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Filmtracks Recommends:
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. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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? ***
* co-written by Alan Silvestri and Glenn Ballard
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