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| Elfman |
Men in Black: International: (Danny Elfman/Chris
Bacon) Someone should have erased the memories of the executives
responsible for 2019's ill-fated
Men in Black: International
before it could tarnish an otherwise admired franchise. The director
tried to quit several times. The producer assembled a different cut of
the film from that of the director. The script was changing so rapidly
that the main actors had to hire their own writers. The sociopolitical
message of the film, one involving immigration, was garbled in the
process. The two stars of the franchise are gone, leaving this fourth
entry as a bastard child of the concept, residing somewhere between
spin-off and reboot territory. Two new agents of the Men in Black
organization, the spy network protecting Earth from the hassle of alien
inhabitants mixed among native humans, chase down a plot supported by a
traitor within the agency to bring a hive of dangerous alien species to
our planet. With only a few secondary character connections to the first
three films in the franchise,
Men in Black: International is a
badly orphaned and unnecessary addition, the presence of Emma Thompson
and Liam Neeson really the only highlights. One member of the crew not
anxious to flee for the exits was composer Danny Elfman, who confesses
that he loves returning to his franchises to rework them in sequels, and
the
Men in Black film in particular, which, amazingly, netted the
composer his first Oscar nomination, is a source of much affection for
the composer. He remains a strong supporter of thematic and stylistic
continuity in the music of franchises, so he viewed his involvement with
Men in Black: International as a welcome opportunity to provide
movie-goers with familiar tunes to coincide with the new characters.
It's hard to blame Elfman for remaining attached to this series of films
in particular, even as its quality diminishes overall, for it offers him
the chance to continue developing a highly unique blend of 1960's caper
heroics, modern electronic grooves, and skittish orchestral mannerisms
in a way you really don't hear anywhere else. Aside from the humorous
ethnic diversion in "Riding a Bike," the expected equation is followed
closely here, with even a few moments of vintage Elfman mystery and
fantasy thrown in for good measure. Joining Elfman in this endeavor is
Chris Bacon, who formerly credited himself wonderfully as "Chris P.
Bacon" before endeavoring to be taken seriously in his career; Bacon has
written additional material for several Elfman scores of the
2010's.
Elfman's approach to
Men in Black: International
is largely the same as that for
Men in Black 3, which entails a
predictable result. He remains intensely loyal to his original set of
themes for the concept, the underlying chopping string motif, the
accompanying electric base accents, and the octave-hopping brass theme
over the top joined by hip percussion and ultra-cool electric guitar
performances. The opening and closing cues of
Men in Black:
International in particular offer several well-rendered performances
of the main thematic core of the franchise. Elfman rarely develops these
ideas outside of their expected arrangements, the latter half of "Red
Button" presenting the closing crescendo of the idea incredibly
faithfully. The idea is exercised by an especially wide range of funky
synthetic noises in the opening "Logos." The score concludes on a
Mars
Attacks!-sized finale for the main theme in "End Credits." There is no
theremin in this entry, but the choir is back as always, and you'll
often hear it exhaling away with the beat of the main theme. Outward
fantasy occasionally prevails, most prominently in "Like a Son." The
secondary theme for agents "J" and "K" from the previous films returns
here as well, functioning as the sentimental interlude on acoustic
guitar for the two new agents in "I Found You" and "Promotions." The
fully orchestral performance of the theme to close out the latter is a
familiar but nice touch. Unlike the previous entry, Elfman did decide to
add a single new theme for Molly Wright ("Agent M") in this film since
she is the ultimate newcomer. Don't expect the fresh material in
Men
in Black: International to overwhelm you, however. The only really
impact presence of the new thematic exploration comes in the solo boy
expression of the theme in the tested Elfman technique that reaches back
to
Beetlejuice. You can hear this idea at the opening of "Here
Comes Trouble," substantially in "Blue Giant," on woodwinds in "Ah,
Paris," and at the end of "The Truth." On the negative side, Elfman
infuses some truly insufferable action and character cues into
Men in
Black: International, led by the trio of "Viper Room," "Twins," and
"Who's That Guy?" By the end of "Where's the Weapon?," it seems that
Elfman has attempted to channel the techno atmosphere of David Arnold's
Die Another Day. Still, there are enough pleasant non-surprises
in
Men in Black: International to recommend the score to fans of
Elfman's prior work for the franchise. The album does suffer from a
terribly flat and dry recording mix, but that's in line with the
predecessors. The work is a sufficiently competent and enjoyable
supplement with about fifteen minutes of truly worthwhile material.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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| 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.
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The insert includes a list of performers but no extra information about the score or film.
