'The First Omen' is an incoherent, freightless nightmare
Visual panache can’t make up for the absence of scares and story. The First Omen, directed by Arkasha Stevenson, is rated R for violent content, disturbing images, and brief graphic nudity. The film follows the story of a young American woman sent to Rome to serve as a nun and uncovers a conspiracy that aims to bring about evil incarnate. The director/co-writer created a hallucinatory experience with a quasi-1970s vibe and a few Dario Argento Easter eggs hidden in the film. Despite the film's ambiguity, reviewer criticizes the lack of clear narrative and expectations.
ที่ตีพิมพ์ : 4 อาทิตย์ที่แล้ว โดย Ryan Painter, https://www.facebook.com/kutv2news ใน Entertainment
The First Omen
2 out of 5 Stars
Director: Arkasha Stevenson
Writer: Tim Smith, Arkasha Stevenson, Keith Thomas
Starring: Nell Tiger Free, Ralph Ineson, Sonia Braga
Genre: Horror
Rated: R for violent content, grisly/disturbing images, and brief graphic nudity.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) – Synopsis: When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.
Review: Terrifying is subjective. So, when “The First Exorcist” proclaims itself “the most terrifying movie of the year” I’m left to wonder if the advertising executive who pinned the quote on the film’s poster had at any point watched the movie. Maybe “The First Exorcist” was also their first horror film. Maybe the anonymous source is easily frightened.
Director/co-writer Arkasha Stevenson has created a hallucinatory experience with a quasi-1970s vibe and few Dario Argento Easter eggs for tucked away in the nightmarish visions that surround Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), our young, orphaned protagonist who is about to take her vows and become a nun. Yes, there are quite a few standardized tropes in play.
It is through Margaret’s eyes that we journey through the narrative. Margaret’s mental instability makes her an unreliable guide. It does allow director Stevenson to experiment visually. I wish they experimented more because ultimately “The First Omen” is 50% style, 5% substance, and a lot of gobbledygook. It’s best when I have no idea of what is going on. It’s all so incredibly ambiguous, it is almost interesting. Almost.
I like the actors. I like some of the characters. I just wish it felt like it added up to be something. It could be a psychedelic nunsploitation or the fever dream of a young woman about to dedicate herself to a life of service and isolation. I don’t have to know what is real and what is psychosis. It could be the story of a completely sane woman who suffers through the insanity of the religious world that surrounds her. Just pick something.
Was “The Omen” ever truly frightening? If so, why? What made it effective? Why should I care what came before it? Keep in mind, sometimes not knowing everything is more disturbing than knowing everything. Knowing can be life's great disappointment.
Maybe I want too much. Just something strange, wonderous, and terrifying. A prequel that makes the darkness of the original darker. You know, something incredibly evil for the greater good.