Movie review: ‘The First Omen’

On April 5, ‘The First Omen’ will be released in theaters, which is the sixth film in the franchise and acts as a prequel to 1976’s ‘The Omen.’

The new film is directed by Arkasha Stevenson (‘Legion’) and stars Nell Tiger Free (‘Servant’), Maria Caballero (‘Olvido’), Ralph Ineson (‘The Creator’), Sônia Braga (‘Shotgun Wedding’ ), Bill Nighy (‘Living’) and Charles Dance (‘The Golden Child’).

Initial thoughts

‘The Fist Omen’ successfully connects to the mythology of the original ‘The Omen’ with a strong opening sequence and third act, but suffers from pacing issues throughout. Director Arkasha Stevenson creates some solid scares, but fails to maintain momentum throughout the second act. However, Nell Tiger Free’s fearless performance carries the film with the help of strong supporting performances from Maria Caballero, Sônia Braga, Ralph Ineson and Bill Nighy.

History and direction

The film is set in Rome in the mid-1970s and begins by introducing us to Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson), who is investigating a conspiracy within the Catholic Church. We then meet Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free), an American sent to Rome to work in an orphanage before taking the veil from her. Margaret has suffered strange visions since she was a child and was recruited by her mentor, Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy).

Upon arriving at the orphanage, Margaret meets her new roommate, Luz Valez (María Caballero), a young woman who is also preparing to take the veil but wants to experience as much of life as possible before becoming a nun. Margaret also meets Sister Silvia (Sônia Braga), who runs the orphanage, and a young girl named Carlita Skianna (Nicole Sorace), who suffers from the same strange visions as Margaret.

While Margaret secretly enjoys the nightlife of Rome with Luz, she also realizes that something strange is happening with Carlita and discovers that her own dark visions have returned. Margaret soon becomes suspicious of Sister Silvia and the other nuns, who lock Carlita away from the other children. When unexplained events begin to happen at the orphanage, Father Brennan contacts Margaret and shares her theory about the events.

According to Brennan, there is a secret society within the Catholic Church that wants to give birth to the Antichrist so that the modern world will believe in God again. Believing that Carlita is the key, Margaret works with Father Brennan to save Carlita and prevent the church from carrying out her evil plans, but soon discovers that she can’t trust anyone, not even herself.

Director Arkasha Stevenson has a good feel for creating scary moments and there are quite a few good ones here, but the setup can feel slow and unruly at times. While the pacing seems off, the mood and tone are solid and deliver what you’d expect from an ‘Omen’ prequel. Stevenson and co-writers Tom Smith and Keith Thomas wisely set the prequel in the mid-1970s, just before the events of the original (erasing the possibility of a ‘First Omen’ sequel), but leading directly into the original film.

The location, period setting, production design, and costumes are all well executed, contributing to the gothic tone of the film. Stevenson also gets very good performances from his cast, despite the script’s shortcomings.

‘Omen’ mythology

‘The First Omen’ works best when it explores the mythology of the original film in the opening sequence and third act, but loses its urgency in the first and second acts. Being a prequel, the film is a bit predictable as we know it will end with the birth of Damian. The way they get there doesn’t quite work, and the movie sometimes gets lost in setting up what we all know is coming. However, once you get there, it’s a race to the finish with a very exciting third act.

The opening sequence in which Father Brennan interrogates another priest played by Charles Dance feels like a classic ‘Omen’ scene, but then the tone changes once we’re introduced to Margaret and we don’t rediscover the conspiracy until later in the film. movie.

However, the plot is well thought out and fans of the original will be happy to see a posthumous photo cameo by Gregory Peck, who starred in ‘The Omen’, connecting this new film to the original.

Performances

Actress Nell Tiger Free gives a very good performance and really carries a lot of the film. As Margaret, she is completely believable as a quiet young American woman hiding her own dark secret and is also funny in the moments when the character explores life outside the church. She has some excellent scenes with Father Brennan, Cardinal Lawrence and Sister Silvia, and has great chemistry with Maria Caballero and Nicole Sorace.

Speaking of Caballero, he brings Luz to life in a very interesting way, creating a seemingly innocent character who is much more nefarious than one would expect. While Sorace fulfills her demanding role well, playing a possibly possessed girl with very little dialogue.

Veteran actors Bill Nighy, Sônia Braga and Ralph Ineson are welcome additions to the film, but I wish there was more time to explore their characters. Nighy’s Cardinal Lawrence is a fascinating character, but he has very little screen time and practically disappears halfway through the film. Ineson’s Father Brannan is probably the most developed of the three characters, but, once again, he is not given enough time to really explore his role.

Deja vu?

Hollywood is no stranger to releasing two different films on the same subject at the same time and, in fact, has a long history of doing so. We had two asteroid movies (‘Armageddon’ and ‘Deep Impact’), two volcano movies (‘Volcano’ and ‘Dante’s Peak’) and even two movies about racer Steve Prefontaine (‘Prefontaine’ and ‘Limitless’). So it should come as no surprise that we get two different “Nunsploitation” horror movies just a few weeks apart.

The other “Nunsploitation” movie now in theaters is Sydney Sweeney’s “so bad it’s good” “Immaculate.” ‘The First Omen’ is basically the same movie, just without the popular ‘Euphoria’ actress and introduces the ‘Omen’ mythology. I’m sure the film won’t be able to avoid comparisons to ‘Immaculata’ and, fairly or not, they are basically carbon copies of each other. While I liked ‘Immaculate’ a little more because of Sweeney’s performance and the tongue-in-cheek vibes of it, fans of the original series will probably prefer ‘First Omen’ because of its connections to the franchise as a whole.

Final thoughts

While ‘The First Omen’ runs for much of the middle, its opening and closing sequences are strong, as are its ties to the original. However, Nell Tiger Free gives a very solid performance and is aided by an excellent cast of supporting actors. In the end, while it’s not a home run, ‘The First Omen’ has an interesting premise and connects to the franchise well enough to entertain fans of the genre and the series alike.

‘The First Omen’ receives 6 out of 10 stars.

What is the plot of ‘The First Omen’?

The plot follows an American woman (Nell Tiger Free) sent to work at a church in Rome who uncovers a sinister conspiracy to bring about the birth of the Antichrist.

Who is part of the cast of ‘The First Omen’?

• Nell Tiger Free as Margaret Daino
• Sônia Braga as Sister Silvia
• Ralph Ineson as Father Brennan
• Bill Nighy as Cardinal Lawrence
• Tawfeek Barhom as Father Gabriel
• María Caballero as Luz Valez
• Nicole Sorace as Carlita Skianna

Bill Nighy as Lawrence in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The First Omen’. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studies. All rights reserved.

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