The Omen (1976)
Damien: Omen II
Omen III: The Final Conflict
Omen IV: The Awakening
The Omen (2006)
Damien. The name
alone has come to signify something satanic, or just evil. Beginning in 1976 with The Omen, three sequels and a remake 30 years later followed, plus
there was a TV series simply called Damien
(I started watching that when it first aired but didn’t keep up with it, so I
will not be reviewing that here). The
original Omen may be considered a
classic to some, and while I do like it, kind of, I don’t fall into the group
that agrees with that subjective label.
It may be known as an evil kid movie, and I wouldn’t necessarily
disagree with that, but it really just involves those that come into contact
with the child befalling tragedies soon after, making it more of a stylized
body count film (not that there’s anything particularly wrong with that
either). One of my favorite scenes is
still the part where the baboons go crazy in the safari park. Damien: Omen II takes place seven years later
(but released just two years later) in Chicago instead of Europe and features
Damien as a cadet. It’s really just
another body count film, but, in typical sequel fashion, worse; much worse, in
this case. The deaths are generally
poorly executed, save for maybe an elevator death. At first, you might think you’re watching a
sequel to The Birds instead of The Omen since a bird is around for the
deaths and the cause of at least one.
Also, Damien is given too much of a personality this time, a bit
cheerful at that, whereas he was quiet in the first, making him a bit more
creepy. I’m not the hugest fan of The Omen to begin with, but it’s
infinitely better than its sequel. Omen III:
The Final Conflict is even worse than Damien: Omen II. In it, Damien is a 32-year-old ambassador
played by Sam Neill. Now, if The Omen actually took place in 1976
when it was released, Damien: Omen II would take place in 1983 (but was
released in 1978), and Omen III,
released in 1981, would take place around 2003.
I got no indication of dates and I’d be willing to disregard that kind
of logic if the movie was actually good; this one wasn’t. It is so lame with barely any suspense and
feels much longer than its 108-minutes; there is a rather bloody suicide in the
beginning though. All I got out of this
threequel was that adult Damien evades a group of God-worshippers intent on
killing him while having his own disciples take out male babies that might be a
threat to him. To top it all off, in
typical franchise fashion, the title indicates this was supposed to be the
FINAL entry! Omen IV: The Awakening
could’ve stood on its own aside from a connection to the previous entries
revealed towards the end that should be 100% obvious from the get-go to anyone
that watches movies, or anyone with a functioning brain for that matter! Part four was released 10 years after part
three as a TV movie and it certainly feels like one (not that there’s a single
thing wrong with that; TV movies can be fun; hell, I used to look forward to
watching them during school nights back in the day!). A girl named Delia is the evil child this
time, and this felt like an evil kid flick more than the other entries in the
beginning, but then it becomes somewhat of an investigative thriller. I enjoyed The
Awakening more than parts II and III, but I still wouldn’t go so far as
saying it’s a particularly good movie; it’s fine for a TV movie fourquel. Now, about that 2006 remake. Was it unnecessary? Yes, but the majority of remakes are, if not
all of them (even if they are actually good).
If you’ve seen the original 1976 version, you’ll know everything that’s
going to happen in the remake, just with different performers. Some scenes may be in better focus (i.e. the
unearthed graves), but I would hope so given the 30-year difference in
technology. The beheading may be a bit
gorier too and done a bit differently, but, again, it was gorier because it was
made 30 years later. The “monkeys go
crazy” scene, in a zoo this time instead of a safari park, just wasn’t as
effective either (maybe if the gorilla busted out of the glass it would’ve
been). This version may have been okay
if the original didn’t exist, but it obviously does, so this remake will be a
waste of time if you’ve seen it first, and if you see this before the original,
chances are you’ll like this version better unfortunately, unless you like the
look of Seventies films (like yours truly).
In conclusion, this isn’t one of my favorite franchises; the original
film isn’t even one of my favorite films period, but, like anything, it
definitely has its fans. I personally
don’t think Satan has been given his proper due in visual entertainment. Sure, I liked films like Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist,
and others, but of all the films I’ve ever seen (it’s a lot but there’s also a
lot I haven’t seen), the best cinematic representation of Hell that comes to
mind is in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey
(laugh it up, but it’s how I feel).
These films featuring Damien are more satanic than evil kid ones, but if
you’re looking for a better evil kid franchise to have a marathon for, go for
the Children of the Corn movies. Sure, most of them aren’t exactly of the
highest quality, but they’re fun (all but Genesis,
part 8), much more than any of these films are.
I’d really only tell you to check out the original film, if anything,
and don’t bother with any of the sequels or remake, unless, of course, you have
OCD like me and need to watch every movie in a franchise, and I would
completely understand, but, I’m telling you, you could save a lot of time. 6/14/2021
No comments:
Post a Comment