Into the Blu

The Omen Collection

Posted on 28. Oct, 2008 by Kristina Kehler in 1080p, 2.35:1, AVC MPEG-4, DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 1.0 (English), Dolby Digital 1.0 (French), Dolby Digital 1.0 (Spanish), Dolby Digital 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (French), Dolby Digital 5.1 (Spanish), Fox, Horror, MPEG-2, Reviews

Looking back over the last twenty or even thirty years of horror films, we’ve been on a downward slope with the occasional spike of decency. In a market filled with remakes, blood and guts, and redundancy, there’s a bit of solace thinking back on movies like The Omen. An undeniable favorite in the Christian end times corner of the horror universe. Packaged along with Richard Donner’s classic are two sequels and a remake, will they follow the overall downward trend? Or are we going to see a spike, maybe even a spark in inventive and horrific film making?

In the Christian bible, end of time is prophesized (In some denominations) as the return of Jesus Christ, to end the suffering of mankind. Such a happy ending couldn’t be written in Hollywood, and The Omen takes a sinister stab at end times with the offspring of Satan.

The original trilogy opens with birth of the future antichrist, Damien Thorn in 1976‘s The Omen. When the wealthy Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) learns of his wife’s (Lee Remick) stillbirth he switches babies without her consent, as the knowledge of their own kin’s death would crush her. With Robert so short sited and deceiving, maybe having Damien as a son is fitting. Pampering the demonic (and I must say very creepily portrayed by Harvey Stephens) hell spawn with all sorts of privileges, life is hunky dory, for the first few years at least. Then the unspeakable begins to happen; mysterious accidents, bizarre turns, and even death. Robert’s eyes begin to open and he begins investigating the birth of his son with the help of an off the rocker priest several helpful others, who conveniently know a lot about Damien. The Omen is creepy, and simply put a great horror film. There is an original story (Original thirty years ago for the record, not the two hundred would be films since) and some convincingly dark acting. If you are going to check out just one of the films in this collection, this is easily it.

Moving on to the follow up, and without risking giving away too much of the ongoing story arc I shall keep it brief, albeit this movie is several decades old I still don‘t like to spoil too much. 1978’s Damien: Omen II picks up with the now pre pubescent Damien slowly coming into his powers. He finally realizes who he really is, defiant at first  he comes to terms with his destiny as the antichrist. Others suspect of his actions try and circumvent him, making for a halfway decent sequel.

The third installment of the trilogy comes with 1981’s Omen III: The Final Conflict. Damien is now an adult, and ambassador to the United Kingdom, a position of great earthly power. Damien begins recruiting followers for the inevitable end times battle, while Father DeCarlo works tirelessly to put an end to his reign. The Omen III sound fascinating on paper, but plays out in an extremely drab fashion. With nonsense-full dialogue and an anticlimactic story, I am extremely disappointed with the way this series was capped.

Some fifteen years later Fox found it necessary to revitalize The Omen franchise with 2006’s remake of The Omen. The story is pretty much identical in the big picture with some differences to equate to the modern day. The story was fresh in 1978, unique and even frightening, but by 2006 Fox refrained from stepping up its game and released a menial revitalization. If there is one thing going for it, it is the great cast who bring some feel to the movie that feels like a typical dialogue driven horror from current day Hollywood.

To put it bluntly, The Omen is an inspired horror film; dark and suspenseful. But like so much other classics, its prestige is bogged down by two mediocre follow ups, and a ponderous reboot. In an era of remakes and rip offs, we seldom find an original and roused piece of film, especially in the hack and slash state of horror films. For trying to sway from the aforementioned stereotype of horror, I will give The Omen remake a nod, but it in no way fills the shoes of its predecessor. As for the two in between, if you haven’t already I would not recommend you do. With that being said, I think it goes without saying that I suggest you stay away from this collection. That is of course unless you are a fan of these four films, but consider how poorly packaged this collection is. Constructed like a tube of toilet paper, brittle and flimsy, dropping almost a hundred dollars on this set you think Fox could have put something better together. It truly is that bad, and unless you throw out the cases and store you discs in a binder, wait until Fox comes to their senses and re-releases this set in a box that doesn’t resemble a second grade art project. I feel better now that I have done my duty to inform you of the cosmetics, and so you can make an informed decision for yourself, we will move onto the look, sound, and features of the four Omen films.

Video

The Omen is presented in 1080p 2.35:1 aspect ratio and looks quite good for its age. Colors are surprisingly crisp, with no bleeding and the right amount of vibrancy.  The print itself holds up, with minimal scratches and artifacts present.  As expected resolution and detail aren’t up to recently released movies, but do hold up well against other films released in the same time frame.  Overall this is by far the best the film has ever looked; fans of the film will be pleased.

