The Omen

John Moore's (Flight of the Phoenix) totally unnecessary remake of the 1976 end-of-days tale about the horrors that little Damien—son of Satan—and his minions mete out to his well-to-do adoptive parents in preparation for his assumption of the role of Antichrist is pretty much a slavish copy of the original (not only is David Seltzer's script virtually unaltered, but Moore mimics many of the shots from Richard Donner's version). Instead of refashioning the material, the filmmakers have simply tossed in a few minor updated references; in fact, even the scares are pretty much the same, including the original's pièce de résistance decapitation (a real shocker three decades ago, but kind of a yawner today). The only truly clever bit is the casting of Mia Farrow in the role of Damien's spooky, malevolent nanny; watching the erstwhile “Rosemary” protecting the devil's baby is a hoot. Otherwise, the most imaginative thing about The Omen is that its theatrical release date was June 6, 2006 (666, get it?)—a nifty marketing touch that's meaningless on DVD. Not recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include audio commentary (by director John Moore, producer Glenn Williamson, and editor Dan Zimmerman), the 37-minute behind-the-scenes featurette “Omenisms,” the 22-minute featurette “Revelation 666” on the taboo number, a 10-minute “Abbey Road Session” music featurette, two extended scenes and an alternate ending (7 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an uninspired remake.] (F. Swietek)