Reviews

Much better than I expected, and a worthy follow-up to the '82 classic. Some observations:

Eric Christian Olsen, who plays the assistant Adam Finch, is very funny in some of his reactions. When he says "what are you, some kind of a**hole?" and "so I'm guilty because I floss?" he adds some much-needed humor to the movie. Too bad he isn't in more of the film. At the beginning, I assumed he'd be the second-main character next to Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

Ulrich Thomsen, as Dr. Sander Halvorson, is also very impressive as the somewhat condescending scientist, he seems genuinely serious about the science aspects of the monster and adds some Max Von Sydow-like old-school authority.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead has a subtle kind of eye-rolling sarcasm in some of her scenes that make her character seem more human and unique than the typical boring heroine role.

Kim Bubbs, as Juliette, has a great scene where she cries for one of the victims. That was one of the problems I had with the '82 version where no one seemed sad when someone died.

Very entertaining movie with a child-like enthusiasm for the scariness of the monster and a surprisingly intelligent and measured sense of pacing.

First of all, this movie is refreshingly realistic, with no easy answers, and has some sensitive, emotional performances. But as the movie progressed, it seemed too "on the nose", with some of the characters stating their feelings and frustration so directly that it seemed more like a clinical case study than a real-life story. It reminded me of those overly earnest ABC afterschool specials, but with a more realistic ending. I appreciate this movie, because it tackles a very topical subject, but it could have been much better. The acting is mostly impressive, with the main character effectively conveying the vulnerability mixed with anger, but the villain is directed to talk too much like a cheerful little leprechaun when he's trying to sweet-talk the girl. He overdoes it with the nice-guy way of talking.

I've seen this movie a few times, and have always enjoyed it. Morgan Freeman is always fun to watch. He has a zen-like calmness and wisdom that's like an inspiring teacher. But the real find is Monica Potter. She has a sincere sense of focus and seriousness that becomes genuinely scary when she's trying to kill the little girl at the end. Michael Wincott is also very impressive as the villain, and Penelope Ann Miller is more intense and emotional than usual. There's some plot holes, but the movie is so effective that I don't mind them. I haven't read the book, so I can't compare it to that, but I find the film to be very entertaining every time I see it.

More interesting as a time capsule than a movie, Damien: Omen II alternates between monotonous, bloody and laughable, with the emphasis on monotonous.

The first scenes, with Leo McKern and a guy who reminds me of David Niven, are among the best. McKern is always very full of life and he speaks his final lines like he's King Lear cursing the heavens. If the movie would have continued with McKern and the Niven-type guy (and if they had lived, of course), the movie ultimately would have been far more interesting.

Once the movie gets started on Damien, it is very boring and lifeless. Lee Grant acts angry, Jonathan Scott Taylor, as Damien, seems like he should be in the Dead Poet's Society, and William Holden tries to be a good sport about the whole thing.

The death scenes are suitably graphic, drawn-out and imaginative, but the film is a complete repeat of the first movie (although more uneven and less interesting). This movie actually cheapens the memories of the first Omen film, since it's emphasis on death scenes makes the whole movie series seem like an excuse for such unsubtle exploitation.

The first Omen film had a subtlety in the characterizations and some genuinely scary characters (Mrs. Baylock was memorably sinister and had a mysterious sense of danger). This movie, on the other hand, has forgettable and boring characters. One of the villains, played by Robert Foxworth, looks and acts just like Mike Brady from the television show The Brady Bunch. Another character is played by Alan Arbus, who played the psychiatrist on M*A*S*H. He plays his character the same way in this film, talking like an ethnic Alan Arkin. The lack of scary characters and the addition of generic ones make the film boring and unintentionally funny. Damien himself seems like a cuddly little kid going to prep school and wearing oversize military outfits. It seems like he's playing at being a grownup. Needless to way, there's no sense of evil from him at all.

There's some first-rate actors involved in this (Elizabeth Shepherd, who plays one of the victims, is a very well-regarded actress), and it's not a little dis-spiriting that they didn't use their talents on something more worthy of them.

A staleness and lifelessness hangs over the whole movie, and it ends up leaving the viewer feeling depressed, and not in a scary way.

