Studio: 20th Century Studios
Release Date: 7/30/2024
Rating: R
Film Grade: C-
The Story: The setting is 1971 and we meet Margaret arriving in Rome, as she’s about to take her vows as a nun, devoting her life to raising orphans and caring for pregnant women who have nowhere else to turn. Soon after her arrival, she’s contacted by a former priest seeking her aid. He tells her that there is a secret group within the orphanage that is working to bring about the Antichrist, and they’re the only ones that might stop them.
My Take: If you were ever curious about the events leading up to the original Omen, this prequel might be right up your alley. What’s not there is anything particularly interesting or unexpected.
There are inherent narrative challenges with prequels, the biggest of which is that the audience knows where the story will end up. To counteract that, the creators can throw in some twists and turns, adding curiosity and depth to the inevitable destination. That’s lacking in this story, with events being clumsily telegraphed so early that we’re not left wondering what’s going to happen, but rather why it’s taking so long to get there.
The film desperately wants to connect with those earlier movies, but on a superficial level. Thus, we see elements that are directly reminiscent of the prior films to the point of predictability, but it also shoehorns in thematic elements of its own that weaken any ties to the point of breaking them. A series that was once about good versus evil is now shaped into a story of fading societal control and what an institution might do to hold onto it. The reasoning and motivation behind the events are both poorly explained to the audience, and equally undeveloped. Add onto that some clunky modern messaging, and you end up with a lesser, tacked on companion to the franchise.
This is the feature film debut for director and cowriter, Arkasha Stevenson, who gives us stereotypical characters that aren’t given much depth or life. Margaret, as portrayed by Nell Tiger Free, isn’t fleshed out enough for us to engage with her. Her background adds specific plot elements, but they aren’t used effectively to show character growth or interest for the audience. Near the end of the movie, she’s given a chance to show a new side to her character, but it goes on for so long that any drama is drained from it.
Other actors give fine performances, including Ralph Ineson as the film’s most compelling character, but they’re not developed. That includes the great Bill Nighy, who feels like he appeared on set for a week just to collect a paycheck. One area that does fall short are the background actors. They should be getting specific bits of business from the director or production crew letting them know how to act. There are scenes in this movie that are clunky and horribly staged, including seeing some of them look into the camera. Ideally, one should never notice them, unless they are vital to the plot. That’s not the case here, to the point where it becomes a distraction.
Visuals: This is a beautifully shot film that includes location shots from Rome and interiors that are well-decorated to take viewers to those specific places. Skin tones look natural and radiant. There’s great contrast between light and shadow, with action remaining clear even in dark scenes.
Audio: The disc comes with a DTS-HD MA 7.1 mix that includes some good panning effects along with discrete sounds. While the movie does include some of Jerry Goldsmith’s Oscar-winning score, new music was composed for most of the movie. It’s another example where this entry can’t compare with the original. Instead of the driving chorus for the first movie, much of the new score features a cacophony of shrill harpies spouting lamentations that threaten to pierce the audience’s eardrums.
Special Features: These consist of the typical short pieces that offer a small amount of insight into the making of the movie.
- The Mystery of Margaret
- The Director’s Vision
- Signs of The First Omen
Final Verdict: Both this movie and the earlier Immaculate share some of the same themes and settings. Likewise, neither is particularly scary. Both clothe themselves in Catholic beliefs, but neither feel grounded in them. While that may not be important to viewers, it is important to the story if you’re going to build the movie around that faith. Both also substitute modern themes in place of basic, universal ties to good an evil.
In the case of this film, they’ve tied it into a classic, and only managed to make themselves look the lesser for it. It may have fared better as a stand-alone story, but even then, it has its own shortcomings, from the lack of character development to problems with pacing and the timing of events.
I watched this with my wife, and while she’s not a fan of the genre, she does appreciate a good story. She gave this one an F, due to the lapses in logic. I reminded her that it did look really nice, so she relented and revised it to a D-.
Fans of the original may be curious to see it, but don’t think that it adds anything of value to the 1976 entry. What we’re shown is already implied in those events, and what it adds feels disconnected other than the obvious callback scenes.
Fun Fact: The first cut of this movie got an NC-17 rating for one specific scene that was cut down to get an R.
My Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Oppo BDP-93
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup
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