The Omen

vs.
1976 original | 2006 remake
(click on either image for desktop images)

I have to get this off my brain asap before I implode. I already talked off Erin from Fox's ear last night about it... must. jot. down. before. I. forget. Or before armaggedon it.

As soon as I gotofftheplaneatLAX-hoppedinthecarwithMattandMartin-pickedupkeysfromKarenonthewestside-hoppedbackinthecar-watereddownthecarafteritoverheated-gottoKaren'swashedfaceputfacebackon, Lisa & Mary & I went to Mann's Chinese Theater for the remake of The Omen's screening. It was supposed to start at 730, we got there at 745 thanks to rush hour traffic (even though we took La Cienega and not the 405-101 which would have been worse!). Anyway, thanks to Hollywood - the screening was running late too. I mean, I had time to be walked up to our reserved seats, get up and get nachos + raisinets + pepsi, sit back down and just in time for the preview! (Singluar. It was only one for The Devil Wears Prada.) As Lisa noted, "We couldn't have timed it better."

So, the movie... right. Well, I REALLY ENJOYED IT. I was really impressed with the way the picture moved; It's pace. The visuals were beautiful! Definitely up to par with the way the 1976 version was shot. (The original came out June 6, 1976.) They focused on things that I had *always* wished the original would have elaborated on. Like, Catholic/Vatican research, beliefs on the anti-christ and the religion itself. Sure - they didn't dwell on it, it's not a documentary after all. But they did acknowledge the church's studies and predictions - which is rad. The first nanny was only there for one scene, which doesn't really lead you to associate a very important relationship to Damien, as nannies would have with kids they care for, right? Evil nanny is played by Mia Farrow. (If you don't recognize her by name - she is an actress most recognized for her marriage to Woody Allen failing after he falls for their adopted daughter Sun Yi and marries her, but most beloved by myself for her role in Rosemary's Baby.) It's nice to see her in a major motion horror picture again. [Sigh of sweet relief here.] Liev Schriber, who's acting I've never enjoyed before, was great in this role. Julia Stiles was thankfully given more of a character as the mother than Lee Remick in the original. All the characters are more believeable, more human - which today's movies are more concentrated on. (Is this the effect of reality TV?) The suspense is still there, even though the scare-factor is more immediate. (The original had a lot of slow foreshadowing where you knew something bad was going to happen, often times you knew what was going to happen, and just had to wait it out.) The gore is minimal, but effective. The situations in which people get killed (some of which were changed) are more animated, leaving little to the imagination - which in this case is a good thing. It is an intelligent thriller. You have to follow the story in order to be involved in what is going on, so don't take too long in the bathroom if you're going for a break. It's not the kind of movie that is going to give you too terrible of a fright in the theater, it's the after-math that would potentially scare you. Exactly like the original, you can go and open any ol' page in the Bible (the good book of tall tales around so long people believe it's real) and read passages that are quoted in the movie. Mwah-ah-ah-ah-ahh!

Summary: Go see it.
If you haven't seen the original Omen, you'll still be cool.
If you have, you won't be bummed.

Okay, I'm off into more of 90 degrees in the City of Angels.

Np) Echo & the Bunnymen - "Never Stop"