Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Omen III: The Final Conflict Blu-ray Movie Review

Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981) is being released as part of Scream Factory's five-disc box set, The Omen Collection: Deluxe Edition.

Graham Baker's directorial debut was first reviewed by my colleague Marty Liebman as part of Fox's four-disc The Omen Collection. To read Marty's critique of the film, A/V, and supplements, please click here.

Don't stare into Damien's eyes for too long.

The Omen III: The Final Conflict Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Final Conflict appears in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. This appears to be the same transfer that Fox used eleven years ago for its box set with some subtle differences. I've included some frame enlargements from both transfers for comparison. As with the prior reissues of the first two films, this transfer is noticeably darker. You'll see in Screenshot #17 how the oscillating spotlight shone on Harvey Dean (Don Gordon) is brighter than on the Scream. I believe this is an exact matching frame. When I compared the two transfers in-motion, the lightning strike around the prelate shines brighter on the Fox than it does on the Scream. The Final Conflict displays less print artifacts than Damien's transfer. Scream has encoded the feature with an average video bitrate of 25995 kbps.

Screenshot #s 1-12, 14, 16, 18, & 20 = Scream Factory 2019 Blu-ray
Screenshot #s 13, 15, 17, & 19 = 20th Century Fox 2008 Blu-ray

The 108-minute film receives twelve chapter selections.

The Omen III: The Final Conflict Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream supplies the original DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (1639 kbps, 24-bit) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround remix (2830 kbps, 24-bit). On the new audio commentary, Scott Michael Bosco remembers how the stereo mix sounded in the theater: it reached a stunning crescendo during the alignment of stars scene that announces the Second Coming of Christ. He also mentions some of the differences between the two (i.e., the 5.1 has more surround activity). Dialogue delivered by the mostly British cast is clear and audible. I second Marty's observation about the sound heard during Damien's sermon: "Damien's speech to throngs of followers in chapter 13, and the growing, reverberating chant of 'we hear' in response, is chilling."

Jerry Goldsmith's pulsating score is the most listenable in The Omen Trilogy. As Robert Townson and Kevin Mulhall note on the jacket of the original vinyl release of The Final Conflict, the score is built on three themes: the Damien Thorn theme, orchestral and choral variations of "Ave Satani," and a grand religious theme. The latter reaches fortissimo a couple times, including "The Second Coming" and the title theme, "The Final Conflict," which reminds me of Miklós Rózsa music for King of Kings (1961). The third theme features a powerful ecclesiastical chorus which rises to a crescendo. By contrast, the Satanic chorus is more sinister and dissonant. It signals the presence of Damien or one of the Rottweilers preying on his victims. Goldsmith's music for the English foxhunt delivers rollicking strings, kettledrums, and trombones. His entire score is nicely spaced out on the uncompressed tracks.

Scream offers optional English SDH for the main feature.

The Omen III: The Final Conflict Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• NEW Audio Commentary with Special Project Consultant Scott Michael Bosco - Bosco continues his theological discussion about good and evil that he began on The Omen commentary. He explains how his upbringing as the son of a Jew and a Catholic informed his complex religious thinking. For long stretches, Bosco's remarks are about the history of religion but he brings it all back to how it fits in with the nexus of The Final Conflict and the other Omen films. He also delivers interpretive readings of certain scenes and draws on his memories of seeing the film in the cinema back in '81. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Director Graham Baker - this commentary initially appeared on the 2000 Fox DVD and features director Baker in an erratic talk about his feature debut. It starts out promisingly enough with Baker giving some useful tidbits about the film. He occasionally sprinkles in production anecdotes but the track is beset by some long gaps. Baker gets caught up with what's happening on screen and merely pointing out certain actors without extrapolation. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW The Devil in the Detail – An Interview with Director Graham Baker (24:56, 1080p) - this much more recent interview with the British filmmaker finds him comparing The Final Conflict to present events and circumstances. He spends a little time talking about his short film Leaving Lily (1975) and explains how he got his first directorial gig. Baker praises Andrew Birkin and his screenplay. He also speaks about the experience of working with producer Harvey Bernhard. He additionally discusses actors Sam Neill, Lisa Harrow, Rossano Brazzi, Leueen Willoughby, Ruby Wax, and Hazel Court. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Resurrecting the Devil – An Interview with Screenwriter/Associate Producer Andrew Birkin (20:30, 1080p) - Birkin looks back at how he first became involved with The Final Conflict, his biblical and historical research, choosing a director, his secondary role as an associate producer, and several of the actors. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Interview with Production Assistant Jeanne Ferber (16:38, 1080p) - Ferber has donned a variety of hats throughout her filmmaking career and shares her experiences as a PA on The Final Conflict. She divulges the brief off-screen romance Sam Neill had with fellow New Zealander Lisa Harrow and how that impacted their chemistry in front of the camera. Ferber discusses her role as an animal activist and how she persuaded the production team not to have the hounds chase a real fox during the hunt sequence. She admits to making a printing error on the final credits and reveals Bernhard's unexpected reaction. In English, not subtitled.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:51, upscaled to 1080p) - Fox's official trailer for The Final Conflict that's taken from a recycled theatrical reel.

• TV Spots (1:03, upconverted to 1080i) - two promotional spots for The Final Conflict that are in decent condition.

• Still Gallery (3:54, 1080p) - a slide slow consisting of fifty-two stills. The first twenty-one images display on-set production and publicity photographs (all in color). They contain shots and angles not included in the final cut. The next nine are glossy black-and-white stills from Fox's official press kit folder. The last twenty-two distinct images comprise a mixture of on-set photos, posters, lobby cards, and stills from a Japanese promotional booklet. The ad materials are in English and a few other languages. For the last set, all the images are in color except for four.

The Omen III: The Final Conflict Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Omen III: The Final Conflict was the least commercially successful of the three pictures, taking in $20 million at the domestic box office. It didn't help that it went largely under-reviewed. Some critics didn't take it serious. For instance, The Bergen (NJ) Record's Jim Wright commented: "One suspects that the entire movie was intended as a colossal parody of the earli­er 'Omen' opuses - demonic shenani­gans taken to the silliest extreme." It did receive praise from others, however. Joe Pollack of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote that "[The Final Conflict] is a pretty good picture of its style. Graham Baker's direction is fast-moving, and there's enough blood and violence to earn the [R] rating and to satisfy that segment of the audience." Substantively, The Final Conflict is a better film than Damien. It has more to say about the philosophical duel between the Anti-Christ and the Nazarene.

Scream Factory delivers a very solid transfer that while quite similar to Fox's 2008 Blu-ray, doesn't have the boosted brightness. Scream also provides the original stereo mix in lossless for the first time. Jerry Goldsmith's score soars on both tracks. The label recorded a new commentary with Scott Michael Bosco that's educational and the three interviews with the filmmakers are really good. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for arguably the best sequel in the series.