The First Omen Review

This movie, ugh, this movie. I was not looking forward to it. I already don't like demonic possession movies, but also it struck similar chords in its advertisement as the Exorcist movie that came out last year. Which it you don't remember, was bad. Heck, at least Exorcist Believer had interesting trailers. But the First Omen actually got some good reviews when it came out, so I suppose I'm cautiously optimistic.

What's The Movie About?

Margaret is a new nun at a Roman convent, meets a mistreated girl named Carlita, and gets involved with a conspiracy about the birth of the Anti-Christ. 

What I Like.

I like Margaret and Carlita. Not only are they both interesting characters, they have a good dynamic with each other and the antagonists in the movie. The tagline of the movie is also correct, there is a good variety of scary moments throughout the entire movie. (But mostly because all other horror movies I've seen this year haven't been the best for scares.) The acting in the movie is also pretty good, but both Charles Danse and Bill Nighy are cardinals so what would you expect.

What I Didn't Like.

I was very confused watching this movie. Not because I hadn't seen the original movie, I think this movie is mostly stands on it's own and what few thing I could tell were supposed to be call backs (or call forwards, rather) were really minor. It's because random shit would just happen. Two character would be talking, then one would walk away, and the next we see her she's setting herself on fire while hanging herself at the same time. There are scenes that either jump forward or flash back (I honestly couldn't tell which), and they appear suddenly out nowhere. The jump scares were pretty dumb. There was a great scene when Margaret is locked in a room but they ruin it by ending with a jump scare. Despite all the confusion I had, I still called the plot twist super early. And not in a fun, I-feel-real-clever way. I also think the the mark of the beast looks stupid. Finally, the movie is set against a backdrop of riots in Rome, which is an interest setting. But they don't really do anything with it. 

Final Summation.

I didn't like the First Omen. I don't hate it, it just kind of annoyed me. While I don't think I got confused because I haven't seen the original Omen, I'm still gonna take this as a sign that I should add prequels to my sequel exemption rule. Anyway, if you want a movie where a nun gets impregnated by the Catholic church, go find Immaculate.