THE FIRST OMEN

Nell Tiger Free as Margaret

THE FIRST OMEN (2024). Director/co-screenplay: Arkasha Stevenson. NOTE: This review reveals important plot points.

Raised in an orphanage and supervised by Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy), Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) is brought to another orphanage in Rome to help out as she prepares to take her vows. Margaret is contacted by the strange Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson), who tells her an unbelievable story: a faction in the Catholic church, dismayed by how so many people have abandoned the church, has decided upon an outrageous scheme to create more of the faithful and bring them back into the fold -- bring the anti-Christ into the world! Understandably Margaret finds this hard to believe, but when she investigates uncovers some highly disturbing facts. Has she been chosen to give birth to the anti-Christ? 

Bill Nighy as Cardinal Lawrence

The First Omen is, of course, a prequel to The Omen (1978) and its sequels. In the original film, it was Satanists who wanted their very own anti-Christ, but in this, it's a secret group within the church (although the film implies that it is pretty much the Catholic church itself). The whole notion of unleashing a great evil into the world to bring people back to the church -- creating more problems than it solves (for one thing won't the formerly faithful possibly be attracted to the anti-Christ?) -- is fascinating but fairly ludicrous. Are none of these nuns, priests or even the Cardinal able to see the sheer evil of their actions, which include murder? (Admittedly, I'm no great fan of the church but this is ridiculous.)

Sonia Braga as Sister Silva

As for the movie itself, its main strength are the performances, with Tiger Free offering a compelling portrait of the increasingly frightened and confused Margaret. Nighy and Ineson are also on target, and Sonia Braga is a stand-out as the rather demented Sister Silva. Andrea Arcangeli also scores (literally!) as Paolo, the handsome man in the disco who comes to a bad end in the film's grisliest sequence. Tawfeek Barhom, Nicole Sorace, and Maria Caballero also offer some good work. Charles Dance appears briefly in an early scene. The First Omen is slow-paced, but full of interesting (if familiar) and ghastly images. One could argue that the film's best moment is when we hear Jerry Goldsmith's great music from The Omen on the soundtrack. 

Verdict: Creepy moments, good performances, but not nearly as good as the original Omen. **1/2.