The Omen
Reviewed by Brenna on June 11, 2006
The mom is scared. The dad is scared. The military policeman is scared. The photographer is scared. The priest is scared. The gorillas at the zoo are scared. In short, everyone is rather scared of the anti-social antichrist, demon-spawn of a jackal mother, a child who says virtually nothing through the entire movie and yet inspires fear in the most hardened ambassadors to Britain.
Remaking 70s horror classic The Omen, director John Moore does not do a terrible job. In fact, despite some admittedly lurching dialogue at the outset, the movie gathers momentum and maintains a respectable pace while still preserving the best aspects of the original. Atmospheric and controlled, this version of The Omen is a new beast with all the understated ferocity of the old one. Damien, played this time around by Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, still doesn't have any lines, and almost no affectation but despite his own sleepwalk through the film he surrounds himself with genuinely creepy cohorts. He has scary demon dogs and scary demon nannies and scary demon scooters. Movie Trick Number One for making children scary is to cut all their lines. Davey-Fitzpatrick may be an actor of the highest quality, but we certainly wouldn't know it from this film.
As for the performers graced with dialogue, overall they do a very adequate job. Pete Postlethwaite provides a welcome dose of psychotic religious fervor that propels the story from a sluggish start to a satisfying crescendo and Postlethwaite himself eventually bows out in the film's most bizarre scene. In the role of Ambassador Robert Thorn, father of the antichrist, Liev Schreiber often appears indignant and slightly baffled, while Julia Stiles, playing opposite him, exudes helplessness and frustration. This is due, in no small part, to their burden of selling the really clunky lines. In a supporting role as an invasive press photographer, David Thewlis adds a sense of diligent plot-advancement, as well as providing some handy exposition. And Mia Farrow is positively alarming as the monstrous nanny Mrs. Baylock.
In the tradition of quality suspense movies, The Omen doles out its shocks with care and economy. In the tradition of the most consumable horror movies, those shocks are uniformly, heart-stoppingly gruesome. Ultimately, Moore's remake is an enjoyable exercise in demonology, well-placed gore, and strategic use of the color red. Perhaps the most chilling aspect of The Omen, however, is that Mia Farrow doesn't blink even one time. Demon nannies with pupils the size of teacups apparently don't need to blink when they're planning the apocalypse.
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