Sometimes, you wonder why people bother.

Just watched the remake of The Omen. And it has to be said, it wasn't great.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that bad. Mildly diverting and not a bad choice when you have a bit of a hangover. But you have to wonder why the spent millions making that film when they could just have re-released the original.

A remake does not have to be bad, although they often are. However those that do well and become regarded as classic films in their own right, such as The Fly and Dawn of the Dead, actually try to do something with the source material, rather than just slavishly following it. Sadly, The Omen remake just reproduces the original film. And drops the ball everytime it tries to do outdo the original. Liev Schreiber is a poor substitute for Gregory Peck, just as David Thewlis is a second rate David Warner. Mia Farrow does her best to live up to Billie Whitelaw, and the scence where she murders Mrs Thorn is one of the few chilling moments in the film (partly because, unlike so much of the rest of the film, it is understated and menacing rather than overblown and hysterical). The deaths are not as good as in the original - sure, they look more convincing but because you know they are coming they lose so much of the spectacle, and the director goes for making the deaths more brutal, rather than more surprising. Also, the few moments of originality - such as the sub Da Vinci code scenes with the Pope and the immolation of the Ambassador - add nothing to the film.

The original film isn't a classic, but it comes close. The remake is curiously pointless - I know it made money, but it just seemles soulless and workmanlike.

Also watched Superman Returns today. About 45 minutes too long and it could have done with being a Batman Begins/Casino Royale reboot, but it was definitely worth watching.