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The First Omen instantly misses a trick by shooting it in 1.85:1, unlike the original cinema trilogy from the ’70s and ’80s.
It’s possible that they could be following in the footsteps of the 2006 remake of the original, as well as the 1991 TV movie, Omen IV: The Awakening, neither of which I’ve seen, but then why follow such a low bar?
Also, check the release date. Last time I saw, Halloween – and the usual horror season comes – in October, yet this comes out just as Spring is beginning (as soon as we can finally get some sun in Manchester!), and since the number of the beast is 666, at least release this on or just before June 6th!!! This year, it’s a Thursday, so that would’ve led nicely into that weekend, for a four-day weekend of box office receipts.
But about the plot, we’re in Rome, 1971, where Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) comes to join a nunnery – just like Sydney Sweeney did in Immaculate – where we see her enjoying her last nights of freedom, with fellow Sister Luz (Maria Caballero) before taking the vows and living a life of chastity.
However, no sooner has she arrived, than everyone starts behaving weird for the sake of it, including her learning that bad girls are sent to the… Bad Room. Yep, that must’ve been a long brainstorming session for the scriptwriters…
Ultimately, for the nutty Nuns at the top, their theory is that if they get a woman to give birth to the devil, this will create fear amongst the population and give people a reason to return back to the church. They’re quite mad. In fact, they’re very much like Jonathan Pryce’s Elliot Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies, where he’d blow stuff up in order to be able to be the first to write about it.
In this world, everyone behaves weird, except for Bill Nighy (The Beautiful Game), who plays Bill Nighy and does nothing else. Charles Dance (Rabbit Hole) also plays Charles Dance, early on, in a scene which harks back to the original film. Meanwhile, Finchy from The Office (Ralph Ineson) comes along and puts on a terrible Irish accent that keeps slipping.
Add in lots of jump scares, plus he most obvious case of someone stepping into the road without looking, so you just KNOW they’ll be hit by a car. Why does this happen in EVERY horror film?!
Overall, The First Omen is just a fucking waste of time. There’s a germ of an idea in this, but not nearly enough to make a film in its own right. In fact, the only thing good about this was the choir sounds towards the end of the credits which swirled around you, at one point.
As an aside, Boney M’s Daddy Cool is played in a nightclub, even though the film is set in 1971, and that song was not released until 1976.
The First Omen is in cinemas now, but isn’t yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD. However, once announced, it will appear on the New DVD Blu-ray 3D and 4K releases UK list.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 119 minutes
Release date: April 5th 2024
Studio: 20th Century Studios
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (35mm)
Cinema: Odeon Trafford Centre
Rating: 1/10
Director: Arkasha Stevenson
Producers: David S Goyer, Keith Levine
Screenplay: Tim Smith, Arkasha Stevenson, Keith Thomas
Characters: David Seltzer
Music: Mark Korven
Cast:
Margaret: Nell Tiger Free
Father Brennan: Ralph Ineson
Sister Silva: Sônia Braga
Father Gabriel: Tawfeek Barhom
Luz: Maria Caballero
Father Harris: Charles Dance
Cardinal Lawrence: Bill Nighy
Carlita Scianna: Nicole Sorace
Sister Anjelica: Ishtar Currie Wilson
Paolo: Andrea Arcangeli
Alfonzo: Guido Quaglione
Sister Romano: Dora Romano
Luca: Michelangelo Dalisi
Father Spiletto: Anton Alexander
Beatrice: Mia McGovern Zaini
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.