The Omen Legacy (2001)

Tales of eerie coincidences and prophetic alignments

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." 

Mimic 2 (2001)

Mimic this!

The Judas Breed never completely died out and is killing again--the franchise making company Dimension Films should have told you that as these things never go away, unless it becomes a trilogy, of course. This time it's taking out people that are related to a grade school teacher named Miss Remi Panos who has issues finding men with a wall of shame to show for it. She was Dr. Tyler's assistant from the first film: the strange woman with red hair who liked her Polaroid camera. A detective is attempting to put two and two together of what the connection might be or if she's directly involved in the murders that came with flayed faces. At the same time, the defense department shows up with their equipment and a chip on their shoulder that it's their investigation now--who called them or why they got an inkling, who knows? Remi, a younger student who's aunt forgot to pick him up and a former pupil that is now a homeless alcoholic with an attitude, get trapped in the delipidated school building after hours. Their paths are blocked with obstructions and they spend their time coming up with survival tactics, such as a camera with a blinding flash, to escape the clutches of the giant Judas bug who's got an ulterior motive and is getting closer to its knack for mimicry.

This starts out fine with momentum, though after awhile there doesn't feel like there is enough story to keep the continuation intriguing. The Remi character has some connections to the first, and some areas bring a tone of amusing quirkiness, though halfway into it and we're getting the same explanation retold to a new person of how they work. Instead of a valid new chapter, it feels like a retread. The performers have to react to their newly found situation but still don't carry this as if you care what happens to them. They're just caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. This has some decent suspense scenes come and go, cinematography, setups and effects. There's nothing necessarily wrong with how it was shot, even though some might initially think so--myself included--with the direct to video tag and being the first full length feature from a TV director. Filmmaking wise, this surprisingly wasn't that bad. However, it feels like "Mimic 2" doesn't always kick into high gear or put something in front of the audience that would glue one's attention to move beyond the first film. It tried to wrap up with a state of gripping anticipation with a final twist, except it felt like they didn't have enough to work with, then held it out there too long and made it obvious a few steps ahead, terminating its effective culminating impact.


Rating: 5/10

Director: Jean de Segonzac (Homicide: Life on the Street (TV), Oz (TV))
Stars: Alix Koromzay, Bruno Campos, Will Estes
Link: IMDB

Memorable quote:

"You two, go to the door and keep an eye on the hall."
"Why?"
"'Cause I'm the fucking teacher and I said so!"