7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
U.S. ambassador switches his wife's baby with another when their child is stillborn. As the boy grows up, his father begins to suspect the boy is evil and must be destroyed.
Starring: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw, Harvey Stephens (II)Horror | 100% |
Thriller | 29% |
Mystery | 12% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (Original) (224 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono (224 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital Mono
Music: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, Spanish, Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional)
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the
number of a man; and his number is 666. -- Revelation 13:18
Movie fans have become accustomed to the physical representation of terror resembling a
hulking, merciless, unrelenting beast of a man, a Michael Myers or Jason
Voorhees type that stalks his victims with heavy footsteps, a menacing demeanor, a large bladed
weapon, and some sort of supernatural invulnerability. 1976's The Omen, however,
creates a villain just as dastardly, invulnerable, and horrific as any masked madman, but instills
these terrifying attributes not in a beastly killing machine, a wise-cracking villain, or even a
criminal mastermind, but inside the body of a boy. Young, adorable, carefree Damien Thorn
(Harvey Stephens), with nothing more than a stare, a smile, an innocent countenance, becomes
one of cinema's more enduring powerhouses of evil, a character both at once charming and
repulsive, the very definition of innocence, yet with a future of Biblical importance, a destiny that
nothing -- or nobody -- can alter. He is pure evil, the antichrist, the final representation of terror,
an abomination so tremendous that even the greatest of the horror icons shiver in his presence.
Here you go, Mr. Thorn. A beautiful baby demon.
20th Century Fox presents The Omen on Blu-ray with a 1080p high definition, 2.35:1-framed transfer. Potential viewers need be aware that The Omen does not represent the pinnacle of high definition eye candy. The film offers a restrained, slightly bleak, somewhat flat, and grainy picture. Nevertheless, the film has never looked better; the grain structure is used to fine effect, particularly in the film's darker corners, and while the print showcases the occasional blemish, it has been cleaned up and offers audiences an image that represents the best The Omen has ever looked on home video. Black levels aren't extraordinarily deep or inky here, only moderately so, rather offering a hint of gray in some scenes. Detail is moderately good, be it the interior of the Thorn home, clothing, or various exterior settings, such as the zoo or Damien's birthday party near the beginning of the film. Look at a scene in chapter 22 as Mr. Thorn speaks with Mrs. Baylock in the kitchen. The dishes seen throughout, the wallpaper, and various knickknacks bring the scene alive, all benefitting from the improved resolution of the Blu-ray transfer. Facial detail is strong, and flesh tones never veer too far away from natural. Colors are strong; a yellow taxi seen in chapter 23, for example, is bright and clean but not harsh or overblown. The Omen is a film that offers a fine example of how a properly mastered Blu-ray can breathe new life into an old classic, and fans will be most pleased with the results.
The Omen haunts Blu-ray with a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, and the disc also retains the film's original monaural mix. The lossless rendition of the score and all of the film's dialogue and effects provide solid presence, adequate in both volume and fidelity, though it remains focused primarily across the front with only the occasional rear channel presence. Sound effects are loud and somewhat undefined, such as the sound of shattering glass as the Thorn's first nanny hangs herself and crashes through a window. Though the lack of surround activity is palpable, the back channels come alive in support of the primaries on several occasions. The first time they work with any sort of vitality is during the film's zoo scene in chapter 13 as the animals cause quite the ruckus in reaction to Damien's visit. The soundtrack does provide some punch in the form of lows in a few scenes, an example being the smashing of a headstone in chapter 26. Dialogue is rendered adequately throughout. The Omen's audio quality, much like that of its video, is not of modern-day reference quality, but it does benefit a great deal from its reproduction on Blu-ray.
The Omen comes to Blu-ray with an impressive array of bonus materials, the package
highlighted by the inclusion of three audio commentary tracks. Track number one features
director
Richard Donner and editor Stuart Baird. These participants have the notable ability to inform
while
entertaining their listeners. The discussion ranges from the film's budget, the length of the
shoot,
and the participation of most of the primary cast and crew members. Perhaps the highlight of
the
track comes in chapter 13 as Donner and Baird gleefully recount the experience of shooting the
film's famed zoo sequence. Track number two again features Donner, this time accompanied by
Brian Helgeland, screenwriter of Man on Fire and
director
of Payback. Again, this
is
a lighthearted track that flows well and offers plenty of information fans will enjoy a great deal.
