The original The Omen laid a solid foundation for the mythology of Damien Thorn, the Antichrist coming to Earth to bring the Apocalypse. With the elements well defined and the hook left at the end, we could expect a sequel that expands this mythology in a dignified way. Unfortunately, A The Omen 2 didn't know how to work well with the original elements, creating a film that followed a formula and nothing new, that only jumped from death to death and disappointed those who expected something more intelligent.
Fortunately, in 1981, The Omen 3: The Final Conflict appeared. Director Graham Baker and screenwriter Andrew Birkin knew how to create a film that took the bases given by the initial chapter of the series, as well as some elements of the second, and created a rich and differentiated final product, which, although inferior to the first, is years- light ahead of part 2. The first big innovation was to abandon the figure of Damien as a little boy discovering his place in the world, and to throw him once and for all in the shoes of an adult. Considering that one of the biggest assets of the previous films was the fact that the villain was a child, this was a risky move, one that could sink everything if not done carefully. Then enter Sam Neill, a great actor who lives up to the role of Antichrist, with a mixture of charm, suffering and sacrilege. Neill is the cornerstone of the film, and creates a new personality for Damien, cruel and bloodthirsty, but at the same time seductive and likeable. At times, he even looks like a nice guy, to show his true face in the next scene.
The second daring on the part of Baker and Birkin was to focus the plot on the Second Coming, the return of Jesus Christ to Earth. In the plot, Damien is now one of the most powerful men in the world, having taken control of Thorn Industries. As a true James Bond villain, he has the world's leaders in the palm of his hand, and manipulates the president of the United States himself to get the post of US ambassador to England. Damien follows an ancient The Omen, which says that Christ will be reincarnated in the UK, and so he decides, like Herod, to kill all the babies that are born in the esteemed time and place. Meanwhile, he poses as a philanthropist, and becomes involved with reporter Kate Reynolds (Lisa Harrow) and her son Peter (Barnaby Holm), with whom he develops a strange relationship.
The only person who knows of Damien's plans is his secretary Harvey Dean (Don Gordon), who helps him plan the slaughter of the babies. The problem is that Harvey's wife Barbara (Leueen Willoughby) gives birth to their child at the Second Coming, which puts them in conflict with Damien. Only this time, Antichrist will have to face a group of monks, led by Father De Carlo (Rossano Brazzi), took possession of Meggido's daggers, which, as seen in recent films, are the only thing capable of killing Damien. They try to attack him, but he defeats one by one until only De Carlo is left, who must seek Kate's help to destroy Antichrist and stop the Apocalypse.
In this concluding sequence, there is a considerable loss of the suspense and horror of the first film, which leads to something more like an adventure. It is, in fact, the fight of good against evil, and the force of good is represented by the seven priests mentioned above. The script is much more sophisticated than you might expect, and this is a sequel that really tries to tell a story, rather than just collecting death scenes. The script even manages to proceed with the story in an interesting way, but unfortunately it fails to complete it satisfactorily. The final confrontation between Damien and De Carlo is rushed, and the last scene is too hot, unable to explain the fate of some characters.
But The Final Conflict has enough merit to circumvent these defects. One of the best scenes in the entire franchise is Damien's monologue to a statue of the sacrificed Christ, in a moment that manages to be scary based only on Neill's performance. Another creative scene is the massacre of babies, which terrifies without showing blood, and still shows the reach of the followers of Antichrist. Rich and intelligent, this third part has a life of its own, and it works by itself, not just a continuation. Of course, those who haven't seen the previous ones can get lost in some references, but even so the film stands on its own feet and breaks rules launched in the previous chapters.
This last part of the trilogy shows signs of fatigue. Things seem to happen automatically and the dialogues show us characters who don't seem to believe the sentences they pronounce. Released in 1981, it felt like the end of the franchise. In fact, Damien's story ends in this movie, with the happy ending that Hollywood loves: good won over evil, even after so many dead bodies and three movies. The fourth part, released straight to television, is not related to the first three, nor to the 2006 remake, nor to the television series that debuted in 2016.
Fortunately, in 1981, The Omen 3: The Final Conflict appeared. Director Graham Baker and screenwriter Andrew Birkin knew how to create a film that took the bases given by the initial chapter of the series, as well as some elements of the second, and created a rich and differentiated final product, which, although inferior to the first, is years- light ahead of part 2. The first big innovation was to abandon the figure of Damien as a little boy discovering his place in the world, and to throw him once and for all in the shoes of an adult. Considering that one of the biggest assets of the previous films was the fact that the villain was a child, this was a risky move, one that could sink everything if not done carefully. Then enter Sam Neill, a great actor who lives up to the role of Antichrist, with a mixture of charm, suffering and sacrilege. Neill is the cornerstone of the film, and creates a new personality for Damien, cruel and bloodthirsty, but at the same time seductive and likeable. At times, he even looks like a nice guy, to show his true face in the next scene.
The second daring on the part of Baker and Birkin was to focus the plot on the Second Coming, the return of Jesus Christ to Earth. In the plot, Damien is now one of the most powerful men in the world, having taken control of Thorn Industries. As a true James Bond villain, he has the world's leaders in the palm of his hand, and manipulates the president of the United States himself to get the post of US ambassador to England. Damien follows an ancient The Omen, which says that Christ will be reincarnated in the UK, and so he decides, like Herod, to kill all the babies that are born in the esteemed time and place. Meanwhile, he poses as a philanthropist, and becomes involved with reporter Kate Reynolds (Lisa Harrow) and her son Peter (Barnaby Holm), with whom he develops a strange relationship.
The only person who knows of Damien's plans is his secretary Harvey Dean (Don Gordon), who helps him plan the slaughter of the babies. The problem is that Harvey's wife Barbara (Leueen Willoughby) gives birth to their child at the Second Coming, which puts them in conflict with Damien. Only this time, Antichrist will have to face a group of monks, led by Father De Carlo (Rossano Brazzi), took possession of Meggido's daggers, which, as seen in recent films, are the only thing capable of killing Damien. They try to attack him, but he defeats one by one until only De Carlo is left, who must seek Kate's help to destroy Antichrist and stop the Apocalypse.
In this concluding sequence, there is a considerable loss of the suspense and horror of the first film, which leads to something more like an adventure. It is, in fact, the fight of good against evil, and the force of good is represented by the seven priests mentioned above. The script is much more sophisticated than you might expect, and this is a sequel that really tries to tell a story, rather than just collecting death scenes. The script even manages to proceed with the story in an interesting way, but unfortunately it fails to complete it satisfactorily. The final confrontation between Damien and De Carlo is rushed, and the last scene is too hot, unable to explain the fate of some characters.
But The Final Conflict has enough merit to circumvent these defects. One of the best scenes in the entire franchise is Damien's monologue to a statue of the sacrificed Christ, in a moment that manages to be scary based only on Neill's performance. Another creative scene is the massacre of babies, which terrifies without showing blood, and still shows the reach of the followers of Antichrist. Rich and intelligent, this third part has a life of its own, and it works by itself, not just a continuation. Of course, those who haven't seen the previous ones can get lost in some references, but even so the film stands on its own feet and breaks rules launched in the previous chapters.
This last part of the trilogy shows signs of fatigue. Things seem to happen automatically and the dialogues show us characters who don't seem to believe the sentences they pronounce. Released in 1981, it felt like the end of the franchise. In fact, Damien's story ends in this movie, with the happy ending that Hollywood loves: good won over evil, even after so many dead bodies and three movies. The fourth part, released straight to television, is not related to the first three, nor to the 2006 remake, nor to the television series that debuted in 2016.