Buy it... if you were impressed by the brazen choral chanting and modern edge to the score's extremely bombastic action sequences in the film.

Avoid it... if you're considering an album purchase based on the hype surrounding the score and the composer's reputation, for neither can compensate for music that lacks a soul.

Silvestri

Beowulf: (Alan Silvestri) Despite being the oldest story in the history of the English language, Beowulf has been largely absent from adaptations to the screen. Director Robert Zemeckis tackles the ancient tale of warriors and monsters with the same rotoscoped filming methodology that created controversy for his 2004 film The Polar Express. Earning well in its initial weeks at the box office, Beowulf attracts both fans of animation and traditional action, with an epic story led by rotoscoped versions of a noteworthy cast. The project would mark the twelfth collaboration between Zemeckis and composer Alan Silvestri, who has been active with light drama, adventure, and comedy scores in between Zemeckis projects. In the adventure genre specifically, the bar was set high early in their collaboration, with no score in their pairing equaling the enthusiasm of their early work for Back to the Future. Expectations were significant for Beowulf, especially within the film score community, and it is perhaps in part due to this anticipation that the score has not been received particularly well by many in that community. Silvestri's recent journeys in the genre have been enjoyable and undemanding, with efforts like Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life and Van Helsing providing thrills that don't win awards but make for quite decent listening experiences. With Beowulf, it's easy to get the impression that Silvestri and Zemeckis were trying to hit a home run. The score is as ambitious as any Silvestri has ever recorded, both in the bombast inherent in the composition as well as the diversity of the recording ensemble. The orchestra is joined by a sizable choir and an array of synthesized effects to produce a "modern" action score that could possibly appeal to a younger audience. Interestingly, though, Silvestri's attempts to produce that generational merging simply don't "feel right." In these regards, the score seems as artificial as the rotoscoping visuals. It's probable that what Silvestri was aiming for was the kind of genre-bending sound that John Debney accomplished well with The Scorpion King, a score that makes much better use of the electric guitar with an orchestral ensemble. The balance between the elements in Beowulf isn't handled as well, and with a choir that shouts more than it sings, the score is unsettling in its anxious push to impress you. Parts of it do indeed capture your interest, but others are simply aggravating.

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Silvestri's title for Beowulf is very memorable, but not really in the right ways. The nine-note fanfare for brass and choir is repeated so often in the score that it wears badly in Silvestri's lack of adaptation and creative arrangement of it. The progression features an almost Middle-Eastern feel that is out of place in story. Secondary motifs exist, including one for the beast, but their development is weak. The title theme is injured more often by its stale orchestration and predictable pacing than its basic construct. The opening title piece strikes you with an immediate, negative impression, creating a bed of synthetic loops and electric guitar performances before launching into an extremely forceful, male-dominated choral chanting of the title theme. The major action pieces suffer from the same infliction of electronic elements, and what's surprising about the disappointing nature of these attempts at sonic diversity is the fact that Silvestri has proven so wise with similar choices in the past. As the score progresses into its second half, several contemplative pieces save the album. The two seduction cues involving the mother of the beast are quite beautiful, with a softer mixed chorus performing a secondary theme with enticing harmony. That theme is based on "A Hero Comes Home," one of two miniature folk songs performed by actress Robin Wright-Penn (as the queen). "He Has a Story to Tell" and "Full of Fine Promises," among others, feature majestic moments that occasionally elevate Beowulf to levels that its action music cannot match. Percussion usage is poor, with a cue like "Beowulf Slays the Beast" failing to reach the dynamic creativity of Predator and instead relying too heavily on tired synth loops. The theme in "A Hero Comes Home" would be translated into a rock song for the end credits, performed by Broadway star Idina Menze and whose voice is perhaps too refined for the badly overlayed synthetic orchestra. Overall, the score for Beowulf is an odd venture that tries so hard to please you and yet ultimately proves to be dull and uninspired. It's the ghost of a typical Silvestri score, with recognizable constructs from his career sometimes reminding us of the composer. But despite being functional, this music lacks a soul, and it's difficult to pinpoint the exact reason why. One could blame the rotoscoping, but where's the sense in that? ***   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download

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For Alan Silvestri reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.34 (in 32 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.27 (in 30,725 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.