Omen III: The Final Conflict – Film Review

In the canon of horror cinema, Omen III: The Final Conflict, directed by Graham Baker, certainly isn’t as divinely inspiring as it could have been. Touted as the grand culmination to a series that kicked off in stunningly effective style with 1976’s The Omen, this 1981 production sadly exhibits more the devil’s capacity for producing utter mundanity rather than tantalisingly titillating terror.

Reprising the central theme of a prophecy foretelling the second coming of Jesus Christ, juxtaposed with the malicious intent of the Antichrist Damien, Omen III: The Final Conflict in principle boasts a robust foundation. Unfortunately, a slew of debilitating weaknesses, inclusive of questionable character developments, convoluted plotting, and an often unbearably sluggish pace, significantly lessen the potency of its premise. This is what grates most: in the hands of a more dextrous director and gifted writers, the base material could have given rise to a chillingly haunting horror-drama of biblical proportions. Instead, what we are offered is a predominantly yawn-inducing iteration of the Devil incarnate.

To the film’s credit, there are several remarkable components worthy of positive discourse, perhaps none more so than the devilishly handsome Sam Neill, making a star turn in the lead role as Damien Thorn. Exuding an effortless blend of sophisticated charisma and eerie, malignant darkness, Neill singularly enhances the aura of Omen III: The Final Conflict far more than its flaccid plot or banal dialogue. The atmospheric soundtrack composed by the ever-remarkable Jerry Goldsmith similarly deserves kudos for supplementing the scarce terrifying elements of the film with an air of omnipresent foreboding.

Where the movie nose-dives dramatically is the indecisive writing that undercuts many of the plot’s more exciting moments. The plot takes unnecessary meandering detours instead of adhering to the main conflict, culminating in several cringe-inducing sequences that jarringly stick out like poorly-scripted misadventures in a storyline that demands consistent, simmering tension. The absence of memorable or captivating supporting characters significantly handicaps the film’s overall impact, resulting in Neill shouldering the lion’s share of emotional involvement, often seemingly to his detriment.

Further amplifying the sense of disappointment is the critical lack of meaningful exchanges between Damien and other characters. At no point does Damien’s megalomania reach the gripping heights of mesmerising manipulation. Instead, his monologues oscillate between generic supervillainous grandstanding and vacuous verbiage about divine doom and dystopia, neither resonating deeply with viewers nor driving home the insidious magnitude of his inherent malevolence. The climactic ending as well seems inordinately rushed, offering a remarkably tame and visually unimaginative resolution to an otherwise harrowing saga.

Perhaps the most unforgivable sin that Omen III: The Final Conflict commits, given its ostensible premise of an epic spiritual warfare between the heavenly and the demonic, is that it rarely evokes genuine horror or profound dread. Instances that are contrived to incite fear frequently result in incredulous laughter due to cheesy execution and unsophisticated scare tactics. Despite an overarching theme centred on the incarnation of Satan, Baker’s lacklustre handling of atmospheric tension or potent imagery stymies the ability to terrorise viewers.

To encapsulate, Omen III: The Final Conflict stands as a palpable missed opportunity in horror cinema. Despite Neill’s admirable portrayal and Goldsmith’s remarkable score, its preponderance of inherent shortcomings lead to a hollow culmination of an otherwise tantalising tale of unholy terror. Bereft of genuine fear and frightful delight, this instalment ultimately relegates itself to mediocrity in the echelons of horror sequels.

Whether Omen III: The Final Conflict is considered an adequate end to the saga is subjective. But it’s hardly the robust resolution the series’ startlingly sinister start had the potential to climax into. We can’t all be possessed with the divine spark of horror creativity; perhaps this lack is Damien Thorn’s most unfortunate inheritance.