Narnia: Prince Caspian [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
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Free Music Notes for Narnia: Prince Caspian [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
Free Music Review: A New (and Old) Narnia
Hit: 4 Stars
This soundtrack of "Prince Caspian" makes for a near-seamless combination of the familiar themes of the first movie and the new, darker themes of the second. Unlike the first score, this one is more homogenous: the first featured the dramatic opening of "The Blitz, 1940" as well as the joyful, calming pieces of "Evacuating London," "Lucy Meets Mr. Tumnus," and "The Wardrobe." However, the more dramatic themes of "A Narnia Lullaby," "From Western Woods to Beaversdam" and "The Stone Table" found a place alongside the stirring last two pieces of the score, "The Battle" and "Only the Beginning of the Adventure." In short, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" had a greater variety of style than "Caspian." However, this does not affect my opinion of this CD, because the movie itself ("Caspian") is different from the first, and having its own, unique score certainly cannot be held against it.
As mentioned, themes featured in the first score are harmoniously combined in the second: we hear familiar echoes of the heroic themes featured in the first battle in the second; the themes featured during the battles with the White Witch are subtly reprised in "Sudden Sorcery and Vengance." However, there is no shortage of new themes: "Prince Caspian Flees," "Miraz Crowned," and "Journey to the How" all feature the unique features of "Caspian."
The only reason I didn't give this soundtrack 5 stars was the ending of the last score: like the movie, the score fades into nothingness (without the audience realizing it), and Regina Spektor's "The Call" enters in a somewhat blunt and heavy-handed [and nearly comical] fashion. (This is unlike the score from the first, in which the score was neatly concluded before the lyrical tracks began.)
This soundtrack is an excellent buy for anyone who enjoyed the score when watching "Caspian;" as with most scores, when listened to on their own, a greater appreciation for the movie may come about.
Free Music Review: Yes, not entirely original, but still excellent!
Hit: 4 Stars
I tend to agree with the reviewer who gave this two stars, but I still feel this work is a vast improvement over the first score. While the above mentioned reviewer could not seem to discover the soundtrack's theme, I have figured it out, although it is quite unmemorable and unnoticeable beneath everything that's going on in the work. I would have to honestly say that about 70 - 75 % of this score is simply reused material from the first. The changes in these sections from the Narnia 1 soundtrack could be as small as a different orchestration, or a couple new underlying percussion parts, but overall, a lot of the reused material seems as if Gregson-Williams copied and pasted the music from the first soundtrack. But here's where my personal opinion really comes into play; I feel, although the score is somewhat lacking, it is very, very well-done, nevertheless, and all the reused parts will likely fit very well, and will keep the listener/viewer in tune with the fact that this is still Narnia, even though the landscape and characters have changed a bit. I think this soundtrack does indeed have some great potential, but alas, we shall have to wait for the movie to truly see! I really wanted to give this five stars. But, without enough new ear candy, I really can't do that. If I remember correctly, I gave (or will give?) the first Narnia soundtrack a five star review; but, in my book, this soundtrack is much, much better than the first one! It's just for lack of any real new thematic material that I give this four stars. However, if you have not bought any of the Narnia soundtracks as of yet, go for this one! It is the best of the two!Free Music Review: A FINE SOUNDTRACK, WITH A COUPLE OF DRAWBACKS
Hit: 4 Stars
The soundtrack to the second Narnia film, "Prince Caspian," is a fine addition to the music created for the adaptation of C.S. Lewis' fantasy adventure. Harry Gregson-Williams, who delivered a truly fantastic score for "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," returns to deliver a score for this film. While this features some great new material, it's mostly a rehash of his previous work. Also, since the music had to be cut down, and some music cues had to be left out entirely, to fit into a 70+ minute CD, a good portion of Williams' new material was left off. But this is still a fine score, and enjoyable to listen to.
As for the four songs at the end of the CD, they're hit-and-miss. Regina Spektor's "The Call" is very beautiful, while Switchfoot's "This is Home" is fantastic. The other two songs, Oren Lavie's "A Dance 'Round the Memory Tree," and Hanne Hukkelberg's "Lucy" are not only disappointing, but annoying as well.
If you don't own the first Narnia soundtrack, then this is a good one to own. However, if you do own the previous one, then you will not need to own this one. Though it is a fine score, it mostly rehashes the original work. Fortunately, composer David Arnold ("Independence Day," "Amazing Grace") will be replacing Williams as composer for the next Narnia film, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." Based on previous work, his score should be remarkable.
Grade: B
Free Music Review: Album gets 3 stars, Music in the actual film 5 stars!
Hit: 4 Stars
Unfortunately this album suffers from a problem... Fitting 2 hours and 20-something odd minutes into a CD. The result... Not everything makes it. and unfortunately the soundtrack sounds like a rehash of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Hardy ANY of the new material that Harry came up with appears on the soundtrack CD release! Instead the put on those stupid pop songs... Why, I don't know, but its a shame.
The music as it sounds IN the movie, beginning to (almost)the end, is an improvement over the first film! And that's saying something because I was a BIG fan of the music for the first one! The score seems to be more in depth, darker, and has more substance than Lion,Witch and Wardrobe. The new themes for Caspian down to everyones favorite mouse, Reepicheep, were outstanding! And sadly whoever put together this soundtrack, felt that there was no room for the NEW material. So what we get are all the cues where the previous soundtrack is often times quoted Directly, and one feels that this is nothing but a rehash...
So, The music itself written for and in the movie - *****
The music as it appears on the album - ***
Free Music Review: Darker More Driven Music than the First Flm
Hit: 4 Stars
Prince Caspian was scored by Harry Gegson-Williams. While it definately has a familiar feel to it, the music is bigger and darker than the score from the first film. The childlike innocence that permeated the first score is gone, it is replaced with a more mature theme representing Caspian & his people. The secondary themes show up creating a huge amount of emotion. I wanted to hear the main Narnia theme which was in the movie but not on the cd. That was the main problem. Too little of the score was on the cd, for example you never hear Reepicheep's theme at all. There is just too much left out & I'm not thrilled with the songs either. They don't match the movie very well. So while it is a good cd to listen too, it's not as good as the first one. Perhaps if they came out with a complete score like they did for Lord of the Rings, it would be good.