THE FIRST OMEN
Starring: Nell Tiger Free, Tawfeek Barhom, Sônia Braga, Ralph Ineson, and Bill Nighy
Director: Arkasha Stevenson
ADRIANO
For a film with so much seemingly going on, I found The First Omen remarkably dull. The film is good at building tension from scene to scene, but I wish it had relied less on atmosphere and creepy imagery and more on jump scares and grisly gore to get the audience to react. Nell Tiger Free is a fantastic lead, though; however, in the end, I found the film to be a wholly forgettable experience, with one absurdly laughable final scene attempting to get an applause break by connecting it to the original film.
NICK
You may enjoy The First Omen as long as you don’t think about it too hard. If so, you’re bound to scratch your head due to its habit of leaving unanswered questions. This extended build-up to the story of Damien (which the film treats as if it’s a big reveal in spite of the film being called The First Omen) does an adequate job setting up the character’s future. However, the majority of the film can be a bit of an arduous journey to reach its ultimate destination. Points for setting the table, but Damien needs to pick up the pace if he’s getting a follow-up.
PRESTON
The First Omen is a refreshingly creepy prequel that revives a classic storyline. Its biggest success lies in its alignment with the original series several decades later and the sufficiently eerie storyline that doesn't overly rely on jump scares and similarly cheap shenanigans to induce fear, even if the scariness factor isn’t off the charts. The main issue is an overlong runtime that struggles to keep its audience engaged, but the actual scene-by-scene editing is quite exceptional. Good acting and great cinematography round out a very respectable outing for this struggling genre.
