The Omen [Blu-ray]

This is a decent re-make of a first class, gothic chiller. It is not, however, as creepy as the 1976 original, which starred Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, as it lacks Jerry Goldsmith's pulse pounding musical score. It also has a younger cast that lacks the gravitas of the original. Still, the film is still worth viewing, if only to see how it fares in comparison to the original, especially as the screenplay used appears to be the original one.

Katherine (Julia Stiles) and Robert Thorn (Liev Schreiber) are a young, affluent American couple. Katherine is pregnant and, while in Italy, gives birth to an ostensibly stillborn boy, a fact that is kept from her. Knowing how much his wife wanted the baby and the difficulty that she had in conceiving, Robert agrees to have the dead baby supplanted by a living newborn whose mother died in child birth, keeping this information from Katherine. They name this baby Damien.

All goes well for the prosperous Thorn family, until Damien (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick) turns five. A series of dramatic, unusual events begin to occur around the Thorns, all seemingly stemming from Damien. Well guarded by a somewhat creepy nanny (Mia Farrow), there are those who would believe him to be the Antichrist. By the time that Katherine and Robert begin to realize who Damien may truly be, their lives are out of control. With the aid of an inquisitive photographer, a repentant priest, and an mysterious man who holds the key to the destruction of the Antichrist, Robert Thorn becomes a man with a mission. Will Damien let him complete that mission? Watch this movie and find out.

Both Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles give credible performances, though they are no Gregory Peck or Lee Remick. Mia Farrow, as the nanny with a diabolical mission, gives a fine and genuinely creepy performance, aided in part by what appears to be a pair of collagen enhanced lips. The rest of the supporting cast is also excellent. While this re-make pales in comparison to the original, it is still enjoyable and worth watching.

A re-make of the original horror classic of 1976, this film offers nothing more than the original film has already given us, besides some admittedly impressive death scenes.

This re-make is far below the standard set by the original film. The acting is stiff and stilted, with Liev Schreiber (as Robert Thorne) giving a thoroughly one-noted performance which proved to be quite frustrating to watch for over two hours. Even when he finds out about the incredibly terrible events that consistently occur throughout the film, Schreiber keeps an indifferent expression on his face. This undoubtedly makes many problems arise; how can the audience get involved in a movie if the actors are unconvincing in their roles? Julia Stiles does well, but she doesn't work in her role as Robert Thorne's wife, but Mia Farrow as Mrs. Baylock gives the film a bit of a spark in an otherwise dull film.

The main thing is, is it scary? Damien is creepy enough, and there are some OK dream sequences that offer a couple of good jump scares. But this is all it offers in scares. The film is basically just a re-shooting of the original scenes, except they lack the energy and tension. There is no sense of foreboding, and it's almost as if the film makers and actors were just bored and wanting to get it over and done with; it's as if they hardly cared about making a good film. What was meant to be a gripping, horrific and intense viewing experience right up to the stunning climax becomes a boring and plodding time, and you just about lose interest in the whole story, and the characters.

Overall, a very disappointing re-make, which begs the question: Why did they re-make it in the first place?

In standard Hollywood fashion, this remake of the Gregory Peck classic thinks it's making things better by making things more extreme. So here, hellish dogs in a cemetery don't just threaten and terrify, they physically lock on to Liev Schrieber. That's the pattern throughout -- ratchet things up, hope for the best, or the worst in this case. The air of foreboding and menace in the original is traded here for thin thrills, more gore.

The movie suffers further from a poor cast poorly directed. Schrieber, Stiles, and Farrow have done good stuff. Here, all seem wooden, emotionless, cardboard cutouts. Stiles is utterly devoid of presence. Schrieber (39, and the best of the lot, but too young to plausibly be ambassador) and Stiles (25 at release) are both too young for their roles. This is the kind of casting decision that's made solely for marketing.

Schrieber is an excellent actor, though he doesn't have the sheer force of presence that Gregory Peck brought to every role. The character of Katherine Thorn has been considerably expanded, but Stiles is no Lee Remick.

Mia Farrow is the worst of all -- truly terrible -- the worst I've personally seen her. And of all the characters, she fares worst in comparison to the original -- Billie Whitelaw as Mrs. Baylock in '76. Whitelaw conveyed such an air of pure malevolence. I can imagine Farrow cringing as she took direction.