The Omen film from 1976 and, to a slightly lesser degree, its sequels, represent some of the best of classic horror.
The films worked firstly because of fantastic storytelling and direction. There's a building sense of ice cold dread and malevolent menace infused in each film that really sets them apart. The other reason they work is excellent casting with top notch performances handed in by stellar actors such as Gregory Peck, Lee Remick and Sam Neil.
To produce a television series that supposedly follows on from these excellent films is either brave or foolhardy. In this case, lamentably, its the latter. Damien the series, suffers, in my opinion, from uninspired storytelling, ordinary direction and ho hum casting. The result is a mediocre affair, that offers up a shallow, rather flat sequel, to at least the first of the three original films.
The series cause is not helped by the unwelcome dash of US exceptional-ism on offer in the first episodes opening scenes, in the form of a rather simplistic take on the conflict in Syria. Something, I would have thought, was best left for the mainstream media political pundits, to squabble over.
If you have not seen the original films, my advice is watch them first and then see how you feel about Damien, the series. My rating, five out of ten.
The films worked firstly because of fantastic storytelling and direction. There's a building sense of ice cold dread and malevolent menace infused in each film that really sets them apart. The other reason they work is excellent casting with top notch performances handed in by stellar actors such as Gregory Peck, Lee Remick and Sam Neil.
To produce a television series that supposedly follows on from these excellent films is either brave or foolhardy. In this case, lamentably, its the latter. Damien the series, suffers, in my opinion, from uninspired storytelling, ordinary direction and ho hum casting. The result is a mediocre affair, that offers up a shallow, rather flat sequel, to at least the first of the three original films.
The series cause is not helped by the unwelcome dash of US exceptional-ism on offer in the first episodes opening scenes, in the form of a rather simplistic take on the conflict in Syria. Something, I would have thought, was best left for the mainstream media political pundits, to squabble over.
If you have not seen the original films, my advice is watch them first and then see how you feel about Damien, the series. My rating, five out of ten.