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Review of Tomb Raider (Tom Holkenborg)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you can bypass Tom Holkenborg's mundane action and
suspense material for ten to fifteen minutes of fairly engaging thematic
development for the lead character.
Avoid it... if you expect anything in this score to sound original, even the more accessible dramatic portions failing to assert any remote sense of uniqueness.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
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.
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 72:11
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a note about the score from the director.
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