There are some good scenes, which show what the movie could have been. Besides the scenes with McKern, Jonathan Scott Taylor has an effective scene where he tries to talk his cousin into joining him on his satanic mission. It has a certain intensity that stands out and seems genuine. But ultimately, this movie is just an empty, deadening cash machine, written to squeeze the most out of the Omen franchise.

Very enjoyable occult/action thriller with a genuinely creepy devil worship scene (the chanting is very scary), an effectively downbeat ending, and a sense of paranoia and dread throughout. You're never sure when the devil worshipers will strike next, or which supporting character might be one. There is a scene at a swimming pool that is very effective in showing the justified paranoia of the main characters when they sense they're being stared at and they grow increasing uncomfortable. The music and stillness of the scene works very well.

Fonda has his usual earnest, freewheeling, and laid back personality which disguises a fast-witted man of action, Oates has a somewhat tired, "just woke up" quality that is very watchable and easy to relate to, but he is also capable of getting righteously angry and ready to fight, and the two female characters...well, they just kind of stay in the background, look pretty, flash their toothpaste-ad smiles and do some research into Satan. They could have been better written.

The background music, while very effective in the scary parts, has a generic, TV-movie quality in the slower scenes, and some of the supporting characters are kind of silly (like the sheriff, deputy and librarian).

There is a good sense of action, with lots of chase scenes and some motorcycle riding (although there maybe should have been a motorcycle chase scene with the satanists).

All in all, a somewhat dated, but much better than average occult/action film which still holds up very well today.

The film is at it's best in the scenes where Woody Harrelson is feeling jealous about Demi Moore's lovemaking with Robert Redford. When he's struggling with his obsessions about it, there is a certain validity that rings true, and he has a great scene near the end where he tells Moore that he was insecure about himself, but isn't anymore. The romance between Harrelson and Moore has a genuine quality that is sweet and sincere.

There are problems, however, with Redford's character and Redford himself. Moore is so obviously not attracted to Redford that their romantic scenes together look uncomfortable. Her character is supposed to be attracted to him, but it isn't convincing. You can tell she's turned off by him, and when she kisses him, she looks like she's kissing her dad. Redford plays the role with his usual mellow likability and smoothness, but it doesn't match the character he's playing. It doesn't seem believable that he'd offer money to sleep with someone's wife. He seems too easy-going and amiable to make such an offer. It seems like Redford is having fun playing the role, and being a good sport about it, but not really connecting with the darker side of the character. Overall, an interesting film with some valid comments about overcoming jealousy and having trust in the love you share with your partner, but it falls short of being truly successful.

This is an okay version of the comic book classic, and has some fun parts, but by far the best thing about it is the relationship between Reggie Batts and Adrienne Barbeau. The character Jude is played by Reggie Batts, and he inadvertently steals the whole movie with his humor, warmth and subtle, funny reactions. His interplay with Adrienne Barbeau is especially warm and natural. When they hug towards the end of the movie, you can tell by their expressions how much then genuinely like each other. The smile on Reggie's face is worth sitting through the entire movie. Another noteworthy scene is when Bruno turns into the midget. Very funny and well-acted. Louis Jordan is lively as the villain, David Hess (from Last House On The Left) is a scary, imposing villain, Nicholas Worth brings a physicality and distinctiveness as Bruno, his second-in-command, and Adrienne Barbeau is energetic and charismatic as the heroine. Worth seeing mostly for Reggie Batts. Too bad he hasn't made any other films. He adds immeasurably to the movie.

It's a shame to see Jodi Foster bringing her thoughtfulness and sensitivity to a movie that is audience pandering of the most pretentious, self-important sort. Same thing with Terence Howard. Times must be hard for actors nowadays, or maybe they just need the money for their kids' college tuition. All the talk from Jodi Foster's character about becoming a "stranger" who isn't the person she used to be is lost in a movie designed to make the audience scream "yeah! kill that f*ck!" The movie is very well-acted, well-directed, photographed, and so on, but you can't disguise the fact that it's an exploitation movie trying to pass itself off as a thoughtful essay on human nature. For anyone who's ever been beaten up, or a victim of a violent crime, this movie is just a revenge fantasy with no redeeming characteristics other than some well-acted, well-written scenes that lead up to a lowest-common denominator ending. God, what a disappointment.