The Omen (2006)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

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:

Boy | Child | Priest | Observatory | Armageddon

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)
La profecía (Argentina) (Ecuador) (Spain) (Venezuela) [es]
A Profecia (Brazil) [pt]
Das Omen (Germany) [de]
I profiteia (Greece) [el]
Omen 666 (Sweden) [sv]
Omen 666 (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Oomen (Estonia) [et]

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:

Croatia

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The role of Katherine Thorn was originally offered to Rachel Weisz who declined because she was pregnant at the time. Other actresses considered for the part were Laura Linney, Hope Davis and Alicia Witt, before Julia Stiles who finally got the part. 'Stiles' and Mia Farrow were both in a play together, and Stiles suggested to director John Moore that they use Farrow for the role of Mrs. Blaylock (Damien's nurse). Initially Moore didn't think that Farrow would accept the role, but Stiles convinced him she would. Eventually he just rang up Farrow at her home and offered her the part.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The skeleton of the baby in the grave appears to have a fully formed skull. If the child died as a baby or even a year later, the sutures would not have closed up yet, leaving the skull basically in pieces.

Quotes:

[from trailer]
Katherine Thorn: Don't let him kill me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Soundtrack:

OLD COMRADES

Slick but inevitably inferior remake

This remake is like listening to a cover version of a Beatles song. You like it but really want to hear the original again. The original Omen is such a terrific film, convincing, beautifully cast and with a great, raw Brit Gothic feel to it. The remake is a slightly glossier affair which is enjoyable enough but doesn't really take the story in any new directions, although it hints that it will. Opening images of 9/11 and the Asian tsunami promise a new take on the tale, but with the exception of the very final scene, this doesn't really happen. The set pieces of the original were beautifully done - here they're well done but don't seem to last long enough; they don't feel 'special' enough. The cast is good but, again, it lacks the gravitas of the original. This ambassador is no Gregory Peck. Overall, this isn't a bad way to spend two hours in the cinema - it's a hundred times better and more cinematic than The Da Vinci Code for instance - but could have been a lot more than it is.