The Omen 2006 follows the plight of Katherine and Robert, who are Americans living in Rome. The pair are about to become parents for the first time. But there is a complication and Katherine loses the baby during delivery. Robert agrees to keep that a secret from Katherine and take an orphaned newborn in their baby’s place. Lies never beget good fortune, so no one is surprised when their adopted son begins exhibiting strange, violent, and sometimes evil behavior.
The Omen 2006 is a completely unnecessary reimagining. It is almost a frame for frame remake of the 1976 classic. In fact, the running time of the reboot only differs by one minute when compared to the original. This modernized version of the film gives the original feature a facelift by infusing the use of modern technology but that’s the biggest thing this remake does to separate itself from the original.
The idea behind a remake is to improve upon the source material or to show the film from a different perspective that wasn’t explored in the original. The Omen 2006 doesn’t do any of that. If one must remake The Omen, the best way to do so would be to show the film from another character’s perspective (Damien, maybe?) or do something completely different from what audiences have already seen. Director John Moore (Max Payne) didn’t put his stamp on the film. He did nothing to differentiate his reboot from the 1976 film. He took the original script and reshot it in the 21st century. Even the deaths are almost identical to those in the original film.
In terms of casting: I like Liev Schreiber (Scream) but he is the wrong choice to replace Gregory Peck. The same goes for Julia Stiles (Dexter) I like her but she was the wrong person to replace Lee Remick. When one is casting a film that was made popular by stars with Old Hollywood glamour, it would be well advised to cast your film with people that can confidently fill the shoes of the original cast. Again, I like both of the leads from The Omen 2006 but they don’t have any onscreen chemistry with one another and they are both wrong for the part. This film made almost every mistake one could make when rebooting a film. I am left shaking my head.
Mia Farrow Rosemary’s Baby) was a clever choice to play the nanny in The Omen 2006, seeing as how she once gave birth to devil spawn onscreen. Farrow is one of the few casting decisions that made sense and for the most part, she succeeded in her role. Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick is the only other character that seems adequately cast. No one could ever outdo Harvey Stephens as Damien in the original film but Fitzpatrick definitely gave it his best shot.
I wont bother going too in depth on things like pacing that closely mirror the original film, other than to say that the remake somehow manages to be much less intense and less suspenseful without really changing much about the original film.
If you have seen the original Omen film, you don’t need to watch this reboot. If I had realized that this was going to be a near frame for frame remake (like Gus Van Sant’s Psycho) I would have sat out The Omen 2006. But since I was roped into giving it a chance when it first came out, I can now steer you clear of this pointless outing. If you want to see a reboot that justifies its existence, check out Dawn of the Dead (2004), or Evil Dead (2013) if your haven’t done so already. As for The Omen 2006, you can safely pass on this one without missing a thing.
Director(s): John Moore
Writer(s): David Seltzer
Stars: Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber, Mia Farrow
Year: 2006
Studio/ Production Co: 20th Century Fox
Budget: $25 Million
Language: English
Length: 110 Minutes
Sub-Genre: Killer Kids
