I will always remember seeing the original movie The Omen when I was young and it terrified me, now 20th Century Studio has brought us The First Omen. The film, a prequel to the classic horror film franchise, was released on April 5, 2024. We popped into Cineworld to check out the new release.
A young woman from America is sent to Rome to serve the church. However, she discovers a dark force that makes her question her faith. She uncovers a horrifying plot to bring about the birth of pure evil. The First Omen features a cast that includes Nell Tiger Free (“Servant”), Tawfeek Barhom (“Mary Magdalene”), Sonia Braga (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Ralph Ineson (“The Northman”), and Bill Nighy (“Living”).
It’s not unusual for a classic movie to either get a reboot or a prequel and in this case, it’s taken 48 years to get a prequel to a movie that many of us were terrified by when we first saw The Omen, I saw the movie back in the 80s and it is still a movie that gives me chills, so with this new prequel that is set in 1971 before the introduction of Damien in The Omen I was looking forward to finding out more about that back story that we vaguely get in the original movie.
With a lot of these modern-day horrors, they don’t seem to have that chill factor that the classics have and The First Omen is no exception, some moments give you some loud noises to try and make you jump but there isn’t anything in this prequel that gave me goosebumps.
That’s not to say that The First Omen isn’t a bad movie, on the contrary, if you are a fan of the 1976 movie it fits in nicely with the timeline of that movie, the story isn’t really that amazing but it works for what is needed to not only set up The Omen but it also sets itself up for another sequel to the prequel.
The cast is well cast and it was nice to see Bill Nighy in his role, I enjoyed the moments with Ralph Ineson as Father Brennen a character whom Patrick Troughton played in the 1976 movie and we all know about his outcome with the anti-christ!
The cinematography in The First Omen works well with its moments of dark shading to give it a sinister feel and the well-lit moments that seem to take you between good and evil. But I have to say that throughout the screening the one thing that stood out to me the most was Mark Korven‘s original score that not only sounded great, but some moments had that 70s feel to the orchestral pieces that had me thinking that I may have to get the CD of the soundtrack. The soundtrack is something that helped keep my attention throughout the 2-hour runtime.
If you are a fan of the original Omen theme then don’t worry we are treated to Jerry Goldsmith’s superb Ava Santani, it’s something you have to wait for with the payoff but it’s worth the wait to hear the track on the big screen.
If you are a fan of The Omen then you may enjoy The First Omen to entice the backstory, but sadly don’t expect the horror that the trailer seems to give you the idea about, The First Omen takes us to the moment that we know where the story is going, it has a nice scene that connects this movie the 1976 one together which works.
The film is directed by Arkasha Stevenson and based on characters created by David Seltzer (“The Omen”), with a story by Ben Jacoby (“Bleed”) and a screenplay by Tim Smith & Arkasha Stevenson and Keith Thomas (“Firestarter”). The producers are David S. Goyer (“Hellraiser”) and Keith Levine (“The Night House”) and the executive producers are Tim Smith, Whitney Brown (“Rosaline”), and Gracie Wheelan.
Does The First Omen have a post-credit scene?
Putting it simply, no The First Omen doesn’t have a post-credit scene so you are free to walk out without missing anything except for the excellent music and the list of all those involved in making the movie.
The First Omen arrives on Blu-ray™ and DVD on 5th August 2024.
Bonus Features*
Featurettes:
- The Mystery of Margaret – Join director Arkasha Stevenson and stars Nell Tiger Free, Bill Nighy and Maria Caballero as they dive into the character of Margaret, her relationships with other characters, and how she’s manipulated while trying to solve the film’s horrifying mystery.
- The Director’s Vision – Director Arkasha Stevenson talks about her love of horror films, the opportunity to expand on The Omen legacy, and crafting THE FIRST OMEN entirely through a female lens. She also describes shooting in Rome, and the cast recounts working with Arkasha.
- Signs of The First Omen – Join the director and talented artists as they reveal some of the symbolism within the set designs and the costumes. Learn how the use of practical effects blurs the line between what is real and what is not in THE FIRST OMEN’s terrifying world.
* exclusive bonus content features on the Blu-ray.
Stepping back to how it all started!
Movie title: The First Omen (2024)
Movie description: A young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, but encounters a darkness that causes her to question her faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.
Date published: April 7, 2024
Country: UK
Duration: 2h
Director(s): Arkasha Stevenson
Actor(s): Nell Tiger Free, Ralph Ineson, Sonia Braga
Genre: Horror
Summary
Another “horror” movie that doesn’t have the scares, but it is nice to see how it all started before The Omen and the birth of evil.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
