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PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (Alan Silvestri)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you have appreciated Alan Silvestri's varied
contribution to this franchise in the past but have waited for an entry
to finally fulfill some of the promise that these scores have
occasionally shown.
Avoid it... if you demand more than just a handful of really enjoyable throwback Silvestri cues, because this score's highlights favor lengthy sequences of exotic specialty rather than a really satisfying conclusion of the franchise's themes.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb: (Alan
Silvestri) It may not have been the most widely heralded send-off for a
franchise, but 2014's Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
belatedly puts the affable concept to bed with an appropriately
sentimental (and surprisingly logical) conclusion. The pragmatic reason
for the animation of all the exhibits featured in these films (if such a
thing can exist) is finally explored in this third and final entry, an
adventure that takes the magical tablet responsible for the mayhem of
these stories to Britain and back to New York, allowing for a major
mystery to be solved and the page to be turned. Ben Stiller's lead role
as a security guard at the heart of the chaotically fantastic tale takes
the major cast members from the previous films to their heartfelt end,
eventually leaving his job and handing over the magic of the franchise
to younger female guard who can keep the tradition of late night
reanimation alive. More important than the actual plot of the film is
the fact that it releases performances by actors Robin Williams and
Mickey Rooney after their deaths, and, along with a cameo by Dick Van
Dyke (for whom these Night at the Museum movies represent his
only screen roles this late in his life), there is something eerily
morbid about their presence, especially that of Williams. The inclusion
of plot elements from ancient Egypt, Chinese mythology, and Arthurian
legend opened up a variety of new avenues for composer Alan Silvestri in
this closing chapter. His music for the Night at the Museum
franchise has always been serviceable but oddly unremarkable, featuring
decent enough adventure material and functional recurring themes but
never really building substantive cues out of them. The veteran
composer's output in the 2010's has been minimal, a pair of ventures
into the Marvel action blockbuster realm followed by a series of
underachieving drama, comedy, and thriller entries. Along with the
amount of time he must have spent assembling the score for the
resurrected television production of "Cosmos" in 2014, one has to wonder
if Silvestri has turned more of his attention to his family-owned,
California vineyard business. His loyalty to franchises, however,
allowed him to revisit Night at the Museum one more time for
another stab at honing the concept's music, and thankfully he delivers
the best score of the three. Most important to the viability of the
music is Silvestri's ability to congeal his ideas into fuller, better
developed cues that provide for a much more engaging listening
experience on album.
Enthusiasts of the franchise will appreciate the better integration of the themes in the franchise in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. The 2009 score for Battle of the Smithsonian followed the 2006 original with a somewhat tired and forced rotation between the first score's themes for the overarching concept and Stiller's character. Both are reprised several times in the 2014 entry, but the placement seems far better planned and merged with surrounding material. The wonderment and mystery motifs are casualties in this equation, but Silvestri more than makes up for this transition by offering new, largely singular motifs that carry this score regardless of the lack of really transparent thematic closure in the narrative. The exception comes in the final two major cues, "A Farewell Kiss" and "Teddy's Goodbye," which are not particularly resonating in orchestral depth (and the latter ends rather oddly) but still carry enough weight to serve well. The instrumentation in Secret of the Tomb emphasizes the symphonic ensemble over the occasional electronic elements, the latter noticeable but not particularly distracting. The choral touches are not frequent but they are effective when employed. The ethnic aspect of the score is enhanced by especially the Egyptian setting that opens the picture, "The Ahkmenrah Expedition" faintly reminding at times of Silvestri's impressive The Mummy Returns. During this and other culture or location-specific cues, the composer luckily avoids outwardly imitating a temp track, sticking to sequences of bursting action that sound distinctly Silvestri. In the "The Ahkmenrah Expedition" cue, for instance, he concludes the cue with a rhythmic explosion of snare that recalls the best of his 1980's glory days. Enthusiastic Western-like rhythmic movements lead to triumphant, cymbal crashing ensemble redemption in "The Grand Re-Opening," a highlight of the work. Percussion and choir pound away in "Xiangliu," another notable cue which is thankfully long enough to fully develop the idea. The choral accompaniment evens out in a tribute to the grandeur of The Abyss late in "The Quest." The comedic side of the score is rarely employed this time, the aptly titled "LOL" presenting the usual, tingling Silvestri comedy rhythms of little consequence outside of context. These moments maintain the celete and music box-like tone of the magical part of the story. Overall, Secret of the Tomb offers Silvestri listeners the best album experience in several years, the film allowing him to arrange his ideas into cohesive action bombast and sentimental character interactions of better length. It's not great music on the whole, but it will exceed your expectations. ****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 57:08
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a list of performers but no extra information about the score or film.
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