डेमियन: ओमेन II

One more example that a sequel can be the equal, or even better sometimes, than the original, the first opus. Here it is exactly the case. Richard Donner was busy elsewhere with SUPERMAN filming, so Don Taylor was hired, after Mike Hodges left, to direct this one. Former actor Taylor proved he was a good film maker with ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF APES, another sequel of a not less excellent series, and so the result is here. I felt excatly the same joy and pleasure, excitement with this one, as for the previous stuff: Richard Donner's movie. Production design, acting, directing, editing, special effects, overall atmosphere are absolutely the same, if not maybe a bit better. William Holden as comfortable as Gregory Peck two years before. I think the EXORCIST sequel - during the same period, late seventies - was a bit different from the William Friedkin's first opus of the franchise. But Boorman's film was certainly not less interesting, just different. A simple smart declination of the genuine material. Here, I repeat, the difference between the two features is very very thin, IF there is a difference. Watch out for the elevator and train sequences, scenes that could have inspired FINAL DESTINATION films series....

"She pollutes the air with her craziness", gotta love that line near the film's beginning. Damien:Omen II is an ambitious and entertaining sequel to the classic Omen. This film is an almost perfect stepping stone in the Omen trilogy, focusing on Damien Thorn becoming a teenager. The film obviously lacks the fresh originality of the first film but it still deserves credit for maintaining a sense of dread and menace when somebody crosses the young Damien Thorn. The death scenes are both chilling and creative and the film's trademark score is brilliant. As far as sequels go, Omen II is a solid effort, leading the pathway clearly open for the third chapter. In terms of comparison Omen II doesn't surpass the original but if you enjoyed the Omen then Damien:Omen II shouldn't disappoint.

I'm an avid fan of the original "Omen". I think it was everything that "The Exorcist" is made out to be by fans and critics all over the world: thrilling, intriguing and incredibly creepy. With it's apocalyptic open ending a second part could only take away from the original's ending.

The truth is, "Damien: Omen II" is by no means as bad as it could have been. Sure, the excitement and the perfect structure of the original aren't there. Basically, this plays out like an early ancestor of the "Final Destination"-franchise. Characters become aware of who Damien is and from this point on we know they're doomed and anticipate their gruesome death. Most of all the movie is muddled with bad character development. Lance Henriksen's character, for instance, is never elaborated on. It doesn't make him any more mysterious, it just feels incomplete.

A good portion of the movie is spent with nothing much going on except for a few people dying around Damien while he just keeps on living a completely normal life unaware of who he his. Then, all of a sudden everything happens way too quickly. Damien finds out about his destiny and immediately accepts it. The same goes for his father, who is infuriated at first when someone suggests that his son might be Satan's spawn, only to accept that fact shortly afterwards. The final climax and ending arrive just as quickly leaving you wondering why the whole thing was so unbalanced.

Still, as long as it's running "Damien: Omen II" doesn't fail to entertain. Like every "Omen"-movie up to and including "The Final Conflict" this one has this nice 70's UK-flair that you can get lost in for a few hours on homey evenings in front of the television. It may not be enough to make the series go down in history as one of the best, but these movies are all very watchable in one sitting, making this one of the most coherent franchises of the horror genre.

Well, it wasn't great, but I have to admit that the second Omen was pretty good and in some ways just necessary. Necessary, I mean because this story is of course not finished. Before seeing "The Hills have Eyes" on Friday night, they had trailers, and one was *shudder* a remake to the Omen. Another one, another remake! Oh, well, this just isn't going to stop. So, anyways, I saw The Omen last year and figured I should finish the trilogy. I am curious and frankly, a bit creeped out that the new Omen is being released on 06-06-2006, "666", get it?

The story itself is pretty good actually, now that Damien has been under the care of his aunt and uncle, strange things are happening again. It seems like anyone who is getting to close to finding out the truth about Damien is getting killed in some freak accident. This is a very good sequel that should be given a second chance.

6/10

Damien:Omen 2 is a very enjoyable sequel to The Omen in my opinion the first is better but i did enjoy this also. This film was released in 1978 2 years after the first and it tells the story of Damien the Anti-Christ who is now age 12 he is starting to understand his duty in the line of Satan whilst a strange crow eliminates any people who know his real identity and are seen enemies in the eyes of Satan. This film is not the best in the Omen series but it is a very watchable film, it isn't a film that will bore you to death and it isn't a film that will keep you on the end of your seat for 100 minutes but i do recommend it to the people who are interested in these films it is a clever entry in the omen franchise

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