As remakes go, this one of THE OMEN isn't half bad. It's well shot, with an attractive colour palette and good stunts to recommend it. Technical aspects are superior and a Macro Beltrami score adds to the experience. There are some quite horrific moments and some decent performances in the cast. Live Schreiber, an actor who I've never liked much, acquits himself well in the role of Robert Thorn; he's no Gregory Peck, but he makes a decent job of it. Julia Stiles is less assured in a somewhat bland turn as the put-upon mother, but the supporting cast make up for this. There's a raving Michael Gambon in a cameo role; a scary Mia Farrow, ageless and reminiscent of her role in ROSEMARY'S BABY as the creepy nanny, a scene-stealing Pete Postlethwaite as the mad priest, and best of all, a mannered and well-crafted turn from David Thewlis as the photographer played by David Warner in the original (Thewlis matches Warner's performance measure for measure).
My main complaint, as with so many remakes, is that this one follows the original too closely. A couple of deaths are changed, but for the most part it's exact. Where's the fun in that? Why couldn't we have had a happy ending for a change? Nevertheless, this OMEN is a good film, and very much better than OMEN IV, the last sequel before this. Some of the deaths are inventive and pleasantly shocking, and the new decapitation doesn't disappoint. Sometimes things threaten to get a bit like FINAL DESTINATION but for the most part this rises above the rest as a good, old fashioned horror thriller.
My main complaint, as with so many remakes, is that this one follows the original too closely. A couple of deaths are changed, but for the most part it's exact. Where's the fun in that? Why couldn't we have had a happy ending for a change? Nevertheless, this OMEN is a good film, and very much better than OMEN IV, the last sequel before this. Some of the deaths are inventive and pleasantly shocking, and the new decapitation doesn't disappoint. Sometimes things threaten to get a bit like FINAL DESTINATION but for the most part this rises above the rest as a good, old fashioned horror thriller.