Thursday, October 20, 2005

Omen IV: The Awakening


(1991) **1/2

And then there were four... I went into this movie with the same attitude I'd have if I was getting serious dental work done. I knew I would lie down, things were gonna suck for a while, and then it would be all over. The subtitle "The Awakening" to me means "a New Beginning" which also means "We Ain't Got Shit So We're Gonna Rewrite the Original and Hope No One Notices".

Part IV introduces us to a wealthy lawyer couple - Karen and Gene, who adopt a bouncing baby girl named Delia. Then we get a time elapsed montage indicating years of relative tranquility. It's not until she is 8 years old when her evil tendencies reveal themselves. Using the original as a blueprint, it's not too tough to see where it's all headed. Anyone who gets close to the truth about Delia's true identity gets disposed of in a predictable "unexpected" tragedy.

This one earns "adequate" status because Delia has more in common with the Bad Seed than Damien. She succeeds in being very unlikeable by being rude, arrogant, and an all around little shit. She also exudes a smug sense of self satisfaction whenever someone is killed. Best of all, her poor acting skills actually work in favor of the film because it makes you hate her that much more. It comes oh-so-close to pulling through in the end but then just fizzles.

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