Hey, I’ve seen this one before.
The Omen (2006): 4 out of 10: As Hollywood remake trivia goes, the answer to the best remake ever is easy, “The Maltese Falcon” which was actually the third shot Hollywood took at the same story. The worst remake ever, on the other hand, has some very serious competition (Gus Van Sant’s ridiculous remake of Psycho, however, is a perennial top five choice).
Most remakes of older films attempt to update them in both content (R rating, color film, modern actors) and make them more relevant to today’s audiences. The original Omen, however, was in color and R rated and still holds up well today. So why exactly would one remake it?
Oh June sixth, 2006 (06/06/06) is coming up on the calendar and we need to cash in.
A practical shot for shot remake the original Omen, The Omen (2006) is remarkably unnecessary. As for the invariable changes there are some positive ones both David Thewlis as the photographer and Mia Farrow as the nanny are distinct improvements over the original cast and there is a really well done decapitation scene (plus modern audiences can be reminded that it was the Omen series Final Destination cribbed its death scenes from).
The negatives are overwhelming. Liev Schreiber is actually very good in the Gregory Peck role, which is a shame because he is simply too young to be believable. (And it throws out the effective subtext of an older couple finally blessed with child.). Lee Remick’s substitute (Julia Stiles) is both miscast and awful in the role. She is more an emotionally abusive mother than anything else. Her acting chops are not up for the role.
Speaking of bad acting where the producers got this Damien is beyond me, but Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick is horrible as the Devil child. Little boys are naturally evil creatures, and every mother must suspect at one point she has spawned the Antichrist. The everyman appeal of this portion of the Omen story is sucked away with Seamus’ ineffective performance.
Outside of some exploitative tie ins to 9/11 and Katrina and a lesser cast, this is the same Omen as before. Just not as good.