The Omen Photo

Omen

Starring: Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles, Josh Hutcherson, Mia Farrow, David Thewlis

Directed by: John Moore

RS: 1of 4 Stars

2006 20th Century Fox Horror

Not since Gus Van Sant inexplicably directed a shot-by-shot remake of Hitchcock's Psycho has a thriller been copied with so little point or impact. This retelling of the 1976 scare hit casts Liev Schreiber (slumming) as the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain and Julia Stiles in the nothing role of his wife. Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, looking less evil than understandably bored, plays Damien, the spawn of Satan the couple is tricked into adopting. Irish director John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines, Flight of the Phoenix) once again blands out everything he touches. All except for Mia Farrow as Damien's nut-job nanny. After mothering her demon seed in Rosemary's Baby, Farrow seems delighted to be back on devil duty. She's the only life in a DOA movie that adds insult to injury by exploiting clips of 9/11 and Katrina as portents of doom. The Catholic Church should lay off The Da Vinci Code and force The Omen to do penance for unforgivable dullness.