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Review of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (John Williams)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... on either of the similar expanded products if you are a
dedicated collector of John Williams' albums and are interested enough
in the franchise to hear the minimal amount of unique music left off of
the 1992 commercial album.
Avoid it... on any album if you own the original Home Alone score and are less than thrilled with it, for this sequel score so blatantly reprises the previous material that it's almost a completely redundant accompaniment to the predecessor.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York: (John Williams) The
astounding box office success of Home Alone in 1990 rolled
director Chris Columbus into a predictable and mindless sequel in 1992,
largely repeating the same cartoonish action formula involving the
tirelessly irritating character of Kevin McCallister played once again
by Macaulay Culkin. While the venue for that action changed to New York
City, the same dumb crooks highlight the returning cast and, as though
to attempt to dampen the perpetual violence of the story, yet another
feel-good subplot of morality (this time involving a slightly creepy
pigeon lady) is tacked on to the film. The concept was still successful
enough to spawn another two sequels, though Home Alone 2: Lost in New
York was the final entry for the original assembly of cast and crew.
That crew once again included veteran composer John Williams, whose
affinity for franchises and working with Columbus made him an easy bet
for this project. Nominated for Academy Awards in both the "best score"
and "best song" categories for Home Alone just a year prior,
Williams used the occasion to phone in an easy assignment, largely
reprising most of the fundamental concepts he had previously explored.
Still, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York followed a movie that was a
departure for Williams. Prior to 1990, the maestro had not scored a
fluffy comedy film in decades, becoming known instead for his serious
historical dramas and flighty space-faring adventures. Nevertheless,
Home Alone was an enormous artistic success for Williams, not
only with critics and the Academy, but with his fans as well. The
sensitivity and innocent environment of holiday magic in his score and
children's songs in the first film were a side of Williams previously
unexplored by the composer in his post-Star Wars career. The work
fit surprisingly snugly with his Americana material aimed for concerts
and albums, especially the songs. When Home Alone 2: Lost in New
York was released in 1992, it was quickly realized, though, that the
entire production was essentially a remake of the original film.
The sequel formula was followed with precision, even down to Williams' score. The composer summoned the same performers once again and sent copyists away with nearly all of the first Home Alone score so it could be easily adapted into the second film. There was never any intent for the sequel score to break significant new ground. Upon listening to Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, the average Williams fan (assuming he or she is familiar with the first score) will wonder what has really changed, possibly leading to some disgruntlement. Aside from a handful of high style cues (Williams representing America's metropolitan highlights with exuberant, glittery attitude once again, the upscale trumpet work for New York itself a bit too expected) to represent the arrival of McCallister, the little dip, in New York and his subsequent experiences in the Plaza Hotel, the existing material is recycled to a considerable degree. A veteran collector of Williams's music could find the score for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York to be either an interesting study of how Williams can adapt his own music while maintaining a superior level of complexity or, alternately, an insult to the first score. For some, it won't be hard not to fall somewhere in between the two ways of thinking. Indeed, the sequel work has nearly the entire first score embedded within it. Williams tries so hard to insert every measure of Home Alone into this score that you sometimes hear the orchestra laboriously attempting to change the key of a cue in order to accommodate the cut and paste job that follows. No better of an example of this tactic is the re-use of the "Preparing the Trap" cue, which stood out with its electronic rhythm in the first film and will definitely get your attention this time around when Williams has to tap dance his way from a previous cue into the wholesale restatement of "Preparing the Trap" by awkwardly shifting key. Sadly, the perpetual feeling of lazy repetition causes the score to lose some of its magic, and no new combination of similar Williams' songs and Leslie Bricusse's lyrics can top the original. Because of this rather intriguing cut and paste approach for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, the score remains a curious entry into his career. Williams usually takes such great care to alter his sequel works to stand on their own, so to hear otherwise is indeed quite disappointing, especially given his personal affinity for the predecessor. At the time of the film's debut, the score was released on a single Fox album (opposite an obligatory song offering), and that first score CD was dominated, unfortunately, by all of the most prominent note-for-note sections of re-use. That product eventually fell out of print and, after spending a few years as an easy find in used-CD bins, fetched prices upwards of $100. The same fate would eventually befall a limited 2-CD treatment of the score from Varèse Sarabande in late 2002. The expanded Club series entry presented the entirety of Williams' original efforts for the film, including some of his more unique material for the sequel. And yet, with so much of the music on the 2-CD set still so familiar to the first score, one must scratch his head and wonder why this work (of all the possibilities) received Varèse's most thorough level of treatment. For the avid Williams fan, though, it must be said that it is a treat to hear the alternative cues (especially for the airport sequence) and the bonus performances of "Angels with Filthy Souls." The presentation of music on the Varèse version is overwhelming in its completeness, though the more important reason to investigate this set is due to the issue of sound quality, which is noticeably improved compared to the original album. That 1992 Fox product was processed incorrectly from a second-generation master, diminishing the dynamic range of the presentation. The same remastering featured on the 2002 album was resurrected in late 2012 by La-La Land Records to allow the score another round of availability. This 2-CD set is identical to the Varèse product in its presentation of the actual original score, but it adds a few minor source cues at the end. Overall, unless you are a dedicated collector of Williams' albums, there really isn't an overwhelming need to seek the 2012 edition of this score unless you missed the 2002 release, which became a top collectible after selling out. Had Williams chosen, as he usually does, to infuse this sequel with a strong new theme to accompany the old material, then maybe Home Alone 2: Lost in New York would survive on its own merits. Unfortunately, it's a rare failure by Williams to add fresh magic and identity to his work, and it could easily be skipped in all of its album forms.
TRACK LISTINGS:
1992 Fox Album:
Total Time: 63:31
2002 Varèse Sarabande Album: Total Time: 100:05
* Previously unreleased ** Contains previously unreleased material 2012 La-La Land Album: Total Time: 112:24
* previously unreleased
NOTES & QUOTES:
The 1992 Fox album's insert includes no extra information about the score or
film. The expanded limited edition Varèse Sarabande set, though, has the
Club series' usual standard of excellent, in-depth analysis of the score and
film. Similar notation is available in the insert of the 2012 La-La Land set.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York are Copyright © 1992, 2002, 2012, Fox Records, Varèse Sarabande, La-La Land Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 9/24/96 and last updated 3/2/13. |
