Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
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Free Music Notes for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Free Music Review: Indy's Song
Hit: 5 Stars
John Williams is as consistent in this score as any movie score before. The sound matches the big screen presentation. A great classical piece of work.Free Music Review: Masterpiece!
Hit: 5 Stars
Had the perfect bland of classic Indy tones mixed with the sci fi element the movie provided!Free Music Review: Nostalgia saves Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Hit: 4 Stars
Who could ever forget watching Raiders Of The Lost Ark for the first time? May it be on TV or tape, DVD, or if you were one of the lucky people having seen it upon its initial release, the sheer fun and entertainment never wears off - and neither does John Williams timeless music. The Raiders March, the driving ostinato or the first few trumpet notes, are at least as famous as the Star Wars main titles.
And while the rest of the three original scores is generally not popular with the public, they still remain the epitome of adventure music.
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was produced in a different time and zeitgeist, and even though Spielberg's direction has changed, George Lucas is a shadow of his former self, and John Williams went through several phases since The Last Crusade was written, they produced a thoroughly entertaining adventure romp, which I doubt was intended to capture the magic of the originals.
Indeed, I can only second what Roger Ebert has to say about it: you cannot compare KotCS to any movie but the first three, since they dwell in a universe of their own.
Not only that, John Williams lives in a league of his own as well.
For KotCS, he wanted to capture some atmosphere of 30s sci-fi movies to match the intention of Steven Spielberg. This approach is clearly audible in "Call Of The Crystal", the theme for the Skull. The primary theme is indeed a reversed version of the Ark theme of the original Raiders movie. It is instantly recognisable, but lacks some punch and, most surprising for a Williams theme, does not encourage repeated listens. The secondary theme for the skull, an ominous and almost seducing oboe piece, is far more enticing.
"Irina's Theme" is exactly what the title says - a lush, sexy, almost erotic theme for Cate Blanchett's villain role. It is not a romantic theme in the way Marions theme or Willie's theme were, nor does it have their lasting effect on the mind, but it is a piece of music that can hold its ground in the grand Indy soundscape.
"Mutt's Theme" flows in the same tone of "Scherzo For Motorcycle and Orchestra" or at least tries to. And I have to say that I find it immensely welcome that John Williams is one of the few composers who actually dare to write a character theme like Mutt's without any intention of adding drama or gravitas. It is a careless, adventurous theme for a character of the same qualities.
The first half of the album is very strong, with all the concert pieces, and cues like "Snake Pit" which are just a joy to listen to.
In the second half, however, the listenability plummets dramatically. Once we get to the action and chase music towards the finale, Williams abandons nods to his early style completely and ventures into his most recent one. I am sorry but his modern action music is just not engaging, and also not very listenable. That his Crystal Skull theme is not very strong thematic material to work with does not help either.
The album closes with a fantastic 9 minute end credit suite that matches any of the first three easily - Williams twists the Raiders March towards the end ingeniusly.
In the end, the first 10 tracks of the album make for an extremely great listen. Unfortunately, these include three concert suites and a re--recording of the Raiders March, which are bound to entertain. The quality of these cues is never picked up again after that, until the very end with "Departure" and "Finale", since the ominous material and action writing in between suffers from "Williams 2000" aimlessness.
The inclusion of old Raiders material in "Journey To Akator", "The Spell Of The Skull" and "Finale" is quite irritating, and robs the score of potential highlights.
On the other hand, you can't help but feel extremely good hearing this again, newly recorded, in a new context.
Truth be told, you'd need several ratings for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; for an Indiana Jones score in the old fashion, it is far too unmemorable and modern to hold its ground to its predecessors. As a "standard" John Williams adventure score, it does superbly well.
And in comparison to other film scores, it stands head to shoulders above them anyway.
Free Music Review: Indiana Jones is back! And so is his music!
Hit: 4 Stars
The score to "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is a worthy entry into the series' pantheon of film music.
