Review for

Omen II: Damien http://www.ram.org/ramblings/movies/the_omen.html#2

/Omen II: Damien/ starts where the first movie ended. Damien (Jonathan Scott-Taylor), having survived from being killed by his father (who was shot in the process), has been adopted by his uncle Richard (William Holden) and aunt Ann (Lee Grant) Thorn. But it is not long before his Antichrist powers begin to manifest, killing all those around him.

In this sequel, Damien is aided by a raven. At the start of the film, Damien appears to be a normal boy. He is sent to a boarding school along with his cousin Mark (Lucas Donat) who he is extremely close to. His first victim is his aunt Marion (Sylvia Sidney) who suspects Damien is not the best possible influence on Mark; his next victims are those that get in his way at boarding school. Finally, he turns on his uncle and aunt and ends up inheriting all the power in the Thorn empire.

The sequels to the first film don't live up to heightened sense of suspense and anticipation seen in the first film, in part because we've been here before. In particular, this film only advances Damien's career to a point where he's set up for world domination (which he attempts in the next film). So we're mostly stuck with the standard "how's he going to kill all these people who are getting too close to him and get away with it?" question.

The solid cast do a fine job muddling through the film answering the above question. The score is quite decent. The film introduces a richer connection between Damien and Biblical mythology (including references to the Whore of Babylon, and the Four Horsemen, who aid Damien in his quest). The film is worth watching only when the entire /Omen/ movie series is watched.

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