbing any emotional power or surprise (a few key elements that make horror work) away from any viewer who may have seen the first movie. It’s not quite the disaster Gus Van Zant’s Psycho re-shoot was, but its close.

It’s not a terrible movie, as modern horror films go. The original was quite creepy, and since the remake is its identical twin the story works. Rising U.S. politican Robert Thorn (Liev Schreiber), fearing for his ailing wife Katherine (Julia Stiles) decides to take orphaned lil’ bundle of joy Damien (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick) home and pass him off as his natural son.

Of course, it turns out that Damien’s real daddy is that big red dude with the horns and the fire and the legions of demons under his control, and soon enough, all sorts of freaky stuff starts happening. His babysitter kills herself at Damien’s birthday party, a bunch of animals go ape when he passes by them at the zoo, and he throws the true temper tantrum from hell when poor Katherine tries to bring him to church.

Add in a thousand-yard-stare-creep of a replacement nanny (Mia Farrow) and a couple of marauding demon dogs and you’ve got a kid problem that a few gallons of ritalin couldn’t help. So, of course, dear old dad Robert Thorn tries to help out. After being warned about his devil of a son by a local priest (Pete Postelthwaite) who is promptly shishkabobed by a hell-sent chuch spire, Thorn teams up with a helpful photographer (David Thewlis) to travel around the barren graveyards and hospitals of Italy searching for the true ancestry of his son.

It’s a good story, but its all been done before, and better. Gregory Peck and Lee Remick made a great, and interesting, couple in the original version. Stiles and Schreiber are both great actors, but there’s no emotion beyond dread behind their eyes. Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick can’t hold a candle to Harvey Stephens–the rambunctious kid from the 1976 version–for pure malice. The awesome chants from the original are missing, but more inventive, Final Destination-style deaths are in. John Moore’s direction is more stylish, but with a lot less substance than Donner created.

The Omen is just a squander of a good cast and a good bunch of trees. Its completely unnessecary; there’s no reason to make this film at all. It just feels like a blatant attempt to cash in on a classic, taking dollars from bored teenagers who will see anything that will give them a cheap scare. You watch, everyone. They’re gonna come for your favorite movie next. Now that’s a scary thing to think about.

RATING: 4.0/10

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THE DVD: A very good release. Superb commentary by Moore and some deleted / extended scenes. The documentaries–making of, some of the 666 history, et cetera–are excellent.

RATING: 8.0/10

Movie Quote of the Day: “They made us all train for this day. “To be fearless and proud and alone. To need no one, just sacrifice. All for the Fatherland.” Oh God, all just empty words. It’s not the way they said it was, is it? I just want someone to be with. The only thing I feel is afraid. ”

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