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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
As well as they succeed in their satirical tributes, it is this exact constant throughout Chicken Run that makes it difficult to listen to. The score has so much action combined with so many phrases taking a piece of personality from classic scoring styles that it causes a musical overload. In the film, it is no doubt as funny as it could be, but on album, it is so frenetic that you have to tune it out after a while or else it will consume all your concentration. Normally, for some people, this might not be a problem, but if you know your film music history, the quotes taken from famous motifs of the past become a burden after their tenth statement. There are pieces taken from Elmer Bernstein westerns, Erich Korngold sea-adventures, and Jerry Goldsmith war epics, etc, and while a few of those are very well interpolated into any score, Powell and Gregson-Williams went overboard with them. And thus, it's tough to listen to. The curious aspect of Chicken Run, even with these constant humorous statements, is that it is very well constructed. The composers, building on the creativity clearly evident in Antz, can indeed produce very sophistated music with a full orchestra and range of solo instruments. It is no surprise, therefore, that the best parts of Chicken Run are those during which Powell and Gregson-Williams create their own themes and allow them to develop. The motivating construction cue in the middle of track sixteen, or even the grandiose finale in track nineteen, are great examples. It is because of these moments that I wonder how these composers could succeed if they expand beyond the comedy and electronic-action genres into some serious drama --even a Hallmark film. With their talents at commanding the orchestra, combining it with soloists, and their mastery of electronic percussion and chorus, they could do so much more impressive work in the future. Time is on their side. In the meantime, Chicken Run is an overload of orchestral bombast and energy, with just too much flair to hold together as a consistent score. Also working against it for me is my personal dislike of kazoos, which are the defining instrument of the score (they bring back bad memories of The Road to Wellville by Rachel Portman). The two songs in the middle I could have easily done without. In favor of this score, however, is its incredible sonic recording, with quality of orchestral mixing that will blow you out of your seat for some of the more voluminous cues. For fans of highly sophisticated orchestral comedy and satire, this one will very much please you. Otherwise, it might just leave you scratching your head. Let's just hope that Powell and Gregson-Williams don't get stereotyped into producing only this genre of scores in the future. ***
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