Before Richard Donner directed the Superman films he did a stint on a little horror flick called The Omen in 1976. The movie proved to be a popular addition to the whole "demonic child" sub-genre and prompted a few less-than-successful sequels. In 2006 (on 6/6/06 to be exact) a remake hit theaters and sadly was about as well received as the sequels.

Typically when you hear the word "remake" as a horror lover you tend to think that maybe someone else had a different idea for the original. Little twists here and tweaks there make for a fresher experience that ultimately; rather hopefully, stands shoulder to shoulder with its predecessor. After watching John Moore's vision of The Omen I feel that I can safely say very little of what I just talked about happened. Because there is an inherent lack of differences all we are left with is a hollow shell that can only be compared to the original as a way of re-telling the story with less poignancy. To put it bluntly, if you have seen the 1976 Omen you have seen this one.

The only real difference is that at the time the original came out it was something fresh; something new. To have a familiar experience come out thirty years later not only softens the blow but makes it so dull there's no reason to go out of your way to see it if you're a fan. The first time that I saw the 2006 version I sat dumbfounded and entirely bored. I felt no tension, no suspense, I didn't care for these characters, and more importantly I wasn't spooked in the least. However, in case you are one of those rare horror junkies that hasn't seen the original; let's fill you in on the plot.

The signs of Armageddon and the apocalypse have been percolating across the globe and the anti-Christ is knocking on Earth's door. In this update to the '76 classic the Columbia shuttle and 9/11 are used as indications that the end is nigh. Finally when a comet is discovered it somehow becomes rock solid proof that we're buggered and the Vatican goes all doom and gloom. Meanwhile, Robert Thorn (Liev Schreiber), a soon to be Ambassador, arrives at the hospital to see his wife Katherine (Julia Stiles) and newborn child.

Before he gets far in the maternity ward he's cornered by a priest who informs him that his child has died and his wife is in rough shape. Naturally grief stricken Thorn follows the guidance of this priest and "does the good thing" by taking in a newborn who lost its mother. Needless to say there wouldn't be much of a movie if he didn't so he and the misses name the brat Damien (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick) and go off to live in a big mansion.

Right from the start weird things happen around Damien at all times. From the constant appearance of a black dog to the suicide of a nanny at his birthday party there is just a string of weird stuff going at the Thorn residence. When a replacement nanny (the superb Mia Farrow) shows up out of nowhere, Katherine becomes suspicious of her son's wicked ways. As the film rushes to its somewhat unsatisfactory climax all sorts hell hits the fan and the devil's hand his shown.

This is a classic story when you get right down to it and in many ways the plot remains untouched. The first time I watched the original Omen I had chills running up and down my spine. Unfortunately when I finished the 2006 variant I felt kind of cheated in a way due to the lack of inspiration. Performances all around were fine though I had to laugh at Davey-Fitzpatrick's scowling visage whenever it popped up. It reminded me more of a spoiled brat who didn't get his favorite for Christmas rather than an evil glare from the son of the devil.

In the end I suppose you have to look at The Omen one of two ways. If you are a fan of the original you'll no doubt be disappointed by the lack of creativity employed in the project. On the other hand if you haven't seen the 1976 classic then you'll most likely be entertained just fine. The characters are developed well enough to get the film by but their actions seem completely random at times. There is little that draws you into the picture and the horror moments aren't entirely scary.

The Omen is presented on Blu-ray with a 25GB Single Layer disc that uses full 1080p HD resolution with MPEG 2 @ 18 MBPS. The anamorphic 1.85:1 picture looks marginally better than the standard DVD but nowhere near what we've come to expect from other Blu-ray releases.

Most scenes fair well in the cleanliness department thanks to the film's print being in good repair. Every once in a while though a little bit of grain seeps in and can be quite glaring at times. Murkier locations seem to be the most problematic in this regard but random spots such as little Damiens scooter trek around the balcony also turned up some flaw as well. There was also a bit of discoloration at many points but it almost seemed as if they were flaws that related more to the contrast of the film rather than this transfer. Overall The Omen gets a decent visual treatment but nothing to write home about when you get right down to it.

As far as the audio is concerned, The Omen gets the preferred DTS HD 5.1 Master Lossless Audio track for the English language with Spanish and French taking up the rear with 5.1. The English track sounded decent but was nowhere near as immersive as I was hoping it would be.

Most everything from dialogue to sound effects stayed in the front channel with the rear picking up a little bit of the action and score here and there. Some scenes were more pronounced than others with the creepier portions of the film getting the most directional attention. There was nothing that jumped out at me and made a very positive or negative impression so you most likely won't be cranking this one up. The audio track was basically there and it did the job decently enough to get the point across. English and Spanish subtitles are included.

Like many other Blu-ray releases The Omen gets some special features ported over from the standard DVD. There is a featurette entitled "Abbey Road Sessions" which showcases the soundtrack and all its creepy goodness. Marco Beltrami is put on the spot for about ten minutes worth of this extra as he discusses many aspects of his composition. Another featurette on this disc is "Revelations 666" which could be construed as a joke more than a companion piece to the film. In that supplement random people talk about the Devil and 666 in ways that make it little more than a spoof.

There are two Extended Scenes for the impalement and beheading deaths. None of these really add anything to the experience of watching The Omen either since they serve as little more than gorier renditions of already bloody scenes. There is a trivia track available here called "Devil's Footnotes" which is basically similar to what we've seen with other Fox Blu-ray releases. And last, but not least, is a commentary by John Moore, Glenn Williamson, and Dan Zimmerman. In this track they compare the original 1976 and their 2006 versions of the film and discuss what went behind particular scenes. It was interesting to listen to at parts but most of the time it felt full of hot air.

As a horror movie the original Omen was a classic. It was timely and chilling enough to make an impression but most importantly; it felt original. The 2006 re-telling is really none of those things. Despite some decent performances, interesting scenes and faithful reenactments, there is little here to make The Omen worth buying.

As far as the Blu-ray material is concerned the picture could have been better and the sound didn't make much of an impact. Ported over extra features are nice for those who didn't see the standard DVD but none of them are particularly fascinating or elevate the film in any way. At the very least I'd call this one a rental.

Check out more of my reviews here. Head on over to my anime blog as well for random musings and reviews of anime, manga, and stuff from Japan!