The Omen: Critic Reviews

I felt like I was seeing The Da Vinci Code with slightly shadier priests.

When all else fails, pump up the thunder and lightning. That seems to be an operating principle behind the supremely unnecessary remake of the 1976 horror fest.

Yes, it may be 6/6/06, but was there a reason beyond that to remake the 30-year-old horror classic?

Hell'z still a-poppin.'

It's a terrible sign for a movie when the sole reason for its existence is a satanic opening date.

If the movie didn't take itself so seriously, it could have been a great popcorn muncher. As is, it'll still work fine for those willing to forgive its trespasses.

I say rent the original. It tells exactly the same story, with a better cast and with special effects that are as good or better.

A slavishly literal remake of the satanic-horror standby that elicits laughter, sleep and occasional eye-popped shock but drums up scant real terror.

It's still an involving story. And the film's well-acted, particularly by Ms. Farrow and Mr. Postlethwaite. Plus, there are two really good scares that'll make you jump out of your seat. That alone was entertaining.

The update is serviceable but fairly bland.

Yet another remake no one needs is The Omen, based on an empty 1976 horror vessel.

The Omen is a faithful remake of the 1976 film, and that's a relief; it depends on characters and situations and doesn't go berserk with visuals.

Aside from a couple of brief, jolting dream sequences, The Omen plods along.

This new version is an almost scene-for-scene remake, which is good news in the first half and bad news in the torpid second.

The Omen remake is creepily efficient.

Moore delivers several powerful jolts, stocking the film with potent jump-scares, pacing its two-hour length tightly and bottling the tension that escalates with each new act of satanic cruelty.

Future generations can only hope something so nice happens when they get their Omen revival. For now, there's Damien Part Deux. Enjoy him, kids. Chances are, he'll be around for a while.

Who knew Armageddon could be this dull?

I don't approve of remakes, but The Omen redux is riveting, imaginative and ultimately bone-chillingly satisfying.

[Director Moore] adheres closely to Seltzer and director Richard DonnerRichard Donner's template, from the prevailing sense of dread to the atmosphere of general gloom, interrupted by well spaced and effective bursts of gore.

The devil takes care of business in exactly the same way, as if he's reading from the book of Re-Revelation. But director John Moore has added some creepy visuals and assembled an unusually strong cast for a horror flick.

It's not pulse-pounding. Not very often, anyway. But it is ominous and smart and more cerebral than your average horror film in these Hostel days.

If the opening-date driven re-make of The Omen succeeds in tapping into any fears of the existence of evil in the world, these will be most acutely felt when you realize that Satan, the old showbiz devil, has picked your pocket once again.

Compared to Al Gore's new global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, The Omen makes the Apocalypse look comforting and child-friendly.