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. 

ORPHAN: FIRST KILL

Isabelle Fuhrman

ORPHAN: FIRST KILL (2022). Director: William Brent Bell. 

In this prequel to Orphan, a psychotic young lady (Isabelle Fuhrman) escapes from a mental institution overseas, and manages to take the place of a missing American child named Esther to the initial joy of the family. "Esther" now has a new mother (Julia Chiles), father (Rossif Sutherland), with whom she falls in love, and older brother Gunnar (Matthew Finlan). Unfortunately for Esther a child psychologist (Samantha Walkes) and a Detective Donnan originally assigned to the case (Hiro Kanagawa), have their suspicions. But they may not have them for long.

Rossif Sutherland

Since the big reveal of the first film (which actually takes place after this film) is no longer a secret, First Kill has come up with its own twists and surprises. These may be a bit far-fetched, but they work within the confines of this type of horror picture. Isabelle Furhman is excellent as the clever and crazy Esther, but she is not a child actress any longer, being 23 or so when she filmed this prequel. (In the first film she was about 12.) Julia Stiles offers a terrific performance in a difficult role, and she is matched by Sutherland (son of Donald) and Finlan. The action and murder sequences are well-staged and the film moves at a brisk pace.

Verdict: A sequel/prequel that is as entertaining as the original. ***.