This remake of the 1976 horror classic treads the fine line between being relevant and redundant. It's very well made, featuring some good jolts & scares, and throws us a few brief elements not included in the original. And of course, the special effects (i.e. the death scenes) are more creative & technically elaborate. But it's also so faithful to the original story (written by David Seltzer, who also penned the original) that this new version sometimes looks more like an upgrade than a remake. The story, characters, plot turns - even some of the dialogue - are exactly the same. While it isn't a pointless scene-for-scene remake like Gus Van Sant's insipid "Psycho," anyone who's seen the original "Omen" will end up watching this one simply to see how director John Moore handles scenes we know are coming. No surprises whatsoever. From a narrative standpoint, this film will likely be best appreciated by those who never saw the original.

The song remains the same...after American Ambassador Robert Thorn (Liev Shreiber) and wife Katherine (Julia Stiles) lose their baby during childbirth, a mysterious priest offers a newborn orphan as a replacement in order to spare Katherine grief. Of course, we all know that child, Damien Thorn (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick), is the Antichrist, and anyone who poses a threat to his eventual rise to power dies horribly. Director Moore has a few creative tricks up his sleeve in depicting these deaths (which, like the first, are the best parts), but wisely remains faithful in depicting the original's most famous death scenes, such the impaling of Father Brennan (Pete Postlethwaite). And I gotta admit the infamous decapitation of photographer Jennings (David Thewlis) looks a lot cooler here. Again, this version of "The Omen" is fun, spooky - sometimes scary - but I think rather than remain anally faithful to the original story, I would have appreciated more of a re-imagining of the concept (like Zack Snyder did with "Dawn of the Dead"), so at least there was a surprise or two. The performances run hot and cold. As Robert Thorn, Schreiber is no Gregory Peck, and Julia Stiles isn't given much to do but become increasingly terrified of her kid. And as Damien, Fitzpatrick isn't nearly as menacing as Harvey Stephens was in the original, mainly because he looks evil right from the get-go (like some sort of goth kid on Halloween). In the original, part of what made Damien so creepy was that he DIDN'T look like he wanted to kill you. On the other hand, Mia Farrow (as evil Nanny Mrs. Baylock), is quite effective, and there's also the amusing irony of having the star of "Rosemary's Baby" play a disciple of Hell. Thewlis is also terrific as Jennings, who practically channels David Warner (who played the same character in the first) when delivering his lines.

The copy I received is obviously a screener burned from a master copy, so commenting on the overall picture is redundant...it looks like a second generation copy. The disc sounded pretty good, though. The audio is rendered in 5.1 Dolby Digital, and it sounds great. The dialogue, effects and music (though not quite as effectively foreboding as Jerry Goldsmith's original score) are all well balanced and clear.

The best extra feature, by far, is a true behind-the-scenes documentary, "Omenisms," which is much more than the usual 'we're sure in love with this project' testimonial. Yeah, there's some of that, but this is truly a warts-and-all account of the production, depicting things that don't go right as they are happening, along with pretty blunt (and obscenity-laden) comments by the director. Another short feature covers Marco Beltrami's music score, which is also pretty interesting. There's also a 20 minute feature on the mystique surrounding the number, 666; at first it looks like an independently produced documentary, and it isn't until scenes from the film start popping up about halfway through that you realize it's essentially a lengthy promotional film. Also included are several trailers, as well as commentaries I was unable to access on this disc (presumably because it's a screener).

Like many horror remakes (and there's been a shitload of 'em lately), you're appreciation of "The Omen" will depend largely on whether or not you've seen the original, and if you have, whether or not you can enjoy a film based solely on its technical merits. The story is obsessively faithful to the original, but does offer some wildly creative takes on the classic death scenes of the first. Useless Trivia: Harvey Stephens, who played little Damien in the original, has a cameo as a tabloid reporter.