Omen II is presented 1080p 2.35:1 aspect ratio and is plagued with a few problems.  Colors and detail seem muted, with a constant softness seen throughout the film. What I found surprising about this transfer was how it managed to look quite a bit worse than the first film. I don’t know if it was the way it was shot or if Fox didn’t take the time and care with this transfer as they did with the first.  Even though this is the best the film has looked, the results are still disappointing.

Omen III is presented in 1080p 2.35:1 aspect ratio and really makes up for the disappointing results found in the second film.  Colors jump off the screen within the opening scenes, showcasing vibrant color and impressive looking skin tones. Overall I would place the transfer 2^nd behind that of the original, very good stuff here.

Omen 666 is presented in 1080p 1.85:1 aspect ratio returns to Blu-ray with mixed results.  Originally released in 2006 the transfer remains the same. Color banding is present throughout the entire film and really becomes distracting at times.  Detail is also muted with some very soft looking scenes. When this disc was first released some inconsistencies may have been overlooked due to the age of Blu-ray technology, but now two years later the transfer just doesn’t hold up.

Audio

The entire Omen Collection is given a DTS HD track which does a great job presenting the films material.

Although the first film is front heavy the track does a good enough job by spreading the soundtrack and other sound effects through the rear and sub speakers.  The Omen II and III don’t sound as good as the first, with both having very front heavy tracks and weak bass support.  The soundtrack throughout all three films is great; creating a perfect suspenseful atmosphere.

Omen 666 is actually the most disappointing of the bunch. Being the newest of the bunch I expected a much better use of the HD track, but instead was given a relatively flat track. Overall Fox has provided an audio presentation vastly superior to that found on the DVDs.

Special Features

As a whole the entire package definitely lacks in the special feature department. The first film however is packed with a bunch of great features.

The Omen

• Audio Commentary - We are given three audio commentary tracks.  The first is with Director Richard Donner & Editor Stuart Baird.  The second is with Director Richard Donner & Brian Helgeland.  The third is with film historians Lem Dobbs, Nick Redman & Jeff Bond.

• The Score of the Omen - The creator of the suspenseful music track gives us a closer look at the soundtrack.

• Intro by Director Richard Donner - A brief introduction to the film by Richard Donner.

• Wes Craven on The Omen - Wes Craven gives praise to The Omen and director Richard Donner.  It was refreshing to see another director give praise to Richard and The Omen.

• Deleted Scene - We are given only one deleted scene and it actually quite boring.  At least we get a Richard Donner commentary track to go along side it.

• The Omen Legacy - A whopping 100 minute documentary that takes a look at the entire Omen Series.  This is a must watch for any fan of the series as it provides a in depth look at all aspects of the films creation and impact on the horror genre.

• Screenwriter’s Notebook - A 15 minute look at the films script with writer David Seltzer. If you want an in depth look at the scripts creation then this one’s worth checking out.

• Theatrical Trailer

• Photo Gallery

The Omen II

• Audio Commentary - A lifeless commentary from Producer Harvey Bernhard, that provides some useless information at a snail’s pace.

• Trailer

The Omen III

• Audio Commentary - Director Graham Baker provides an interesting perspective into the films creation.  If you’re a fan of the film and are looking for more information about the film’s production then this one is worth checking out.

• Trailer

The Omen 666

• Audio Commentary -Commentary by Director John Moore, Producer Glenn Williamson and Editor Dan Zimmer

• Revelations 666 Featurette - A TV feature that takes a look at the themes seen throughout the movies.  If the undertones of the film interest you then I suggest a viewing.

• Extended Scenes - A pair of weak scenes that deserve to stay on the cutting room floor.  If you are an avid fan of the then check them out, otherwise skip it.

• Trivia Track - A cut rate trivia track that plays throughout the movies entirety.  If you are a diehard fan then I would suggest a play through otherwise skip it.

Final Thoughts

One classic, two ridiculous follow ups, and a reboot that just crosses the line of acceptability. That about sums up The Omen collection, film wise at least. But perhaps even worse than the third film is the casing the collection comes in, cardboard stoppers to hold your discs in place, glued to what can accurately be described as a cardboard concoction crossed with construction paper. I made my opinions on this case earlier in the review, so I will leave the matter at that. Luckily in exchange for that which I won’t speak of any longer, comes some decent and crisp video transfers, sure to please most viewers. Unfortunately the audio isn’t doesn’t trump the video, and will leave most wanting more. Last but not are the features, which will do great to occupy your time, just not entertainingly. There’s a good couple hours of them, but I wouldn’t press play unless you needed something to fall asleep too.

To sum it up; one good movie, one decent one, and two weak ones, all of which have only mediocre audio and video transfers, lackluster features, and are bundled in, dare I mention it again, a horrid case. The bottom line, don’t buy this collection, rent it at most, and if your heart desires the ownership of the end time horrors, wait as long as it takes for the re release.