6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
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.
Starring: Nell Tiger Free, Ralph Ineson, Sonia Braga, Tawfeek Barhom, Maria CaballeroHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
German: Dolby Digital Plus 5.1
English SDH, French, French SDH, German, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
It's not often an author can be credited with more or less creating an entire subgenre, but that may in fact be exactly what Ira Levin did when he wrote his inimitable classic, Rosemary's Baby. For anyone not acquainted with either Levin's original novel or its celebrated cinematic adaptation by Roman Polanski (let's just forget about the pretty dreadful remake), it's probably best not to proceed with reading this review, as plot points will be overtly discussed, though that said, I frankly can't imagine anyone coming to an Omen film without knowing the underlying conceit of the entire series. With that quasi- spoiler alert in mind, can there really be anyone who, however fond of the various Omen films they may be, can ignore how derivative Omen's basic setup is when compared to the Levin's incredible tour de force? Rather interestingly in that regard is the fact that the original The Omen, while actually decried at the time of its release for those perceived, um, borrowings from the Rosemary's Baby canon, was successful enough to (no Biblical pun intended) beget a franchise, while Rosemary's Baby had to "make do" with that above mentioned travesty of a remake, as well as the probably not much better made for television enterprise Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby.
The First Omen is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Studios and Disney / Buena Vista with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. While the IMDb doesn't list a camera as of the writing of this review, some of the supplements on this disc offer fleeting glimpses of Arri cameras, and the IMDb does specify there was a 4K DI. As mentioned above, the film has definite style points, and those are supported very well by this excellent looking transfer, one which offers secure detail levels across a really wide gamut of lighting and grading choices. As can be gleaned courtesy of some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, large swaths of the film are bathed in a kind of sickly yellow color, but fine detail on fabrics and facial features is remarkably intact throughout. Outdoor material can pop more "naturally", but the film has some almost subliminal grading that tends to slightly tamp down primaries in particular. That said, the club scene where Margaret is drugged offers some near Bava- esque levels of purples, teals and reds.
The First Omen features a really nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. As is briefly addressed in the supplemental material, the sound design in the film is quite baroque at times, perhaps to make somewhat ambiguous whether or not Margaret is out of her mind (guess whether or not she is). That means the side and rear channels can emit patently hallucinogenic effects like layered whisperings and the like. The "big date" scene (revealed in a quasi-flashback) also has some impressive surround activity. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional subtitles in several languages are available.
The trajectory of The First Omen is so well worn that the film just can't manage to really surprise, though it does offer definite style and has some unabashedly spooky moments. It seems like this "reboot" was fashioned to set up a whole new sidebar franchise (I'm assuming courtesy of at least one, and possibly two, of the supporting characters surrounding Margaret), but my hunch this film's less than stellar box office probably put the kibosh on those plans. Technical merits are first rate and the three supplements appealing, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
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