Omen, The: Collection (Blu-ray)
Steve Barton
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Reviewed by Uncle Creepy
Starring (The Omen) Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens, David Warner, (Damien: Omen II) William Holden, Lee Grant, Jonathan Scott-Taylor, Robert Foxworth, (Omen III: The Final Conflict) Sam Neill, Rossano Brazzi, Don Gordon, Lisa Harrow, (The Omen (remake)) Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, David Thewlis
Directed by (The Omen) Richard Donner, (Damien: Omen II) Don Taylor and Mike Hodges, (Omen III: The Final Conflict) Graham Baker, (The Omen (remake)) John Moore
Distributed by Fox Home Entertainment
“From the eternal sea he rises, creating armies on either shore, turning man against his brother, ‘til man exists no more.”
Oh, you little devil! Since 1976 the name Damien has become synonymous with evil. David Seltzer’s book The Omen was turned into a big screen sensation that launched two theatrical sequels, one made-for-TV sequel, a near shot-for-shot remake, and even its very own ominous curse. All are included here (except for the horrid TV sequel) in this top-notch high definition Blu-ray collection courtesy of Fox Home Entertainment.
Before I begin one what’s new and what’s been ported over from the original DVD releases, I have to make mention of the packaging for this box set. Simply put — whoever greenlit this flimsy abomination should lose his or her job. The outside is cool enough, but as soon as you remove the insert and see that each disc is laying on nothing more than a thin piece of cardboard while being held in place by a small foam nipple(!), you too will be guaranteed to feel somewhat cheated. I mean, really. The first time I picked up the box, I thought it was empty. It really baffles the mind.
In any event, included here and looking and sounding simply stunning are the original The Omen, Damien: Omen II, Omen III: The Final Conflict, and of course The Omen remake. Completists will no doubt cry foul at the absence of the ludicrous fourth film in the series, but me? I say good riddance. It was a steaming TV expelled turd that isn’t even close in terms of quality to any of the other films in this series.
Even better … every single bit of supplemental material from the incredible The Omen Collector’s Edition DVD (review here) and the remake of The Omen (review here) have made the jump to this new medium, and lately that seems like a small miracle. The commentaries on Damien: Omen II, and Omen III: The Final Conflict are back as well, but wait … there’s more!
The Omen and The Omen remake are also sporting some Blu-ray exclusives! For the original film we get four new bits of goodness — a third commentary track by film historians Lem Dobbs, Nick Redman, and Jeff Bond, a brilliant isolated score track that will give your home theatre system quite a work-out, The Omen Revelations: BonusView trivia track, and a new fourteen-minute interview with director Richard Donner that plays in high definition. On the remake’s disc the only new thing to be found is a trivia track. Honestly … even that is more than it deserves. All in all, this is a pretty friggin’ sweet deal! We’re talking hours and hours of stuff!
It should also be noted that The Omen and The Omen remake are also available separately on Blu-ray, but if you want parts II and III in high-def, this is your only option.
What we have here, folks, is a package that falls just short of being perfect. For Omen fans and Blu-ray junkies this cannot be recommended highly enough. Just be prepared to look past the shoddy packaging. Once you do that, be ready to indulge in nearly a thousand minutes of blood soaked Anti-Christ antics!
Special Features
The Omen
Damien: Omen II
Omen III: The Final Conflict
The Omen (remake)
4 1/2 out of 5
Special Features Combined:
5 out of 5
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