Starring Nell Tiger Free, Tawfeek Barhom, Sonia Braga, Ralph Ineson and Bill Nighy. Written by Tim Smith, Arkasha Stevenson and Keith Thomas, from a story by Ben Jacoby. Directed by Arkasha Stevenson. Budget $30 million. Running time 119 minutes.
Back in 1976 The Omen, written by David Seltzer and directed by Richard Donner opened and went on to spawn franchise that birthed four sequels, one reboot and this, a prequel.
The original film is a classic of horror and managed in it's 111 minute running time tell a gripping, sinister and dramatic story with a good cast that included Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. The film had a beginning, a middle and an end. What it didn't have was the need to tell or show baby Damien's conception and birth and I think we can all agree that the one thing we all thought about when we left the cinema or finished watching the movie on TV for the first time was, "I wish I knew how Damien was conceived."
Well, thank the gods of cinema because your wish has been granted and the world is better for knowing.
To make this happen though the film has to recon its own history and so that famous line from the first film when Father Brennan tells Thorn that his son's mother was a jackal is no longer the truth. Oh, and a whole second secret church has to be created that isn't satanic but rather a black flag church who've decided to birth the anti-Christ so they can manipulate and control him and lead the people back to the church and God.
Carrying on with that peculiar horror genre 'Nunploitation', the film has all the jump cuts and tropes you've come to expect as well as some all-too knowing nods to the original and vastly better film, including a blatant rip off of the 'It's all for you, Damien!" scene. So expect heavily sign-posted OTT deaths, possessed nuns, sinister kids, and glimpses of something demonic in the basement.
What it doesn't have is the charm, skill or originality of the original.
Nell Tiger Free leads the cast who all do their damndest to make this nonsense work, and it's not their fault that information has to be witheld to make the whole thing work.
It's okay, it's too long, a lot of it makes no sense and at the end of the day, it's just another prequel determined to kick start its own divergent franchise with a vengeful mother and, a sibling for Damien...
All in all, okay.
7/10
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