Released in 1976, The Omen is a story about a couple who lost their child at birth, Robert and Kathy was supposed to have given birth to a baby boy but sadly the child was dead. Before Kathy even wakes up to know the bad news, Robert was informed by the doctor that there is an orphaned child whose mother unfortunately died after giving birth to him and so, the desperate man decided to take the baby and keep it like its his own without his wife knowing. The child’s name is Damien and while growing up, unexplainable events been happening around the family and one thing that is unexplainable is the unknown reason why Damien, as a kid, refuses to enter church.

The Omen is one of the ‘evil reincarnated’ movies that is looking forward to watch. The movie franchise has four movies from 1976 to 1991, The Omen, Damien: Omen II, Omen III: The Final Conflict and Omen IV: The Awakening. And this 2024, they decided to release a prequel of the whole franchise. The First Omen is a classic prequel that tells a story how everything started.

The movie is about how the cult (Antichrist) was able to reincarnated the evil, to the extent that they tried to use multiple births and whoever survives the birth healthy, they had to send them to other country in order for them to grow as normal as possible and by the time comes, they will send them to their cult to give birth to the first male who they believe that will lead their cult and the whole world.

The movie started when Father Harris warns Father Brennan played by Ralph Ineson, about a cult that is happening in Rome, in which they try to give birth to their ‘savior’ by means of conceiving it through Satan. The cult uses women to give birth to a boy (son of a jackal) which they fail for years until sister Margaret shows up.

Sister Margaret Daino played by Nell Tiger Free, is an American who was sent to Rome to work on an orphanage but little did she know, she will get tangled with a conspiracy that she didn’t know she is actually involved with since brith. At the orphanage, she met Carlita Scianna played by Nicole Sorace, the little lady is said to be a ‘bothered one’ and was being kept in a room to behave.

Margaret kept on investigating about her connection to the story that Father Brennan told her but while investigating, she discovers more about the Scianna bloodline and how she is connected with them. Later in the movie, she discovers that she herself is a Scianna and she was the baby that Father Brennan warned her about. She is bound to be bred by a jackal to give birth to the evil.

The cult successfully bred Margaret through the help of someone she met at the bar, she got too drunk that she doesn’t remember what happened that night, but the reality in she was presented to the jackal. Her roommate at the orphanage is one of the members of the cult and she assisted on everything from the club to the breeding.

The movie ended on Margaret giving birth to twins, a girl and a boy, the cult left Margaret and the baby girl and the jackal to burn but Carlita was able to save Margaret and the baby. They left and decided to live very far. few years later, Father Brennan gives them a visit, warning them that the cult knows that they are alive and they need to be ready because they are already searching for them.

Since this is a prequel, the pre credit scene shows how Damien was adopted by Robert and Katherine and the story set for itself.

The Verdict

There’s an interesting reward when prequels are being made after a nice franchise was made but since the franchise was more than 30 years later, I guess this is somehow considered as a start of another franchise if hey decided to follow up the prequel. I have seen the four movies from the Omen franchise and I think they deserve some refresh and thinking The First Omen is a good start.

I also love watching prequels but somehow there are so many questions that always end in a loophole, considering that you know everything about the previous movies. The Omen, the original movie, said that Damien was born from a lady named Maria Scianna but in the First Omen, he was given birth by Margaret Daino, so I think if they try to connect this through, Margaret was originally Maria. And since Damien has a twin, would there be a chance of continuing the story and making this a whole new franchise?

I also want to know where the jackal came from, since it is a prequel, they should’ve given some scene in which explaining this story how the cult even started. And even the fate of Father Brennan is actually more on the lucky side because the cult knows him but no one ever tried to kill him, considering he is still alive after 5 years and even visited Carlita and Margaret.

And even Carlita’s existence is still questionable. She is also believe to be one of the bearers and during the cult’s attempt on murdering Margaret and the baby, she was there and not in the ‘bad room’ well, she is always locked in that room. I still wanna know who she will be in the future.

All in all, I liked how the story went and ended, I like how it is openly possible for this prequel movie to be continued and remake a good franchise. However, a little note that the beginning is actually scarier than the whole movie itself. during the first 30 minutes, it was all okay until it became really boring, making the ending not-so-exciting anymore. But I’ll give it to them since the plot is really good compare to some prequels that i have seen ever.

P.S. It’s so funny how every time Margaret wakes up, her hair is spread all over her pillow like it’s a ray of sunshine. Who wakes up with her hair like that? As if fixed for photo.

I’d definitely give this 89% wonderroanne rating.