The Omen 2006

Peter Debruge, Miami Herald: [An] unnecessary but not-as-awful-as-you-might-think remake. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Aside from a couple of brief, jolting dream sequences, The Omen plods along. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: Yet another remake no one needs is The Omen, based on an empty 1976 horror vessel. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: This new version is an almost scene-for-scene remake, which is good news in the first half and bad news in the torpid second. Read more

Mark Rahner, Seattle Times: [Thirty] years ago, you didn't hear a lot of mainstream references to the Antichrist, but now it's a routine epithet. It's the curse of the original, which became a huge part of the pop-culture lexicon. Not accounting for that is a fatal error. Read more

Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: Other than the obvious marketing advantages of releasing this movie on 06/06/06, a second Omen seems completely unnecessary, even if it is kind of fun. Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: It's like hearing a great cover version of a classic rock song. They do such a great job. The art direction is gorgeous in this in its own haunting way. Read more

Bob Longino, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The last Damien is young actor Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick. He lowers his head, hardens his face and glares. Big woo. The movie's dogs do a better job of looking sinister. Read more

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: John Moore's remake of The Omen rivals Gus Van Sant's Psycho both for its fidelity to the source material and for its utter pointlessness. Read more

Bill Muller, Arizona Republic: Who knew Armageddon could be this dull? Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: It's a terrible sign for a movie when the sole reason for its existence is a satanic opening date. Read more

Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times: The Omen retains the aura of ceremonious kitsch of the first movie, favoring a well-lighted, upscale Goth aesthetic punctuated with flashes of well-timed, cymbal-crashing shockers and giggly camp. Read more

Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: A slavishly literal remake of the satanic-horror standby that elicits laughter, sleep and occasional eye-popped shock but drums up scant real terror. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: This is one of those movies that profits from very low expectations. If you go in expecting something dreadful, be assured: It's only near dreadful. Read more

Michael Booth, Denver Post: The update is serviceable but fairly bland. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Future generations can only hope something so nice happens when they get their Omen revival. For now, there's Damien Part Deux. Enjoy him, kids. Chances are, he'll be around for a while. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: I felt like I was seeing The Da Vinci Code with slightly shadier priests. Read more

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: In their religious fidelity to the original, director John Moore and writer David Seltzer don't attempt to paper over anachronisms from Seltzer's 1976 script. Read more

Mario Tarradell, Dallas Morning News: It's still an involving story. And the film's well-acted, particularly by Ms. Farrow and Mr. Postlethwaite. Plus, there are two really good scares that'll make you jump out of your seat. That alone was entertaining. Read more

Gene Seymour, Newsday: There seems little rationale for Omen '06 except to resuscitate a brand name that carried enough pop-culture clout in Watergate's aftermath to inspire a host of gnarly sequels. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: While it's not exactly a horror, it's still a long way from a great horror film. Read more

Jack Mathews, New York Daily News: I say rent the original. It tells exactly the same story, with a better cast and with special effects that are as good or better. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: It's not pulse-pounding. Not very often, anyway. But it is ominous and smart and more cerebral than your average horror film in these Hostel days. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: It's hard to imagine college age movie goers being attracted by such a passe premise. And fans of the original will end up doing shot-by-shot comparisons. On every level, The Omen isn't just bad filmmaking, it's bad storytelling. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The Omen is a faithful remake of the 1976 film, and that's a relief; it depends on characters and situations and doesn't go berserk with visuals. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Moore delivers several powerful jolts, stocking the film with potent jump-scares, pacing its two-hour length tightly and bottling the tension that escalates with each new act of satanic cruelty. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: Compared to Al Gore's new global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, The Omen makes the Apocalypse look comforting and child-friendly. Read more

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star: If the opening-date driven re-make of The Omen succeeds in tapping into any fears of the existence of evil in the world, these will be most acutely felt when you realize that Satan, the old showbiz devil, has picked your pocket once again. Read more

Nigel Floyd, Time Out: A disastrously miscast remake of the 1976 horror classic, which retains the apocalyptic themes of David Seltzer's original script but renders them dull and fright-free. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Yes, it may be 6/6/06, but was there a reason beyond that to remake the 30-year-old horror classic? Read more

Brian Lowry, Variety: [Director Moore] adheres closely to Seltzer and director Richard DonnerRichard Donner's template, from the prevailing sense of dread to the atmosphere of general gloom, interrupted by well spaced and effective bursts of gore. Read more

Jordan Harper, Village Voice: If the movie didn't take itself so seriously, it could have been a great popcorn muncher. As is, it'll still work fine for those willing to forgive its trespasses. Read more

Stephen Hunter, Washington Post: Hell'z still a-poppin.' Read more