Usually, I agree with what Clemmenson has to say on Hans Zimmer and Company's soundtracks. I'll admit that Hans Zimmer takes up at least 80% of my music listening time, but I understand that he doesn't necessarily use all of his intelligence as a composer in all of his scores, which I think is a shame because when he does, the results are stunning. Last Samurai, Angels & Demons and, well, PotC: AWE are just a few that I can name at this point...
Which brings me to the heart of this post - Mr. Clemmenson, usually so unbiased, has just given a TWO-STAR rating to what I take as Hans Zimmer's most successful merging of his big-action side and his less-blatant intelligence as a composer. Heck, AWE is what got me hooked on Zimmer in the first place. I was humming Up is Down like a madman on the way home from the cinema.
You want a justification for my comments? Here it is:
I DON'T THINK NOW IS THE BEST TIME.
Mr. Clemmenson, have you watched the film? Did you notice how SEAMLESSLY the music flows along with the stuff playing onscreen, how it switches in rapid succession from pounding action to tantalizing string interludes to heroic, brassy statements as Will and Elizabeth weave in and out of the maelstrom battle, trying desperately to get married? It's the most intelligently scored music I've ever heard from Zimmer, and your review simply ignores that fact. Did you HEAR the arpeggio at 8:14? Brilliant.
I know your major niggling point with these scores, Mr. Clemmenson, is that Zimmer fails to compose what you describe as "swashbuckling music". For the first one, you were absolutely right - there was barely any swashing buckles. But swashbuckling music doesn't necessarily have to be a Celtic jig or a hornpipe or a "Yo-Ho" type song like we heard on the ride. Zimmer once said that he envisages this soundtrack to be the music that's playing in Jack Sparrow's head - and that would undoubtedly be huge, overly bloated and heroic.
So, here's what I think is a more fair rating for this soundtrack:
MUSIC AS FITS WITH THE CONTEXT: ***
MUSIC AS HEARD ON ALBUM (LISTENING EXPERIENCE): *****
OVERALL: ****
