"The First Omen" approaches the whole franchise in much the same way as George Lucas did with his "Star Wars" prequels (1999-2005). Lucas took some ideas which had only been hinted at in the dialogue and then he simply expanded upon them. The "Omen" film which emerges here using this same method has been superbly directed by Arkasha Stevenson and it does manage to create a particularly threatening atmosphere which is allowed to subtly develop from the very beginning and then it gradually comes to the forefront and eventually permeates everything by the end. The idea of a sinister conclave existing within the church and working its own agenda is a magnificent concept and it has been marvellously used here with deeply disturbing results. However, it is somewhat unfortunate this film also resembles "To The Devil A Daughter" (1976) at least in the beginning. This realisation hits home almost as soon as Margaret makes her first appearance on screen and the moment of revelation which comes much later on has no real impact at all because of it.