Track three features film historians Lem Dobbs, Nick Redman, and Jeff Bond. The best track on
the disc, it offers a more serious, on-message tone, and is significantly more dry than the Donner
tracks. As far as tracks that true fans of cinema will enjoy, this is it. There are some
interesting discussions on here, an example being how a composer, for example, becomes
attached to a studio and scores many of that studio's films, with an obvious emphasis on Jerry
Goldsmith. The Omen also features an isolated score that removes all but
the film's music from the soundtrack, and is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1.
Richard Donner on 'The Omen' (1080p, 14:36) features the director reminiscing about
how he came to work on the film, the excellent script, his work with various cast and crew
members, his disappointment with some of the initial work (including his firing of the film's
original editor), the marketing of the film, and more. 'The Omen' Revelations -- BonusView
with Trivia Track is a feature-length supplement that provides both a basic text-based trivia
track
as well as Profile 1.1 picture-in-picture video segments. The trivia and the picture-in-picture
window sometimes appear on-screen simultaneously. Both offer plenty of pertinent and trivial
information, a solid array of knowledge that every fan of The Omen will enjoy. Those
without a profile 1.1 player may choose to play only the trivia track, and view the additional
video-based material separate from the movie. Introduction by Director Richard Donner from
2006 (480p, 1:55) is a brief feature that showcases director Richard Donner offering a few
personal insights, including how the film jump-started his career. Next is a deleted scene
entitled Dog Attack (480p, 1:26), and is available with optional commentary by Richard
Donner and Brian Helgeland.
666: 'The Omen' Revealed (480p, 46:15) is an extensive making-of feature that runs
the spectrum of the production, beginning with the theological underpinnings of the story and
moving into the writing of the script, the assemblage of the cast and crew, the filming of some of
the movie's most crucial scenes, the creation and implementation of the film's Academy-Award
winning score, and more. Screenwriter's Notebook (480p, 14:51) is an interview piece
with David Seltzer, who discusses how his script broke from the genres he generally worked in,
the challenges of working in the horror genre, the differing titles attached to the film, and his
work on
the novelization of the film, among other things. Next up is An Appreciation: Wes Craven on
'The Omen' (480p, 20:17). Here, the famed horror director recounts his thoughts on
various aspects of the picture. 'The Omen' Legacy (480p, 1:41:38) is a comprehensive
overview of the entire Omen saga, recounting the film's Biblical influences, the "curses"
that plagued the sets, and almost anything else fans of the entire series could imagine.
Curse or Coincidence (480p, 6:19) is an all-too-brief look back on the various mishaps
that plagued the shoot and the cast and crew, and the belief that forces more powerful than man
were at work, attempting to halt the filmmaking process. Jerry Goldsmith on 'The Omen'
Score (480p, 17:41)
features the acclaimed composer discussing various pieces of music heard throughout the film.
Concluding this extensive selection of bonus materials is a still gallery and the film's theatrical
trailer (480p, 2:19).
The Omen is a fine representation of true cinematic horror, the embodiment of psychological fear and terror, and its villain truly evil incarnate as it assumes an angelic, unassuming, innocent countenance. Expertly directed, acted, and scored, the film strikes all the right chords and remains one of the defining horror films of the past several decades. Spawning several sequels and an atrocious remake, the film stands head and shoulders above its related counterparts and continues to frighten audiences more than 30 years after the film's debut. 20th Century Fox's Blu-ray release of this horror classic is currently the film's definitive home video release. Offering a picture quality that remains true to the source, a fine lossless soundtrack that is accompanied by the original monaural track, and an extensive selection of bonus materials, The Omen is a disc that deserves a spot in every serious Blu-ray collection. Highly recommended.
666
2006
1981
1978
2024
Collector's Edition
2009
2018
Count Dracula and His Vampire Bride
1973
1976
2016
1980
Profondo rosso | Special Edition
1975
2024
1982
1991
Standard Edition
1982
1971
2009
40th Anniversary Edition
1974
Collector's Edition
2023
2020