By: JWBM
Up to the point of this documentary, "The Omen" series—four films, and a stand-alone TV pilot—proved to be a mixed bag. Hands down, what catapulted the idea and cemented it into the minds of the general public as a dark force not to be reckoned with, was the first film, which—after four decades—still holds up to this day. The others came with their own moments to shine in the darkness, along with areas that should have remained in an unseen idea drawer.
The format of the documentary takes on each incarnation with a sort of scene by scene reshowing to recount the motivations, reasons, and the unexpected that came before, during, and after filming was a wrap. In some respects, it demystifies some of the movie-making magic, while other tid-bits seem to add more mystery to the overall dark aura of the franchise. Anything from Donner's technical input into Katherine Thorn's infamous fall from the banister, to David Warner's almost superstitious aversion to seeing his character of Jennings decapitated through realistic looking means at that time. Some of the shots of the first film initially being released were interesting to see: how it could have been a huge success, or a flop to audiences at that time. This was back in a period when you were doing something new and daring and then having to create a market for that as well. Something the remake 30 years later didn't have to do. There's still some honesty from some of those interviewed, such as Lance Henriksen—who starred in the second film—going on to say that the producers were looking for anything out of the ordinary to use in their marketing campaign to upsell the films.
"The Omen Legacy" is more of a glossed over retelling than a deep analysis. It's much more for someone to get inspired to watch the films again, versus someone who has them fresh in their mind to then watch this after. You can see the enthusiasm and feel the aura surrounding the films, though if you're looking for something to knock your socks off after experiencing these films several times over, the content feels lighter than you'd expect for an hour and forty minute documentary.
Info: IMDB link
DVD extras include: trailers for films 1-4, plus a seven minute promotional of "Damien: Omen II."
No comments:
Post a Comment