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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you enjoy the expansiveness of John Barry's dramatic 1980's string writing and the rhythmic flair of Jerry Goldsmith's 1990's jungle rhythms. Avoid it... if you easily become annoyed by scores that make no attempt to conceal the origins of their influences, no matter how adept their adaptation of those styles. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Right off the bat, listeners will be treated to expansive string-led themes using the same dramatic weight as any typical John Barry theme of the 80's or 90's. There is absolutely no question about the original of this inspiration, and the interesting aspect of these performances in Island of the Sharks is the fact that Williams applies the Barry brush without the typical repetitions that often render Barry's music stagnant. This title theme for Island of the Sharks is somewhat upstaged by the mass of Spanish-flavoured subthemes in the middle portions of the score, used often to represent the funnier and more innocuous creatures of the ocean. These portions are directly influenced by two Jerry Goldsmith scores. In "Underwater Currents," Williams utilizes a rolling drum rhythm almost identical to that of The Ghost and the Darkness, but Williams' instrumentation has a far more appropriately sub-tropical feel. The secondary theme he performs here is pure Goldsmith magic, and in its reprise in "Rain and Rebirth" is a highlight. Later, by the time we reach segments about "Sea Stars" and "Sea Turtle and Hermit Crab," Williams has fully embraced Goldsmith's Medicine Man. These latter cues, despite being the lowest in volume, contain the most infectious personality in Island of the Sharks, using the same percussion and acoustic guitar array (along with more tropical specialties) as an aide to the orchestra in such a pleasant sense as to almost overshadow the quality of Goldsmith's work. Some pan pipe work in "Fairy Turne" harken back to Goldsmith's 80's work for Under Fire. Other secondary motifs include ideas for the fierce creatures, and between the Howard references in "Hammerheads" and the inevitable bass string/John Williams references in "Shark Attack," the darker moments of Island of the Sharks are to be skipped. Overall, though, this score is as gorgeous as any you'd expect to hear from an IMAX film in this location; Williams takes each of these inspirations (or temp tracks, perhaps... it doesn't really matter) and does such a good job adapting them that you forgive their derivative nature. Unlike Amazon, Island of the Sharks was only released as a promotional product in 1999; most of Williams works have been filtered to collectors in this fashion. A pleasure all around. ****
The insert includes a note from the film's producer, Michele Hall:
The musical score that accompanies a film's images plays an integral part in the outcome. Images filmed in IMAX are big and descriptive. They deserve -- no, they require, a big sound. It takes a special talent to compose big sound for that big picture, with the specific requirements of playback in an IMAX theater. From the first time I heard an Alan Williams' film score, I knew that he was the one I wanted to musically capture the emotion of Cocos. One of the thrills for me as the Producer of Island of the Sharks was watching Alan conduct the 70-piece orchestra gathered for the recording session on the scoring stage at Sony Pictures. His dedication to this project paid off on that day as the film images came to life when accompanied by his soundtrack." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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