The Omen (2006)

Director:

John Moore

Writer (WGA):

David Seltzer (written by)

Release Date:

6 June 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

His Day Will Come

Plot:

A remake of the 1976 horror classic The Omen (1976), an American official realizes that his young son may literally be the devil incarnate.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Antichrist | Omen | Remake | Photographer

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Predrag Bjelac	...	Vatican Observatory Priest (as Pedja Bjelac)
Carlo Sabatini	...	Cardinal Fabretti
Bohumil Svarc	...	Pope
Liev Schreiber	...	Robert Thorn
Giovanni Lombardo Radice	...	Father Spiletto
Baby Zikova	...	Damien - Newborn
Baby Morvas	...	Damien - Newborn
Baby Muller	...	Damien - Newborn
Baby Litera	...	Damien - Newborn
Julia Stiles	...	Katherine Thorn
Tomas Wooler	...	Damien - 2 Years Old (as Tomas Wooller)
Rafael Sallas	...	Rome Embassy Marine
Marshall Cupp	...	Ambassador Steven Haines
Martin Hindy	...	Haines' Limo Driver (as Martin 'Mako' Hindy)
Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick	...	Damien

Also Known As:

The Omen 666 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing violent content, graphic images and some language.

Runtime:

110 min | Philippines:105 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Finland:K-15 | Ireland:15A | Germany:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Philippines:R-13 | Norway:15 | Australia:MA | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Argentina:16 | Hungary:18 | Italy:VM14 | Denmark:15 | South Korea:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:PG (cut version) | USA:R (certificate #42658) | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:M18 | Portugal:M/16 | Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Brazil:16 | Japan:R-15 | South Korea:15 (cable rating)

Filming Locations:

Congress Center, Prague 4, Prague, Czech Republic

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Harvey Stephens, who portrayed Damien in The Omen (1976), appears in the film as a tabloid reporter.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Thorn and Jennings are seen going through military road blocks on the way to the narrow streets of Megido. But Megido is a green Kibutz located well within Israel.

Quotes:

Father Brennan: From the eternal sea he rises, creating armies on either shore, turning man against his brother, until man exists no more.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Soundtrack:

AVE SATANI

Not as good or evil as the original.

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.