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| Holkenborg |
Tomb Raider: (Tom Holkenborg) After a pair of
cinematic adaptations of the Lara Croft video game in the early 2000's,
the concept was resurrected in 2018 after the game itself was rebooted
in 2013. Replacing the busty Angelina Jolie is the more appropriately
fit Alicia Vikander for the titular role, 2018's
Tomb Raider
following the origins story of the more recent game in reshaping the
character's background as well. The basic formula remains the same,
however, with Croft chasing about the planet in search of relics and
thwarting bad-guys along the way. Her background is explained in
relation to the disappearance of her wealthy archeologist father, and
she stumbles upon clues left by him as to the adventure that sent him
missing. In pursuing the father's quest, Lara Croft uncovers an ancient
pathogenic power that is the target of an evil organization and seeks
closure to her past. The story didn't generate much enthusiasm from
audiences or critics, and
Tomb Raider struggled to reach its
break-even point. Still, residual income from the concept caused a green
light for a sequel several years later. Norwegian director Roar Uthaug
left behind his running collaboration with fellow countryman, composer
Magnus Beite, for this project and instead received trance and
electronica artist-turned-film composer Junkie XL, otherwise emerging
under his real name, Tom Holkenborg, in mainstream cinema. Holkenborg
could tackle
Tomb Raider because of his recent, high-profile
detachment from
Justice League, and very little of what results
in the Croft film's score is surprising. The composer had been
transitioning to fuller orchestral methodology in the late 2010's, and
this score serves up more symphonic conventions for the genre than some
listeners might expect. The sound design elements are still prevalent in
the many suspense and action passages, but there are some decent
adventure and character moments for a traditional ensemble in
Tomb
Raider. None of it is particularly intelligent, but high artistry is
not really expected in this context. The score sits squarely at the
crossroads of Holkenborg's past and the expectations of orchestral
action romps, and it may not satisfy either listening audience.
Upon a cursory listen, film score collectors will
likely find Holkenborg's
Tomb Raider to be minimally functional
and totally generic, and that would be a fair assessment. But the
composer does handle that basic mode surprisingly well at times, with a
handful of smooth, melodic cues of dramatic intent that are easy to
digest. The opening and close portions of the score that deal with
Croft's character arc are engagingly solid and present the potential
that Holkenborg attempted to develop in
Godzilla vs. Kong and the
re-do of
Zack Snyder's Justice League. Attractively thumping,
low, synthetic rhythms highlight the first and last cues. While the
score expectedly relies on synthetic textures, the composer does offer
occasional exotic flute effects. On the other hand, though, there are
some truly wretched moments in this score, "The Bag" being one of the
worst electronic, percussive action cues of its era. A horrendous
synthetic stinger at 1:41 into "What Lies Underneath Yamatai" exists in
the middle of an overly long, pointless suspense cue that nearly
suffocates the album experience. There are two primary thematic
identities in
Tomb Raider, Holkenborg struggling to enunciate a
supporting villain's theme. The main new franchise theme and the origins
theme for this story do mingle pretty well, the former following the
expected methodology of developing cohesion as Croft adopts her persona
over the course of the movie. That main theme debuts at 0:08 and 0:32
into "Seeking Endurance" on strings over rambling synth rhythms. The
idea returns at 0:31 into "The Devil's Sea" on violins over thumping
action, recurring later in the cue but buried until a full, brass
fanfare version at 3:20 that is all too brief. Holkenborg teases the
theme at times, as in the anticipatory single note at 1:50 into "Let
Yamatai Have Her," though the theme emerges at 11:26 for a single
phrase. It shifts into battle mode at 1:43 into "Never Give Up,"
generating thoughts of Lorne Balfe's beefier sound in the last minute.
The major brass statement at 0:56 into "Becoming the Tomb Raider"
finally reveals secondary phrasing to the theme, reprised at 2:01 and
becoming messiah-level grand at 4:08. It turns pretty on softer
symphonic tones later in the cue, yielding to another fanfare at 6:02 to
close out its official announcement.
The main franchise theme created by Holkenborg for
Tomb Raider is mixed well with the composer's origins theme to
conclude "The Croft Legacy" with a sense of anticipation. That five-note
motif is highly reminiscent of one of Klaus Badelt's similarly
positioned
Catwoman themes, becoming a cyclical rhythmic device
at times. It's heard throughout "Return to Croft Manor" and "Path of
Paternal Secrets," in the last minute of "Figure in the Night" on more
dramatic strings, and at 0:39 into "Remember This" on fuller, more
optimistic strings and keyboarding, repeating in softer shades
throughout the rest of that cue. The origins theme continues about a
minute into "Never Give Up" on cellos, at 4:52 into "Never Give Up" for
subtle connections, and at 0:28 into "There's No Time" on low strings in
light drama, turning back to solo piano. The theme's cyclical variant
returns at 0:34 into "Becoming the Tomb Raider," with the proper theme
closing out the cue at 6:40 with sensitivity. The rhythmic formations
occupy "The Croft Legacy" as they had opened the score, the melody
combining in the final fifteen seconds with the main theme quite well.
The villain material in
Tomb Raider isn't as well executed, and
some listeners may not even really notice it. In fact, such motifs don't
really identify themselves with the evil organization or the ancient
artifact that threatens all of humanity. Semblances of this material
emerge at 3:10 and 4:14 into "Let Yamatai Have Her" on brass, with more
fluid variations explored after the 3-minute mark in "Karakuri Wall."
These motifs return at 2:39 into "There's No Time" in brutal tones,
stomp at 2:36 into "Becoming the Tomb Raider" and thereafter, and they
resort to a solitary, groaning menace at 1:06 into "The Croft Legacy."
These remain among the score's more obnoxious passages. In the end,
Holkenborg's approach to
Tomb Raider is perfectly adequate for
the relatively dumb circumstances of this concept, and the recording
presents all the brooding bass muscularity and other derivative elements
of action to be expected. There is some appreciation to result from the
character-centered cues of "Return to Croft Manor" and "The Croft
Legacy" that bookend the work, and there's enough strength to the two
primary themes to justify development in a sequel. The 72-minute album
presentation for
Tomb Raider, however, is simply too long to be
supported by the mass of annoyingly bleak suspense and action material.
Be prepared to cull this one down to a pleasantly melodic ten to
fifteen-minute suite.
@Amazon.com: CD or
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- Music as Written for the Film: ***
- Music as Heard on Album: **
- Overall: ***
| Bias Check: |
For Tom Holkenborg reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 2.16
(in 19 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 2.49
(in 6,139 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes a note about the score from the director.
