Synopsis: Now living with his uncle and attending military school with his cousin, Mark, 12-year-old Damien learns he is the Antichrist. His uncle, upon learning about past events and what really happened to his brother, is reluctant to believe the allegations against his nephew. But, as people start to die painful deaths around him, he may not have a choice.
Movie Review: Damien: Omen II (1978)
by StevenHelmer
A review of the 1978 thriller starring William Holden and Jonathan Scott-Taylor.
Who's In It?
The movie stars William Holden, Lee Grant, Jonathan Scott-Taylor, Robert Foxworth and Lucas Donat.
Review
I recently had an opportunity to watch "The Omen" for the first time in a long while and, since it proved to be entertaining, decided to watch the sequel to it too. We did that yesterday afternoon and, while not as good as the first one, was still pretty enjoyable.
The older Damien (Scott-Taylor) wasn't quite as creepy as the original one (Harvey Stephens), partly because, unlike the younger Damien, he seemed to have a few too many moments when he was a little too nice. However, this also did have its benefits because, once he did learn the truth, it wasn't clear what was going to happen next. I didn't know if he was going to embrace his role or reject it.
Adding to this was his relationship with his cousin, Mark (Donat). Since they were raised like brothers and got along even better, I wasn't sure how this would affect things. I kind of figured Mark wouldn't be OK with his cousin being the Antichrist. But, I wasn't sure if Damien would consider his cousin a threat or would care too much for him.
Another thing I liked about this movie were all the surprise Satanists that would pop up in Damien's support. This was similar to the first movie and did lead to some surprises, especially toward the end, when we learned one of them was much closer to him than originally revealed. I have to admit, I didn't see that one coming.
One thing about this movie I'm still undecided about was the decision to have some of the deaths be a little more gory than they were in the first film. They were still kept to a minimum so it didn't really detract from the movie. But, it also could have been just as good without them.
Damien: Omen II Since the sudden and highly-suspicious death of his parents, 12 year-old Damien has been in the charge of his billionaire uncle Richard Thorne (William Holden) Widely feared to ... |
Final Opinion
As I mentioned, the older Damien isn't quite as creepy as the younger one was. However, this movie was still an entertaining thriller and I'm glad I took the time to watch it.
My Grade: B
More By This Writer
Love Poems for My Wife When Steve first met Cynthia back in 2000, he knew she was the woman for him and proposed to her just three months after their first date. Married to her since 2003, he has ofte... | |
A Messy House is a Home: Poems About Love, Marriage, Parenting and Everyday Life In this companion book to "Love Poems for My Wife," Steven Helmer uses poetry to express his feelings about being a husband, a parent and about life in general. |
You might also like
Movie Review: Stage Fright (2014)A review of the 2014 thriller/musical starring Allie MacDonald and Meat Loaf.
Movie Review: Halloween (2007)A review of the 2007 remake starring Malcolm McDowell and Scout Taylor-Compton.
Movie Review: The Shadow of the Cat (1961)A review of the 1961 movie about a cat seeking revenge for the murder of her ...
Comments