Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

There is something off-putting about it. I know, it's The Omen, there is supposed to be something off-putting about it, but its not in the creepy good way.I think the bad after-taste is that it follows the original far too close and because of that, like most remakes, it's not saying anything new. It sort of leaves the viewer in the position where they don't understand why they are still watching it.True, the first Omen does seem dated...but even then it adds to the retro appeal and, honestly, it still seems fresh. The concepts, the movie, it was all new in the original and you still have that sense when you go back it it.Honestly, dated isn't bad. it takes a special kind of short-bus rider to dislike something just because it looks old.The remake, it's covering the same old ground and, honestly, aside for a couple dream sequences and the scene at the zoo, it hasn't really improved at all.And then you have the cast Liev Schreiber doesn't really fill Gregory Peck's shoes. Julie Stiles is OK...but wooden compared to Lee Remick.Thewlis was good, but Warner made the more believable photographer.In fact, the only real improvement is Postlethwaite but this is the one case where they really cast a better actor in the role. Troughton was OK, but really, you can't compare.And the talking Damien...no, he was creepier when he didn't really speak.So what you are left with is a shallow remake that doesn't say anything new, offers no revelations, no new insight, and doesn't have the same caliber actors in it.I mean, the only people that are going to like it more, are the mouth-breathers that can't stand watching anything dated.

After several years of raising his son, a US diplomat comes to believe that he's adopted the son of the Antichrist and must try to stop those who are intent on letting his demonic legacy come to fruition.Overall this may be a pointless but surprisingly watchable effort. The fact that this is a remake of the original and doesn't do anything drastically new to the proceedings is definitely the biggest flaw, since this one practically copies the original's plot as well as whole scenes straight from there. This gives the film the feeling of redundancy as it once again shows the couple's son dying in birth, the secretive adoption and the ensuring career change all coming from the original's plot verbatim. As well, the fact that this one features scenes like the arrival at the church, the disastrous birthday party, the tricycle attack and even the scenes of the two retracing the clues of the apocalypse get carried over from the original and manages to feature them shot-for-shot in the new version without deviation, furthering the ties of familiarity here between the two versions. More to the point, both of these issues combine together against this one being so predicable and unnecessary that really hold this one down and make it quite a troublesome effort here when on a fundamental level the effort is challenging to get through. That does make for enough here to hold off the few positives on display which are quite surprising throughout here. The one thing this one gets right is the build-up between the religious prophecies and the actual evil within here, as the opening montage of real-world tragedies leads nicely into the sequences in the first half which signify something is happening. As the coincidences begin piling up and painting a darker picture it becomes all the more obvious and that's quite an enjoyable feat. Likewise, the frantic finale packs a lot of action into this one by really amping up the pacing of events which is much higher at this point despite showcasing the film's fast-paced action at its best, much like it accomplished throughout the rest of this in order to really make for a watchable effort with the pacing in here. Otherwise, it's not all that bad of an effort.Rated R: Graphic Violence, some Language and intense demonic themes.

I've read reviews that call this remake dull and not scary. I completely agree, but the same can be said of the 1976 original. Although the book was based on the movie, I read it before watching either film and thoroughly enjoyed it. Which made this drab and uneventful film even more disappointing. I did find the more modern adaptation of the film slightly more enjoyable than the first, but both are still incredibly boring. It shouldn't even be classified as a horror film, there is nothing scary or even suspenseful about the film. Its really more of a drama. I am not an avid reader, but believe me when I say the book (even though based on the original movie) is a far better experience.

Before I begin, let me state for the record I have not seen the original, so cannot make any judgment of this as a remake!As a stand alone film, however, this leaves a lot to be desired, especially considering the pretty capable cast that was lined up. The problem is there is no strong performance from any of the actors, so the result is a pretty turgid film that lacks depth and subtlety. There is no build up in tension, no welling up of foreboding and very little fear induced. The overwhelming feeling is one of predictability, mixed with pointless and unoriginal gore. A man gets his head cut off by a sign and a priest is stabbed by a falling railing, but so mechanical is the build up that the actual instants are cold and almost medical. Was I scared at any point? well no not really. Did I jump? once, but only mildly? Was I immersed into the story? undeniably no.There are occasional good parts - the nanny has some good scenes and watching Pete Postlethwaite is always a pleasure - but aside from these, it's a pretty tepid affair. The kid creates a feeling of mild discomfort, but so much of it is borrowed cliché that it is nothing more than that.All in all, it's a pretty tedious and lacklustre way to spend an evening. Do yourself a favour and learn to knit instead.