Directed By Arkasha Stevenson

Starring – Nell Tiger Free, Ralph Ineson, Sonia Braga

The Plot – Margaret (Free) is a young American woman who is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, but encounters a darkness that causes her to question her faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.

Rated R for violent content, grisly/disturbing images, and brief graphic nudity.

The First Omen | Official Trailer | 20th Century Studios (youtube.com)

POSITIVES

A majority of horror franchise successors fail because of their dependency on the original installment, but “The First Omen” conjures a refreshingly original take out of thin air, all the while maintaining consistency in the thick of atmospheric dread that seamlessly makes this feel like more of a sequel to the 1976 original movie than all of its sequels. This is mostly due to Stevenson, who as one of three writers on this script, deviates away from Damien, and instead bases her story in a nun’s covenant, complete with surreal imagery and creepy traditions that drive home the tension and anxieties frequently articulated from within this franchise. On top of this, the vast variety of world-building and lore towards Damien’s inception is given articulated insight, with a few eye-opening realities that help to resolve some of the long-standing plot holes that I’ve had with this series’ initial set-up. Without spoiling anything, the film’s decision to remain by the wayside of the church helps to not only unearth some unsettling realities within its hallowed halls that help to convey an even deeper sense of adversity and paranoia, but also helps Stevenson’s direction attain the rare merit among contemporary cinema of feeling legitimately scary, especially when it eventually puts away its dependency for jump scares, and instead relies upon the vulnerabilities of some pretty twisted bodily horror, which cemented what I feel is the most honestly grueling depiction for child birthing that has ever been put to cinema. Once again, a female’s touch in this perspective probably gives it that authentic factor of biting reality that feels haunting to both the male and female audiences, but for entirely different reasons, with Stevenson’s penchant for claustrophobic depictions that tastefully leaves much of the interpretation to the imagination of that audience, but with meticulously placed images among its editing that vividly paints a general outline of what we’re seeing. On top of this, the film’s presentation might not capably induce the visual familiarity of a production shot in the 70’s, but it does feel socially conscious about the realities of the ever-changing world that permeated during a time of grave uncertainty about religion. Aside from what’s taking shape within Margaret’s quest for sinister uncertainty, the community surrounding Rome is in the middle of dangerous political protests from bystanders seeking answers for things the church can’t capably answer, and when enacted within an endearing power struggle between good and evil, paints elaboracy towards the open door for evil intrusion that initially felt so far-fetched during the first movie, but here feels like the most grounded of approaches to something so out of our mental grip on reality. Aside from this, while the film’s cinematography doesn’t play around with the grainy textures that could’ve further maximized 70’s influence in presentation, it is aided tremedously by abrupt close-ups and swinging movements of the camera that feel so refreshingly out of the ordinary from today’s techniques. These are utilized most accordingly during startling imagery or volitile kills, which paint a far greater emphasis on the bizarre and grizly violence of the situation, but beyond that artistically articulate just why Stevenson was the perfect person to helm it, appraising her knowledge for the franchise and 70’s cinema effortlessly in ways that never miss a beat. Equally integral are the entrancing compositions from Mark Korven, who underlines the maniacal madness and ensuing mayhem with echoing volume and choir-channeled hymns that makes this condensed story feel universal. Korven is given free-reign to enhance the appeal of these conflicts, and with an almost prophetic sense of doom and gloom to the proceedings, adorns the nightmare-inducing visuals with heart-pounding permanence that I feel like I’m still coming down from. The performances also deserve plenty of praise, but not just from Free and Ineson, who endure most of the heavy lifting, but also the collective ensemble as a whole, without a single weak link between them. Considering most of these actors and actresses are talents that I have never heard of, it helps to enrich the elasticity of seeing them as characters instead of big names atop the posters, with each of their compelling quirks conveying something dark and magnetizing to the aforementioned atmosphere. As for Free, she heralds the same inexperience as her director, but with the prominence of a seasoned veteran, establishing an empathetic yet powerfully brave protagonist whose powerful impact sneaks up on you. This couldn’t be felt louder than a physically wrenching performance during the third act that brought back memories of Isabelle Adjani’s iconic unraveling in “Possession”, and considering so much of her character dynamic shifts with the duration of the engagement, Free continuously rises to the occasion with responses of panic and paranoia that help elevate the magnitude of the unforeseen forces that plague her. Inesson’s groggy vocal capacity is also influential towards elevating long-winded scenes of exposition dumps, helping to evade the clumsiness of its deliveries with spine-tingling sentiments that frequently brought goosebumps to my skin, each time he reads them.

NEGATIVES

Without a doubt, the film’s single biggest hinderance stems from a couple of creative choices within the framing devices of its developments that never feel earned or necessary as ongoing mysteries. Such is the case with the mystery of the antichrist in this chapter, which becomes tedious with an unraveling investigation that proves the answer isn’t as simple as initially interpreted, and instead leads us to a wider search that goes nowhere quickly. This is mostly because I easily sniffed out the eventual big reveal as a result of a lack of possible options, but beyond that the film serves as an example of a property that creatively plays its hands too early and often to audience interpretation, spoiling a bit more in imagery and interactions between characters than I would’ve appreciated, especially in a film that requires so much ambiguity to push its nearly two hour run time. The eventual big reveal goes entirely as expected, with twists played a bit too rushed for reality, and while it leads to a riveting high stakes climax with all of the emotions at play, it doesn’t reach the level of impact that it deserved, as a result of too many instances where the holes of logic eventually poked through. In addition to this, some of the motivations and decisions of the characters, while compelling in outlining a bigger picutre of the aforementioned lore and world-building of the franchise, feel merely approached at surface level, for the convenience of several poorly timed plot devices that start to stack by film’s end. One such instance feels shamelessly irresponsible by one side of the moral coin during said climax, where the conflict could easily resolve itself in a matter of minutes, if not for braindead decisions of one character who decided to put all of the momentum inside of the hands of its most dangerous character. Finally, while the film decides to savor its violence for the times they impact the loudest, the kills themselves lack any semblance of creativity or articulance in the way they’re dramatically conjured, leading to an underwhelming aspect of the production that is the single biggest weakness in its comparison to the 76′ original. While kills aren’t everything to the integrity of this franchise, they are a meaningful part to the magnitude of evil’s greatest and grandest capabilities, and considering the biggest of those here is a callback to that original movie, it leaves little to no creativity in the biggest expressions of influence that could and should serve as bold payoffs, but instead rarely take advantage of the R-rating that deserves to feel limitless.

OVERALL
“The First Omen” feels like the much-deserved sequel and prequel that franchise fans have waited nearly fifty years and three other disappointing films to capably experience. With an all-in, enthralling opening statement in direction from Arkasha Stevenson, as well as depth and originality to the lore of Damien’s unnatural inception, the film conjures a tensely anxious engagement that actually feels scary, helping it to evade some of its inferior qualities, which nearly exorcise its surprising prominence.

My Grade: 7/10 or B