 |
| Elfman |
Fifty Shades Darker: (Danny Elfman) Should one
blame the author or the filmmakers for this completely unnecessary
sequel? While writer E.L. James' best-selling
Fifty Shades of
Grey was an original hit sensation that translated some of its
intense sexual controversy to the big screen in a popular 2015
adaptation, her sequel books meandered into the lesser territory of
standard suspense. That diminishment into a comparatively mundane soap
opera realm yielded a universally panned sequel film in 2017's
Fifty
Shades Darker, though that didn't stop the women of the world from
continuing to make the concept a financial success. The troubled lovers
Christian Grey and Ana Steele reunite and take their relationship far
beyond just the kink of the contract in the first story, throwing other
former lovers of Grey, the sexually abusive boss of Steele, and physical
harm to Grey himself into a marginally sordid but mostly stupid stew of
plot twists that further illuminate why Ms. Steele needs to survey her
Seattle surroundings for better life options. Alas, there is weapons
fire, a crashing helicopter, vehicle damage, and a villain preparing to
exact revenge in 2018's
Fifty Shades Freed, all the ingredients
for a cheap made-for-television affair. But along for the ride at the
very least is Danny Elfman, whose music for
Fifty Shades of Grey
was an amusing exploration of how the composer handled the kinkiness and
associated orgasmic behaviors. It was a surprisingly fluid and
intelligent score, offering several accessible highlights rooted in
Elfman's softer instrumental techniques. The composer, along with
ghostwriter David Buckley (who provided some of the more memorable music
to the predecessor), are at a comparative disadvantage with
Fifty
Shades Darker given that the sequel film handles more marquee
scenes, including all of the outright sex, with song placements, leaving
Elfman in a lesser role here. The composer thus doesn't have the ability
to really develop his more obvious coitus ideas in the sequel, instead
servicing the ever-complicated character relationships with thematic
connectivity and occasional suspense cues as the story indeed darkens.
The resulting score espouses fewer of the outright highlights of its
predecessor but remains a relatively smooth listening experience.
The ambiance of
Fifty Shades Darker remains
mostly familiar, Elfman retaining roughly the same performance ensemble
from the prior entry. Guitars, keyboards, electric base, percussion, and
strings are primary, with synthetic elements and female vocals offering
occasional color. The tone of the work is still watery by intent, soft
and dreamy in the majority of its cues. The suspense moments, from the
tepid dissonance of "Bathroom Encounter" to the outright action of
"Chopper Crash," are not where Elfman really earns his pay in
Fifty
Shades Darker. Rather, the most intriguing aspect of this score is
its continued development and reassignment of thematic ideas from the
first film, though don't always expect these attributions to make total
sense. The rhythmic minor-third figures emerge once again as the
backbone of the score, often conveyed by guitar in ways more subtle than
the choppier strings of the previous score. The two themes for the leads
are utilized heavily in this work, though the application of Ana's theme
is oddly more nebulous. One gets the impression that Elfman's theme for
her in the first score may not have been assigned to the character at
all; instead, it may represent any woman who is submissive to (or lays
claim to) Christian. His theme, meanwhile, gets the better workout in
Fifty Shades Darker, from the "Nightmare" sequence at the
beginning to its most important expression in "On His Knees" and its
resolution at the end of "Dossiers." This rising, rhythmic trio of notes
is easy counterpoint for Elfman to insert just about anywhere in the
score, and it seemingly plays a bigger role than Ana'a theme in forming
the personality of the love theme that usurps the main identity of the
franchise and develops in this score to its main performance in
"Announcement." Listeners expecting the more quirky Elfman thematic
element receive its reprise in "Making it Real," along with "On His
Knees," the score's memorable passages. You have to give credit to
Elfman for keenly developing his themes throughout this score; they are
almost omnipresent. But the reduced duties of the score in
Fifty
Shades Darker leave it with fewer outward highlights to appreciate
outside of the larger narrative work. There are missed opportunities for
true trilogy development in the score, the lack of an increasingly
prevalent, ominous motif for Ana's boss a disappointment in setting up
the next entry. Still, this score is a pleasant and smart continuation
of ideas from its predecessor despite the clear spotting session
limitations placed upon it.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
| Bias Check: |
For Danny Elfman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.12
(in 95 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.26
(in 154,830 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
|
The insert includes a list of performers but no extra information about the score or film.
