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Review of Tomorrowland (Michael Giacchino)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you long for optimistically encouraging and
thematically engaging film music in the best orchestral and choral
traditions of yesteryear for an all-around entertaining listening
experience.
Avoid it... if this era's norm of darkly dramatic, masculine, and brooding soundtrack music is your desire, because this Michael Giacchino effort is the absolute antithesis of that booming monotony.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Tomorrowland: (Michael Giacchino) For many
youngsters of yesteryear, the Tomorrowland section of the original
Disneyland theme park was a highlight of the visit, optimistically
conveying Walt Disney's early vision of a future utopia with a touch of
fantasy based upon 1950's and 1960's imagination. The 2015 Brad Bird
film, Tomorrowland, largely embodies all these traits, telling of
a futuristic alternative world that a youngster can be transported to
upon being recruited to the realm by its benign agents. Not all is well
in the alternate fantasy world in Tomorrowland, though, and a
puzzling adventure yields a convoluted series of paradoxes that left
critics and audiences feeling good but not necessarily impressed. The
movie was eventually written off as a major loss for Disney (estimates
all exceeded $100 million in red figures), its confusing and
unsatisfying Armageddon story negating all the positives of the film's
impressive imagery and airy tone. Interestingly, Tomorrowland
followed Jupiter Ascending in 2015 as a sizable Disney flop, both
space-age science-fiction fantasy projects helmed by good directors and
featuring excellent visuals but betrayed by nonsensical screenplays.
Both projects were benefitted (but apparently not salvaged) by excellent
scores from Michael Giacchino, who has clearly taken on the role of the
romantic, classical, throwback composer of the 2010's. His knack for
emulating a variety of Bronze and Digital Age composers has become
overwhelmingly apparent during this time, and he is one of the few
working in this era who can come close to replacing the vintage presence
of John Williams and James Horner with powerhouse orchestral scores.
While neither Jupiter Ascending nor Tomorrowland will be
rejoiced by the public masses in ways similar to Williams' classic
scores, there really is nothing as close to emulating such music as
these efforts by Giacchino. Bird specifically requested a throwback
score for Tomorrowland, not a surprising choice given their three
previous collaborations together, ensuring that electronics and
post-modern ambient droning were not to factor into the equation. Once
again, Giacchino responds with thematically rich and orchestrally and
chorally accessible music with hints of Williams and Horner sprinkled
throughout, yielding a score even more enjoyable than the one for
Jupiter Ascending.
Enthusiasts of darkly dramatic, masculine, and brooding film music beware; there is nothing to your liking in Tomorrowland. The occasional wholesome exuberance of Super 8 is bloated to epic proportions here, with the major-key optimism so pervasive that the score's few interludes into suspense almost seem like token, unconvincing teases. The ensemble for the recording is certain to spread the duties across the sonic spectrum, fluttery treble elements, led by flutes, receiving a major role in the mix. Don't expect significant bass presence here; it's enough to function, and there's even an Alexandre Desplat-like electronic bass utilized in a few places, but this score is the opposite of the booming Hans Zimmer-inspired force you otherwise hear in films of this age. A choir is elegantly utilized at precisely the right number of moments, not so much as to dilute their effectiveness but joining the mix for poignant presence. The composer's tendency to use voices (and, for that matter anything that can employed as percussion) in unusual ways is not prevalent, though "Home Wheat Home" does offer one shrieking crescendo from the choir that stands apart. In his reference to his influences and own past, Giacchino falls back upon a piano in a number of cues to resurrect "Lost"-level emotions. The use of a solemn solo horn recalls both Williams and Horner. The former composer continues to inform portions of Giacchino's action music ("The Battle of Bridgeway" is a bit obvious) while the rhythmic elements of one of two main themes for the Tomorrowland realm will recall Horner's affection for rambling sequences of propulsion. Likewise, the other of the main themes strongly resembles a Williams favorite as well. Still, Giacchino has been a composer trying to really assert his own "voice" over the previous decade (much like Brian Tyler has attempted to separate himself from the shadow of Jerry Goldsmith), and Tomorrowland, along with Jupiter Ascending and the Star Trek scores, is starting to achieve that end. Ironically, this "true" Giacchino sound most often builds out of his sentimental moments, a heartbreaking cue like "Electric Dreams" here pulling a true Giacchino sound from "Lost" and Up with strong results. The narrative of Tomorrowland's score is tighter than most, though the suspense in the third of four acts somewhat slows down the entire work, the composer's material for the villain of the realm not effectively congealing. Somewhat vague assignments of the existing themes don't always help the whole, either, though they still manage to succeed. Giacchino offers three major themes for Tomorrowland, and there is debate about which is technically the "main" theme. That uncertainty is probably a result of the film's awkward story, though Giacchino doesn't help the situation by stating the film's most likely secondary idea at the outset and opening the "End Credits" suite. This arguably secondary theme is still the highlight of the score, addressing the wondrous nature of the entire concept and the manipulation of science, time, and nature all at once. It's the propulsive, truly innocent and optimistic identity of the film that often extends its presence through string, piano, flute, and trumpet performances of its pulsating, underlying rhythm. Most of the score's bright references to Horner exist in this representation of the pins that lead a person to become attached to Tomorrowland, producing highlights in "You've Piqued My Pin-trist," "Pins of a Feather," "End Credits," and especially "Pin-Ultimate Experience," which exists as one of the single most entertainingly engaging film music cues in years. It's a simply fantastic 4-minutes of lightly rhythmic fantasy wonderment. Likely the actual main theme of Tomorrowland is the noble identity for the intent behind the realm's creation and salvation, best summarized throughout "What an Eiffel!" as the plot is given its historical context. Unfortunately for film music collectors, this motif is frightfully similar to Williams' theme for the holy grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but as such it is easy to associate with in this picture. The third theme in Tomorrowland is one for the relationship between the characters of Frank and Athena as they save the realm, and until its remarkable culmination in "Electric Dreams," some listeners may have difficulty separating this motif apart from the first theme mentioned above. These three themes intertwine endlessly in the score, requiring careful attention at times, but, on the whole, they produce the proper emotional responses even if their complicated integrations are perhaps overthought. On album, the entire package is an outstanding listening experience, the mix a bit dry as usual for Giacchino but not irreparable for those who want to add a touch of their own reverb. Note that the album does not include the Sherman Brothers source songs from the film. Instead, you receive 74 minutes of solid fantasy material that is as refreshing as it is hopelessly optimistic. It may not impress listeners with a sense of gravity as Jupiter Ascending did, but it's a better overall package with more accessible thematic and narrative development. One has to hope that "Pin-Ultimate Experience" is performed in concerts for years to come despite the failure of the film. An easy pleasure to behold. *****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 73:40
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a list of performers and notes from both the director and composer about the score.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Tomorrowland are Copyright © 2015, Walt Disney Records/Intrada Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 7/17/15 (and not updated significantly since). |
