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Filmtracks Recommends: Buy it... if you itched to hear Michael Giacchino branch out from the John Williams mold from the first Medal of Honor score into his own styles. Avoid it... if the reason you enjoyed Medal of Honor was precisely because of the close stylistic similarities to John Williams' music. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
The plot of Medal of Honor: Underground revolves around the fights of women in the French Resistance during World War II and thus requires less of the full-scale combat music that was evident in the first score. More subtle performances, including appropriate insertions of the underpowered, though effective choir, offer a less epic, but more thoughtful score than its predecessor. The noble title theme for the series is left by the wayside, though the Nazi motif returns for the sequel. With fewer bold elements in Medal of Honor: Underground, the listener is less reminded of John Williams, though there still exist several stylistic references to Williams' Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, among other 1980's works of the master. Giacchino's inclination is still to steer close to the rhythmic patterns of Williams' layering of brass and timpani, but it is less in-your-face this time around. For fans who greatly enjoyed the original Medal of Honor, this may come as a disappointment, but then again, Giacchino does paint more of his own emotional canvas for the sequel. To represent the French culture and location, Giacchino introduces an accordion in the opening cue, a loving gesture towards the romantic elements of the story's premise, though the accordion sadly disappears thereafter, missing an opportunity to further enhance the personality and distinctiveness of this score over the others in the series. The subtle early cues give away to more ambitious, recognizable action music in the latter half of the album. On that album (with limited availability commercially), a generous hour of Giacchino's music is presented, followed by a decent, original period song performed by a female voice. The album once again offers some specialty tracks at its end, with a radio broadcast complete with sound effects, as well as a hidden one-minute track of dialogue and music from the game. Overall, Medal of Honor: Underground is a different listening experience than the previous entry, but it maintains a standard of quality that outshines nearly all others in the video game genre. ****
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