Review by Leonard Norwitz
Studio:
Theatrical: 20th Century Fox
Blu-ray: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Disc:
Region: A
Runtime: 1:46:51
Chapters: 20
Feature
Size: 32.6 GB
Case: Lightweight Gatefold Case, with Slipcover
Release date: October 7th, 2008
Video:
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Resolution: 1080p
Video codec: AVC @ 36 MBPS
Audio:
English DTS HD 5.1 Master Audio. Original English Mono,
Dub: Spanish & French mono.
Subtitles:
English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean
Extras:
• Feature Commentary by Producer Harvey Bernhard with
DVD Producer J.M. Kenney (sp?)
• Theatrical Trailer in 4:3 SD
The Movie: 6
Damien: Omen II opens where the original movie ended.
Young Damien is orphaned after having killed his
adoptive mother and after her husband was, in turn,
killed by police in the act of attempting to dispatch
Damien in a ritual murder to prevent his becoming the
Antichrist. Damien, for his part, has been only vaguely
aware of his role in all this.
Robert Thorn's brother, Richard (William Holden), takes
on the job of surrogate parent to Damien, along with his
second wife, Ann (Lee Grant). Damien (Jonathan
Scott-Taylor), now on the eve of puberty, bonds warmly –
and for the time being, innocently, with Richard's son,
Mark, as they prepare for a life at the Military
Academy. As in the first Omen, Damien has his protectors
who
help guide him into full consciousness of his
birthright, if not his actual mission, with the usual
body count by mysterious and always brutal deaths of
those that might present impediments.
I find a queer cynicism, even a certain unintended
humor, in the second installment, as it becomes all too
clear to me, though not to the various victims, that
their fervent Christian faith ("To save yourself, you
must accept Jesus as your savior") does them no good
whatever. The Evil One's power is not stayed by the
grasping of a crucifix or by a belief in the power of
Christ. There is a foregone conclusion to this tale -
like the way the Lone Ranger always defeats the bad guy
while remaining unscathed – that no matter how anyone
feels, or what he or she does or believes, Evil will win
out. . . that is, until the Lord of Darkness is pitted
against the Prince of Light. . . but that's another
story.
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were ripped directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
Image:
6/8
The first number indicates a relative level of
excellence compared to other Blu-ray video discs on a
ten-point scale. The second number places this image
along the full range of DVD and Blu-ray discs.
Don't be alarmed by the opening image of a North African
coastal skyline. It's one of the most indistinct shots
on Blu-ray, but it soon gives way to an acceptable image
for most of the rest of the movie. The image quality
seems to me to be consistent with what I would expect a
good print to look like in the theatre, probably much
better. Black levels and contrast are good, if not
nearly as punchy nor as sharp or as highly resolved as
recent movies. Joan Hart's red collar (when she attempts
to interview Richard) has very little distinction
despite that bit rates are in the upper 30s here and
throughout.
CLICK EACH
BLU-RAY
CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio & Music:
5/7
As with the first Omen movie, Fox offers both the
original mono and a 5.1 DTS HD-MA mix. In this case, I
prefer the original. I began with the DTS track and well
into the movie I switched to mono. I found the mono more
focused, clearer and sometimes even fuller. In the
couple of places where surround channels would have been
a plus, for example when taps was played in a bugle
duet,
nothing was gained in the DTS mix. Goldsmith is still on
board for the music, but he lacks the spirit, shall we
say, he had for the first movie.
Operations:
2
I took off 3 points for the worst packaging I've seen
for a Blu-ray set. The outer sleeve, which is the same
height as a standard DVD package, is thin – that's not
uncommon, but the gatefold that holds the discs is an
embarrassment to the industry – hardly double the
thickness of the thin outer sleeve, with the cheesiest
disc holders ever. Another thing I had trouble with was
that when I selected the desired scene from the menu
while the movie was playing, the scene came up but the
menu persisted. Why? Everything else went well. Disc
loads quickly with no previews or promos.
Extras:
3
Harvey Bernhard is the producer of the first three Omen
movies. His remembrances, sporadic and lazily told, are
of some interest. Not least, that the storylines for the
two sequels were considered together and almost
immediately after the first movie was completed. I found
this surprising considering how much like the first
movie in many ways is Omen II, but how much unlike it is
to Omen III. I am suspicious of the so-called
"theatrical trailer" which is displayed in terrible
quality 4:3 SD.
Bottom line:
6
Considering the price of this collection, the
presentation is inexcusable. That said, the discs
themselves are all very good in terms of both image and
sound. It's nice that the first two movies retain the
original mono option. At the moment, only the first
movie is available separately, so the "Collection" is
the only option for any of the other movies in HD.
Leonard Norwitz
October 9th, 2008