Notable Tracks: The "Raiders March" is as inspiring and rousing a piece of film music ever composed. "The Call of the Crystal" introduces one of the film's new motifs, a three-note string repetition that builds with a tenuous flute progression. This is an understated and atmospheric piece, obviously meant to build tension and suggest a great mystery. Is it a piece you will hum? No. But it has structure and a presence that is actually pretty diverse (when it shows up in later tracks) given its simplicity. Other notable pieces: "The Adventures of Mutt", "The Snake Pit" and "A Whirl Through Academe" are whimsical pieces reminiscent of the motorcycle music from "The Last Crusade." "Irinia's Theme" is a string-heavy romantic piece, with a down-tone to suggest evil! "The Spell of the Skull" repeats the "Map Room" theme from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (which raises an eyebrow and wonders if there is a direct connection to the Lost Ark of the Covenant happening in this new movie). One of the bigger surprises is "The Journey to Akator" which midway thru breaks into an indigenous arrangement of South American music (full-on tropical dance stuff). "Return" is a repeat of the "Crystal Skull" theme, this time sounding more cohesive and focused. The film's more traditional creepy-crawlies action music blends together mostly, sounding more incidental and less like concert music (these selections include "Grave Robbers", "Secret Doors and Scorpions" and "Ants!"). "The Jungle Chase" is structured almost identically to pieces from past Indiana Jones scores, and its quite rousing. "Hidden Treasure and The City of Gold" is another satisfying piece, suggesting a great discovery takes place by the track's end. "Temple Ruins and The Secret Revealed" has an excellent version of the Crystal Skull motif. At this point in the score, the Crystal Skull motif has evolved from a delicate suggestion into a big, classic Hollywood-style theme (a la Bernard Herrmann's work on Hitchcock's films). And then there's the "Finale" which starts with "Marion's Theme" from the "Raiders" score and then moves to the classic "Raider's March" to other motifs (Mutt's theme, Irinia's theme) and closing on the traditional Indy ending (with a little pop at the end).
In the end, this is a very enjoyable score. There's enough nostalgia to satisfy our memories of 20-plus years ago, and the new music blends in perfectly as well. It's really difficult to "rate" scores by John Williams as he does operate on a different level from other composers. And usually, people will rank his work against himself, which may be unfair. Bottom line: if you enjoy this type of music, get this score.
Free Music Review: If you're any kind of fan of John Williams, this is a must own...if not...maybe itunes
Hit: 4 Stars
Well I must say it has been a long two and a half years since the last score by John Williams...Steven Spielberg's Munich. Since then, we've heard variations of previous score franchises such as Superman Returns, and Harry Potter. However, it's just not the same as an actual John Williams score. For two years, we've had to hear the numerous poisonous score from Remote Control Scoring...and now we have a chance to clean the speakers out, with some good, old fashion orchestral music, roaring through at you in the audience. Does this score live up to this hype?
In my opinion it does. It's not something I'm jumping over, the last score I did that was Jurassic Park. However, it is a nice, light, fun score, that somehow puts a smile on my face everytime i hear it, despite its flaws.
The good: If you're into complex, orchestral, rhythmic style of action cue writing, pieces you cannot predict, like myself, then this score is a real treat. Such cues as "A Whirl through Academe," "The Jungle Chase," and "Ants," and "The Adventures of Mutt," will be a lot of fun for you to listen to. If you like omnious, and tense atmospheric writing, complex, yet effective, this is the score for you. If you like the nostalgia of reoccuring themes from old such as "Raiders March," "Marion's theme," and "Keeping up with the Joneses (though not on the soundtrack...only in the film)"...then this is a score to buy
The Flaws: Is it blasphemous to say a John Williams score has flaws? In any event, this score, like the script to the film, has a few clunky flaws...though not many, are painfully obvious when they occur. One, is that John Williams must be studying the habits of James Horner these last two years...for there are literal copy and pastes in this score from "War of the Worlds" and "The Lost World Jurassic Park." Though these rips are not quite copy and paste in the literal sense, Williams has taken exact motifs from these films, and elaborated...however, these elaborations (such as trumpet 32 note licks, not found in the prior films...or slight change in the rhythm) don't hide the obvious flaw.
Overall, though if you're any kind of John Williams or Indiana Jones fan, this score is a must buy. You'll smile from ear to ear from start to finish, despite the flaws. If you like complex musically grammer and writing, this score like everyother Williams score is a must own...but if you're just interested about it for the next twenty minutes...save your money and get it on itunes.