For enthusiasts of John Williams' redefinition of
fantasy and adventure music during the height of his career, Giacchino's
approach to
John Carter will be a pleasure to hear. Few composers
were allowed to dominate films with shamelessly melodic and massively
orchestral music in the 2000's, and such emotional sentimentality was
clearly the intent here. It helps that Giacchino was once considered a
possible clone of Williams back in the days of his "Medal of Honor"
video game scores; while he largely abandoned that emulation after his
transition to television and cinema, the composer finally returns to
resurrect some of that Indiana Jones character once again for this
context. To lesser degrees, you also encounter influences from Maurice
Jarre (who unintentionally seems to have defined the sound of sweeping
desert vistas on any planet) and James Horner (whose common use of
"hanging," anticipatory bass notes resolving a few beats late is
utilized several times in this work). The scope of the score is broad
but conventional, using orchestra and choir in standard methodology for
most of the score's duration. Exotic solo vocals and spicy percussive
flavoring are afforded to the civilizations of Mars, offering some of
the most intriguing moments of music in the film. The orchestra is the
centerpiece, however, and Giacchino wastes little time exercising to
define the score's main themes with grandeur. Two themes dominate the
work, the first for the primary character (and the general adventure
mode) and the second for Princess Dejah and their relationship. These
ideas are woven into nearly every corner of the score, each suggested
when not obviously called for and performed by conflicted sets of
instrumentation to denote conflict and/or conquest. The main theme is a
rollicking affair introduced in full near the outset of "Get Carter,"
stated with heroic brass layers and prefaced by the Williams-typical
pulsating bass string rhythms. The progressions of this idea are vaguely
reminiscent of
Lawrence of Arabia, soliciting the aforementioned
Jarre connections. Its tempo resides closer to the swashbuckler domain,
however, easily applying the melody to whipping and roaring action
sequences later in the film. Giacchino cleverly adapts the theme to the
instrumentation of Mars with increasing saturation as the score
progresses, pitting it in sonic battle with the percussion of the
warring species and eventually stating it fully in the choral spirit of
the planet's softer tones in "Thernabout." The translation of the theme
into a full-blooded waltz for the comedic "Gravity of the Situation" is
a surprising highlight and a great exhibit of the composer's sense of
humor.
The love theme in
John Carter will be blindingly
obvious to Giacchino collectors in each of its performances because of
its adherence to progressions and instrumentation nearly identical to a
pivotal theme from the "Lost" television series. Teased out in "Thark
Side of Barsoom," this theme flourishes with melodrama in "A Change of
Heart" and poignantly punctuates the end of "Not Quite Finished." It
joins the main theme in anchoring the meaty second half of "John Carter
of Mars." Giacchino's secondary melodies for the various species and
interests on Mars are not stated as clearly for suite purposes, but his
integration of these representations is equally impressive. The themes,
which range from hopeful three-note phrases to domineering five-note
fanfares, cover the spectrum of the planet's peoples and their
conflicting motives. The quasi-religious end is covered in the flowing
theme of "The Blue Light Special" (repeated in the mid-section of "John
Carter of Mars") while the militaristic alternative is handled with
brass figures of dread over Giacchino's usual infusion of creative
percussion sounds, in this case emphasizing metallic clicking and
clanging. The composer keeps the score fresh by constantly rotating
between these themes, and it always helps to have a core of robust
action cues of Williams-like style. The pair of "The Prize is Barsoom"
and "The Fight for Helium" are a highly engaging and enjoyable pinnacle
to the action featuring the main theme, the latter even referring back
to the waltz sequence for a moment. Few moments of outright dissonance
(usually reserved for crescendos and stingers at the ends of cues in
"Lost" style) exist in
John Carter, making its listening
experience on album a smooth one. The lengthy sequences of easily
digestible, tonal calm or light suspense, including nearly the entire
post-battle storyline at the end of the film, are worth noting for their
Up-like sincerity. The final cue confirms that Giacchino's
primary themes are memorable enough to anchor a trilogy, should Disney
decide to take the chance. The score as a whole is extremely enjoyable,
and skeptics of the sometimes deadening, muted mix of the composer's
work by Dan Wallin will be relieved by a more vibrant presentation here
(though reverb is still too diminished for a fantasy score of this
size). The weaknesses of the work relate to its somewhat muddy
enunciations of its Mars-related secondary themes and a seeming
inability by Giacchino to nail the narrative flow of the story through
satisfying transitions (with an extended sense of anticipation). A more
clearly delineated suite of all the themes would have been merited as
well. The level of Williams' story-telling mastery is constantly
suggested but remains an arm's length away. Still, it's a romp of a
score that touches upon several of the composer's best attributes with
dynamic enthusiasm.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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