Buy it... if you seek a rousing tribute to Michael Kamen's career, a collaborative effort by his longtime associates to complete this animated fantasy score after his death with extensive adaptation of the composer's trademark mannerisms.

Avoid it... if you desire more than what plays in many regards like a compilation of concert recordings meant to honor the composer's memory, because despite the score's impressive saturation with nostalgic Kamen tones, its narrative flow suffers at times.

Kamen

Back to Gaya (Boo, Zino & the Snurks): (Michael Kamen/Various) The German filmmaking industry entered the CGI animation game in 2003 when upstart production company Ambient Entertainment sought to bring a creature called a "Snurk" to life for the film Back to Gaya. Known internationally as Boo, Zino & the Snurks (or simply The Snurks), the plot of the film postulates that these cute, humanoid "Snurk" characters with fuzzy ears live in an alternate reality that actually exists within a television cartoon created by humans. When their universe is threatened by actions in the real world, they by accident end up leaving the confines of their cartoon and come to terms with their creator and the unfortunate aspects of humanity. Despite the merit of this basic premise, the execution of Back to Gaya was a disaster, the animation a visual feast but criticized for suffering from synchronization problems and other clumsy aspects in the details. The script was also considered substandard, failing to generate any genuine laughs and leaving its purpose in doubt. The movie bounced around the theatres in several European countries in 2004 but was relegated to only a DVD release in America the following year. Even the DVD was lambasted by horrified parents who discovered profanity-laced extras in the bonus contents of the children's product, including a Snurk exclaiming the words "mofo" and "cocksucker." Needless to say, Back to Gaya was something of an embarrassment, but despite its plethora of problems, it is perhaps best known for being one of the final scoring assignments of accomplished composer Michael Kamen. Although it was widely known that Kamen had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1997, his death in late 2003 from a heart attack was completely unexpected for friends and associates of the 55-year-old. He had been working on two incomplete film scores at the time, one for Forest Whitaker's romantic comedy First Daughter and then Back to Gaya, both 2004 releases that eventually required the use of the composer's closest professional associates to complete. In the case of the latter film, Kamen had only begun to write rough sketches on piano for a handful of concepts and scenes. After the composer's death, the score's producers, longtime Kamen collaborators Christopher Brooks and Steve McLaughlin, decided to attempt to complete the score by utilizing the services of a large number of Kamen's closest arrangers and orchestrators, essentially using their collective knowledge of the composer's style to finish the work. When requiring additional thematic inspiration, they revisited sketches of unused Kamen themes from prior works to apply to Back to Gaya as well.

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The result of the combined efforts of Kamen's associates for Back to Gaya is more of a tribute to the composer than a standalone film score with airtight narrative cohesion. You hear many of the composer's orchestral mannerisms expressed to the level of glorification in this score, and many of the most competent musicians in London who had performed on Kamen's previous works assembled specifically to lend their support to this cause as well. Given the poor quality of the film, perhaps it is fitting to look upon the score for Back to Gaya as a separate concert arrangement to honor the composer's style of orchestral might. There is no contribution from electronics, acoustic guitar, or other common elements in Kamen's career, and even the percussion in the score is held to a purely supporting role. The other three sections of the orchestra are all exercised extensively, however, from charged low string rhythms to tonal brass layers of magnificence. Most important, however, is the job that the crew did to intentionally emphasize the woodwinds, following this trademark Kamen focus to such an extent that even a few notable oboe solos are incorporated to reflect the composer's own affinity for that instrument. Thematically, there are several recurring ideas heard in Back to Gaya, though while each is entertaining and adequate at the task of representing part of the concept, they don't seem to form a tightly woven tapestry in the end. The most obvious and memorable idea is the primary theme, heard prominently in "Main Title" and in the conclusive duo of "We're Free!" and "Back to Gaya." This theme was reportedly an early version of the main identity for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and its use of the same chopping string rhythms is an appropriate gesture here. Kamen also wrote a bassoon theme for the Snurks that is expressed in the cue of that title and in more resolute shades in "Free Will." A villainous, stomping theme of dread and a saccharine, nostalgic theme are notable secondary ideas, the latter quite lovely in "Switched On." Only the title theme's performances will really catch your attention, however, as will some of the major action sequences (a few of which use that recognizable melody). In a few instances, these rousing cues employ a layer of choral majesty, as in the latter portions of "Flying" and "We're Free!" The bright, timpani-pounding enthusiasm of "Fireworks," complete with the main theme's rhythm, and the frantic balance of awe and action in "The Vortex" are sustained highlights. On the whole, Back to Gaya is a highly enjoyable collection of "Kamenisms," some obvious while others fluttering about in the background of hyperactive cues. Both the arrangement and orchestrations are as reflective of generic Kamen tones as possible, a neat feat of musical engineering but also one that inhibits the narrative flow of the entirety. Still, the limited CD album from MovieScore Media is highly recommended. ****   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download

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For Michael Kamen reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.14 (in 14 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.22 (in 32,684 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.