by Austen Terry, Contributing Writer
As someone who was raised in churches and went to a Christian high school, I have heard about the antichrist a lot, and Hollywood seems to make a lot of movies about him. The story goes that the antichrist is the son of the devil who will turn the world against Christianity and pave the way for Satan to rule. In 1976, The Omen was released — it’s about the antichrist as a little boy and the darkness that follows him. It was then followed by three more movies based around this story. In 2006, we were even treated to an Omen reboot, along with all the other horror remakes of that year. Now in 2024, we are treated to a prequel movie that tells the story of Daimen’s mother and how she became pregnant with the antichrist.
In 1971, Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) is sent to Rome to finally take her vows to become a nun, having been mentored by Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy) her whole life. She is sent to an all girls orphanage to work under Sister Silva (Sonia Braga), and Margaret becomes attached to a troubled girl, Carlita Scianna (Nicole Sorace). Strange things begin to happen around the orphanage, and Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson) calls on Margaret to help find the young girl who he believes will be the antichrist’s mother. Initially she doesn’t believe this, but as more and more strange things begin to happen, she starts to understand. She ends up uncovering a secret deeply held by the people of her faith and tries to stop their plans.
Having never been a big fan of The Omen movies, I was skeptical going into The First Omen, but shockingly, I had a good time. I do feel like part of the message the filmmakers are attempting to get across will fall on deaf ears, but the idea here is what’s interesting. Ben Jacoby, who received a Story By credit, has an interesting idea, but I do feel this movie might have been better served as it’s own thing, or as the kickstart of a remake series. Tim Smith, Keith Thomas, and director Arkasha Stevenson do great work on the screenplay to make it fit into the original series, but it kind of relies on having some knowledge of at least the first movie. It’s not a bad film at all. In fact, it would be great if two things changed: First, it should have been it’s own thing or a remake, and second, it should have been released in June to fit the born on 6/6 at 6.
The first of several praises is Free’s portrayal of the main character. She absolutely shines here as Margaret, and her performance makes me want to see her in other things. She is great at portraying physical movements and facial expressions that suck you into the dangers that Margaret is in. Free absolutely kills it in this role. Her work with newcomer Sorace is phenomenal. You can really see how she cares for the girl and how she sees so much of herself in her. She shines in this role, and makes this movie that much better.
Ineson plays Father Brennan, the role previously held by Patrick Troughton in the 1976 movie, and the glue which truly connects these films. After several recent horror films, Ineson does a fantastic job in his role. He try to imitate Troughton; instead, he brings himself to the role and helps move the plot during the very few slow points. He’s the lore teller for the audience, and does what he can to help Margaret in the end.
In the midst of another year of several great horror films, I feel most will overlook this one. Especially if you truly believe you need to have extensive knowledge of the predecessors, I want to tell you truly you don’t — the film has enough to stand on it’s own. Stevenson does a fabulous job bringing this story together in clever ways. The film clearly has something to say, but it is a really decent horror film with enough scares to keep you awake.
Rating: Liked It
The First Omen is currently playing in theaters
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