Easter may be over, but it’s still a big week for Christianity. After more than a decade, the debatably blasphemous Omen franchise is back with another entry. But is it as dead as those who have tried to intervene in the Devil’s plans in prior films, or is it a sign of new life? The answer, like religion itself, is very complicated.
Unlike all previous entries, this film is less concerned with the series’ main antagonist, Damian, as it is about the circumstances of his creation. In fact, the character’s name literally isn’t even mentioned until the very end. And the title tells us this. Fittingly dubbed The First Omen, it explores not only how Damian came to be, but who planned for his arrival and why.
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The film begins with a conversation between two priests, Father Brennan and Father Harris – unsurprisingly in a confession booth. While it starts off cordial, Father Harris quickly reveals his remorse for a deed he’s participated in. When Father Brennan begs Harris to elaborate, however, it’s too late. The guilt has caused him to abandon his confessional. By the time Brennan can formally ask if the priest would like to be forgiven, a mysterious force has already set a deadly trap. In a cool callback to the first film, Harris is dead.
Fast forward to a few months later. A young, American novitiate named Margaret is invited to work at a church in Rome. Like any fresh start, it takes a while for her to adjust. Not all of the nuns are friendly to her. She has trouble connecting to some of the orphaned girls who reside there too. But when she starts to have strange visions, and residents begin to have even stranger experiences, she starts to wonder if there’s something sinister hidden within the church’s walls. When she crosses paths with Father Brennan, she uncovers an unbelievable conspiracy that forces her to question her faith.
This film marks the feature directorial debut of Arkasha Stevenson, who has previously worked on trippy television shows such as Channel Zero, Legion and Brand New Cherry Flavor. Like all of those shows, she continues to play with deception and distortion here, but what will leave the biggest impression on audiences is the film’s surprising arthouse aesthetic. Although the film is produced by 20th Century Studios, at times it very much feels like a product of A24. Each scene, every close-up, and even every kill is composed with such precision that it enhances the underlying feeling of dread. There’s one particular birthing scene halfway through the film that is pure nightmare fuel. But the way it’s shot, and the way we see it from Margaret’s perspective makes it nearly impossible to look away from.
Nell Tiger Free delivers an incredible performance as Margaret. While her commanding presence is essential because so much of the film is seen through her eyes. It’s the way in which we see her character progress that is so exhilarating. She starts off as such an honest and innocent woman willing to deliver God’s message. Yet by the end, she ends up unsure what that message is anymore. Without giving too much away, there’s a moment in the film where she is also forced to question whether or not some of her own perception is reliable. Considering that we, as the audience, are just as blind as her and cannot tell fact from fiction only enhances the experience.
Elaborating on the previous comparison to A24, Free leads such an intense sequence in the third act that it should forever be placed in the pantheon of best horror movie performances of the 21st century alongside Toni Collette in Hereditary and Florence Pugh in Midsommar. Her fearlessness is the film’s real salvation.
Now, considering how underdeveloped some of the other characters are, Free’s memorable performance feels like a miracle. That’s one of the film’s biggest issues. Even with character actors such as Ralph Ineson, Sonia Braga and Bill Nighy rounding out the cast, you hardly care for them. Even in the original 1976 film, you didn’t know much about David Warner’s Keith, but you still felt something for him when that giant sheet of glass decapitated him.
With Ineson, it’s especially surprising because he plays the film’s second most important character, Father Brennan. A part of the disconnect between him and the audience is the fact that between the time you meet him in the beginning and the time that he meets Margaret, there’s such an obvious change in his character’s motivation. You can kind of fill in the blanks on your own, but you also want to know what else the character has seen to bring him to his breaking point.
That speaks to the film’s main issue: the script. Not even Free’s performance, Stevenson’s style or some genuinely great scares can distract the audience from the weak story. Halfway through the film, we know that the antichrist is coming. But the reason for his coming, and several things that happen in anticipation of his arrival make no sense. For example, in another clear homage to the original, at one point in the film a nun hangs herself before uttering the words “It’s all for you.” Where that specific act sets the stage for the arrival of the secondary antagonist (Mrs. Baylock) in the original, here, it does nothing.
The film is a slow burn, but it doesn’t need to be. Whether you’re a fan of the franchise or not, you know where the road is headed. Taking the long way only ensures more speed bumps.
Overall, The First Omen may not be the best entry in the franchise, but what it lacks in story it makes up for 666x in style and with a scary good performance from Nell Tiger Free. Fans of the franchise – and of the horror genre in general – are sure to have fun with this film, but the truth is that without it we’d be nun the wiser.
The First Omen is in theaters now!
