Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #712
Written 4/29/06
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Buy it... if you are invigorated by cute and sometimes explosive
animation scores that rank high on energy meter.
Avoid it... if you shun parody scores in the genre, or expect the
music to offer a memorable identity that lasts after it's finished
playing.
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| Powell |
Ice Age: The Meltdown: (John Powell) Movies like
this exist to remind all of us how expensive kids can really be, not to
mention how much time you have to spend sitting with them through
suspect kiddie sequel films. In its strengths and weaknesses, the
original Ice Age film from 2002 exhausted the story it needed to
tell, but that didn't stop Fox from resurrecting the same characters for
a tired, but fiscally safe sequel. If it weren't for Scrat the
sabertooth squirrel, Ice Age: The Meltdown would offer absolutely
nothing of worth, but luckily for parents, the squirrel's role is
expanded in the sequel as it continues to chase after that ever elusive
acorn. Never mind that the original Oak tree is nowhere to be seen, not
to mention the leap of logic that requires us to believe that the same
mammoth, sloth, and tiger would see both the beginning and end of an ice
age... animators might as well have hidden images of dollar bills into
the frames of animation. As expected, though, despite unenthusiastic
critical reviews, Ice Age: The Meltdown has grossed nicely for
Fox, a studio still attempting to break into the blockbuster animation
genre. These attempts in the modern age go back to Anastasia in
the late 1990's, and through the first Ice Age, the composer of
choice for the studio's animated division was the capable David Newman.
Director Carlos Saldanha from Ice Age then worked with the more
ambitious John Powell for Robots in 2005, and that collaboration
has extended to Ice Age: The Meltdown. It's difficult to say
whose style suits these films better, though it's much easier to declare
both composers competent in the genre. Powell's music seems to be more
flamboyant and heavier on the percussion, likely due to his graduation
from the drum pad school of Media Ventures. Newman's score for the
original doesn't stand out as anything memorable several years later,
and Powell understandably establishes his own themes and styles for the
sequel score.
One of the more remarkable aspects of Powell's music
for this,
Robots, and some of his earlier collaborations with
Harry Gregson-Williams, is how much energy and noise he can generate
without giving the listener an overall, unique impression of the work.
It ranges from pleasantly rambling to explosively rambunctious, always
tonal and easy on the ears, and yet it seems curiously devoid of a
strong identity. This aspect isn't due to performance quality or
thematic integrity, however, for Powell accomplishes both. The title
theme introduced in the opening cue is provided with significant force
in the action cues that populate the film's latter half. Likewise, the
ensemble is impressive in the same scope of size as in many of
Gregson-Williams' scores. The group is expansive and features a handful
of singers to augment a few magic points here and there. Powell's
percussion and electronic programming invigorate the pace of
Ice Age:
The Meltdown, and are mixed well enough so they don't overwhelm the
other players. A dry mixing quality in sound detracts from some of the
more powerful percussive moments, such as the triumphant cue "Mammoths."
Powell inserts more personality into parody cues than Newman did, with
"CPR" and "Into the Sunset," among others, incorporating Western or
ethnic rhythms and motifs. The title theme lends itself well to jazzy
swings in its performance, making the final "Meltdown" cue a highlight
of the album. On album,
Ice Age: The Meltdown features the songs
performed by characters in the film, including a cute twist on a Lionel
Bart song, and while these songs are genuinely creative, they're not
readily listenable. An hour of music from Powell's work here seems to
labor in parts, and if several of the conversational background cues in
the first half of the album had been omitted, the shorter running time
would likely have improved the product's ability to sustain a mood, and,
more importantly, your interest. Powell does accomplish a score that
takes a small step above the usual formulaic approach that would
probably have sufficed for the genre, but still doesn't quite capture
the kind of enticing style that helps
Chicken Run retain its
popularity.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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Bias Check:
For John Powell reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.31
(in 51 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.16
(in 52,894 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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