Buy it... if you seek probably the most engaging and creative orchestral and synthetic combination to come from John Debney's wacky comedy writing of the late 1990's and early 2000's.

Avoid it... if you despise the early children's and comedy styles of Danny Elfman, whose influence figures heavily in Debney's work here.

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My Favorite Martian: (John Debney/Danny Elfman) Every once in a while, you encounter a film that is so bad that it exists far beyond the realm of normally tolerable entertainment. My Favorite Martian is such an endeavor. But every once in a great while, you get such a painfully excruciating film that has, by some miracle of an unknown kind, a very good score. If Christopher Lloyd couldn't win you over with his all-too-appropriate absorption of the role as the visiting Martian, then perhaps the combined efforts of Danny Elfman and John Debney could. Still, despite an infusion of a mildly invigorating and creative score, My Favorite Martian is the kind of resurrected misfire that would make you so embarrassed to actually be viewing it that you look around at the other ten patrons in the theatre to ensure your anonymity and confirm that nobody could testify to your presence there. It's an occasion for the unannounced film score fan to slouch down in the seat and ponder the career of a man like Debney while only marginally following the torturously horrid action on the screen. For the few casual viewers of the film, the first composer to come to mind in terms of the general tone of the music for My Favorite Martian was likely to be Danny Elfman, and there are several good reasons for this. Elfman's Beetlejuice music permeated the trailers for the film and the veteran of wackiness was called upon to write a short, single theme for the Uncle Martin character in My Favorite Martian.

Reports that Elfman was originally to have scored the entire film were never confirmed. Although Elfman's theme has never been fully identified outside of John Debney's larger, encompassing score, there is plenty of Elfman influence in that mass of Debney music to satisfy any Elfman fanatic. The score merges the electronic and symphonic realms into a jazzy pace quite familiar to parts of Men in Black or Flubber, with the zany, erratic behavior of Elfman's very early comedy and children's music evident as well. Debney weaves all these Elfman-like elements into the cartoonish style that he would display further in Inspector Gadget, The Tuxedo, and seemingly dozens of similar efforts. To its credit, though, My Favorite Martian came before Debney had trully proven his talents in this genre, aiding in its initial positive spin. The score is extremely diversified in grand comedy style, and includes motifs ranging from loungy jazz swings to massively orchestral crescendos of power, complete with synthesized chorus. The opening suite presented on the promotional album for the score is the highlight, brushing over the four or five main themes of the film in five minutes. For non-Debney fans, this might be the extent of your enjoyment for this album. Beyond the suite, though, are several series of very creative cues. Some include the classic, original "My Favorite Martian" theme, some let rip with a mambo dance tempo, and one actually includes a full 30 seconds of the famous theme adaptation from 2001: The Space Odyssey (which represents, of course, the incredible spacecraft-expanding-in-the-toilet scene... Why not?).

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The three tracks of action occurring during the sewer chase leading up to that exploding toilet features some wickedly rambunctious music, including a strong performance of the score's sparsely employed primary action theme at the end of "Into the Sewer." Debney combines the orchestra with a collection of synthesized sounds and soft electronic guitars (of sure Martian origin, though they seem to have returned to Earth for a reprise in The Scorpion King), adding some lively spunk to key cues. The choral effects become more pronounced late in the score, when the snare and brass rhythms begin to mirror the style of Alan Silvestri as the heroes in the story escape. A slight love theme is typical to Debney's career, and easily becomes lost despite several complete statements. The only significant drawbacks during the score come during the sequences with the "Zoot" suit, which is provided with a swaggering sax of annoying attitude. Without a doubt, those who appreciate Debney's orchestral creativity will enjoy this score. But perhaps more importantly, this score will also capture the interest of Elfman's earliest fans. Yet even with all of these outside influences, Debney's own style prevails, especially near the end of the score, as the orchestral activity builds during the heroes' escape. In the end, My Favorite Martian is the kind of frivolous "guilty pleasure nominee" that warrants more attention than most of its similar counterparts. This promotional release came at a time when nearly every obscure Debney score was filtered to the public in such fashion. It's of considerable length, and if you're in the right mood, it'll tickle you in just the right way. ****   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download

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For John Debney reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.23 (in 49 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.01 (in 42,775 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.