La profecía

"The Omen" is one of those movies that still hold up so well, there's really no need to remake them. The date of June 6th 2006 was probably the most tempting thing for producers to release a new version of this film now.

Well, you can't say they did a bad job. This year's "The Omen" is solid as a rock and very faithful to the original. So faithful in fact, that one has to wonder what the whole point of it is.

Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles are an odd choice for the leading couple but they're both okay in their respective roles. The direction is just okay, too, but you gotta be thankful that no cheap scares (or not too many of them) were thrown in to keep viewers interested. On the other hand, it must be said that the movie is a bit slow at the beginning, especially if you already know the plot. Opinions will differ on how well recent events such as 9/11, the tsunami in Sri Lanka or the death of Pope John Paul II. were integrated into the story, but that's not really a major issue. The few changes John Moore made involve a different way of dying for one character and two or three rather effective dream sequences (the last one sticks out - it's a sequence of really creepy images without any sound effects at all, probably my favorite moment of the whole movie). Also watch out for a nice reference to "Don't Look Now".

The most interesting thing, however, is the complete absence of the infamous choral score that made the original so scary. God knows why it's not here, it sure wouldn't have seem dated.

If I realized anything watching this movie it's how amazing the script was in the first place. It builds up perfectly, it's thrilling as hell (excuse the pun) and there are no plot holes to be found. This is why "The Omen" still works greatly and will hopefully be enjoyed by a lot of young people who haven't seen the original. For everyone else there's no reason to spend money on a movie we have already seen in a superior version.

A pretty tired remake of the original; admittedly they had a very hard act to follow but didn't really even start to live up to it.

Quite apart from the film merely following the original scene for scene but with less impressive actors was the state of the locations. The original was actually filmed in London but in the remake they substituted Prague for London. One European city may look like another if you've never been East of the Mississippi but if you actually live here it just made the whole thing look like a joke.

The American Embassy was suddenly transported from Grosvenor Square (a leafy tree-lined square built up on all sides) to the south bank of the Thames with big open views across the river.

And somehow we were supposed to believe that Prague's cathedral, the tramlines and overhead cables and traffic lights were supposed to be central London? In your dreams!

This remake fundamentally centres on the rebirth of the anti-Christ, it's a creepy story where occurs gruesome deaths concerning Satan's son. American diplomat's family (Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles in the roles previously starred by Gregory Peck and Lee Remick) adopts a baby ,he's named Damien and has the devil mark : 666 . One time grown-up , young boy possessed with mysterious demonic powers causing wreak havoc and bizarre killings wherever he goes . The parents hire a nanny (Mia Farrow in the role of Billie Whitelaw) schemes that delightful child anti-Christ can have him carry out all her evil plans . The little boy seems to be around when inexplicable deaths happen including rid of several interfering adults with the aim for world domination . Damien is poised for ruling devil over earth . Meanwhile the father is warned by a priest named Brennan (Pete Postlethwaite in the role of Patrick Thoughton) and a photographer (David Thewlis in the role of David Warner).

After the Exorcist , Richard Donner's Omen was one of the most famous films of all time and the major possession movie of the 70s and created an authentic sensation , originating even various sequels: Damien: Omen 2 , The final conflict and Omen 4 . The inevitable comparison between Liev Schreiber and Gregory Peck reveals that Liev is just too cool for this role in spite of Peck is an immortal star . The chief excitement lies in seeing what new and amazing victim can be dreamt by the believable FX technicians . Meantime Damien seems to dispatch new bizarre killing every few minutes of the movie . Atmospheric score by Marco Beltrani,however I miss impressive score by Jerry Goldsmith , deservedly winner one Academy Award . It's all frightening amusing , if predictable but we have seen the previous classic movie but also its predictability is redeemed in part by the charismatic performance of excellent protagonists and all around . Although redundant to original film is a fitting description of the director John Moore ; however , being sometimes a shot-for-shot recreation but it doesn't insult the viewer's intelligence . The studio originally wanted the film to receive a PG-13 rating but John Moore insisted on an R-rating, suggesting people would "smell a cop-out" if a remake of original Omen was to receive a family friendly certificate .

I really liked the original Omen. It didn't need to be re-made. There is nothing that modern film-making has brought to this film to make it stand out against the original. It's not as scary, not as honest or raw. The original film is genuinely disturbing -- from the dogs, to the nanny, to Damien... this modern remake just isn't as convincing. It has it's moments, and isn't that terrible, but there's an annoying distance, or separation between the subject matter and the film. It's too clean, too polished... it just isn't evil enough.

The music is not as good, the deaths are not as disturbing. But should we judge this film on its own merits? No, because it's a carbon copy remake. There is very little new material worth mentioning.

The only positive thing to say is that for anyone who hasn't seen the original, it's worth a look -- on DVD. But even then I'd recommend the original.

A re-make of the original horror classic of 1976, this film offers nothing more than the original film has already given us, besides some admittedly impressive death scenes. This re-make is far below the standard set by the original film. The acting is stiff and stilted, with Liev Schreiber (as Robert Thorne) giving a thoroughly one-noted performance which proved to be quite frustrating to watch for over two hours. Even when he finds out about the incredibly terrible events that consistently occur throughout the film, Schreiber keeps an indifferent expression on his face. This undoubtedly makes many problems arise; how can the audience get involved in a movie if the actors are unconvincing in their roles? Julia Stiles does well, but she doesn't work in her role as Robert Thorne's wife, but Mia Farrow as Mrs. Baylock gives the film a bit of a spark in an otherwise dull film. The main thing is, is it scary? Damien is creepy enough, and there are some OK dream sequences that offer a couple of good jump scares. But this is all it offers in scares. The film is basically just a re-shooting of the original scenes, except they lack the energy and tension. There is no sense of foreboding, and it's almost as if the film makers and actors were just bored and wanting to get it over and done with; it's as if they hardly cared about making a good film. What was meant to be a gripping, horrific and intense viewing experience right up to the stunning climax becomes a boring and plodding time, and you just about lose interest in the whole story, and the characters. Overall, a very disappointing re-make, which begs the question: Why did they re-make it in the first place?