Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Omen’ (2006)

Written by Scott Edwards

It is difficult to allow someone you don’t know into your family, but it can be done, it just takes time to get used to the idea. As there are so many unknowns about people, you can reassure yourself that a child would not come with any baggage, but that might be wrong as well. Not knowing the story about where they might have come from or who or what their parents were may hinder your ability to connect with a child on the deepest level. Most people believe that they can form and mold a new child into what they want them to be, but there is really no way to keep them from becoming what they were bred to be.

Getting a frantic phone call while his wife is in labor, Robert Thorn rushes to the hospital to find out what is happening with her and their child. Finding out from Father Spiletto that his son has died and there is a very good chance that Kate will not be able to bear any more children, Robert is beside himself, but does not have to face the problem alone. Father Spiletto has a solution that will solve both of their problems as he has a baby boy who was born at the same time that lost his mother during the delivery.  With nobody being the wiser, Robert decides to bring the boy into his life and nobody will ever know what  has happened on this fateful night.

As years pass by, Robert has good news for Kate and Damien, that they will be moving to London since Robert has accepted a position as the Ambassador's second in command. But things are looking even better for Robert as the Ambassador is killed in a freak accident and he is now the head of the station. Feeling remorse for what happened to his friend, Robert has earned the position and should not have any issues in doing his job. While celebrations are not in order for the parents, Damien’s fifth birthday party is a success, until the young boy’s nanny hangs herself declaring that it is all for him. Taking photos at the event and even of the dead woman, photographer Keith Jennings is trying to figure out what is happening with his film as there are strange anomalies on his pictures that he cannot explain.

Since the media has taken a liking to Robert Thorn and his problems, they keep the offices surrounded at all times trying to get a soundbite of what he knows about his nanny and her death. But there is someone else that has taken a great interest in Thorn as Father Brennan has an important message to deliver to him. Not understanding what the father is trying to say, Robert heads out into the city and if the Father's persistence was not enough, Jennings is also hot on Thorn's trail. Meanwhile, Kate is wiped out after several failed interviews and simply wants to end her day, but there is one more applicant that would like the chance to take care of her son. Wooing the couple, Mrs. Baylock is given the job and will keep Damien safe, no matter the situation.

Remakes are difficult to do, especially with a classic story like The Omen, but this one made the story its own. Diving into different scenes the previous movie did not touch, it was nice to see some of the slight changes that were made to the story. But it also had its issues whereas the original did not seem to have any to start with, so really, it all comes down to perspective. Aside from that, the interactions between Kate and Robert Thorn were great, but Father Brennan, Keith Jennings and Mrs. Baylock really stole the show. With a little bit larger presence in the story and on the screen, that is one change that I did not take away as a bad thing since they are extremely important as to how the story is told. As far as remakes go, it is not awful, but I would say that if you want to get someone interested in the story, you should recommend they watch the original and then the remake. Well, that is the end of The Omen movies for now, since I don’t see any more on the docket to be released at the moment, and hopefully someday there will be a new story to captivate us. But for now the story of the Antichrist will live on in Damien until he is disposed of the right way.  Stay Scared.

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