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The Mummy Returns on DVD
• Live music video • Dolby Digital 5.1 More DVD info... |
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The Mummy Returns on DVD
• Live music video • Dolby Digital 5.1 More DVD info... |
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Original Review, by Christian Clemmensen
Because of this basic approach of scoring each battle or chase with a rhythmically and thematically more diverse score, Silvestri's music is ultimately superior to that of Goldsmith's. Hard to believe, sure, but Silvestri's habit of avoiding the use of the orchestra as a mere sound effect, and developing each cue into a substantially harmonious piece of music, causes The Mummy Returns to be a more listenable score divorced from the visuals. As with the original, this score is rooted in Egyptian chord progressions and instrumentation. Although Silvestri uses a considerable amount of percussion for his music, it is easily the brass which dominates The Mummy Returns. If an adventure film calls for a score of enormous presence in the film (if not for the mere fact that it has to compete with the sound effects), there is no better method than hiring a larger-than-normal brass ensemble to blast the score into existence. For the action scenes aplenty, Silvestri sets up a primary base of almost constant percussion --mainly a variety of drums-- and then layers the tombones, trumpets, and French horns into lengthy performances of themes or subthemes. The brass performances are so up front and center that they remind me of the classic John Williams scores of the 1980's, with brief, pulsating blasts from one brass group weaving in and out of triumphantly extended whole notes of other brass. This could be the single brassiest score in the past five years of film scoring, and if you're a fan of explosive trombone sequences, this is your dream come true. On top of the physical noise, the full orchestra also performs a variety of new themes Silvestri has created for the sequel. The Goldsmith themes are not performed in full, but if you listen closely to the underlaying performances in busy action sequences, such as a few bars three (or so) minutes into the second track, you can hear a Goldsmith-influenced thematic statement that makes one believe that Silvestri at least listened to or studied the Goldsmith score. There are three main themes in the score, each of them equally utilized. First, there is an expansive vista-inspired brass theme with a slight Arabic edge that is related to the old "B" sci-fi adventure themes of the early 80's, though it reflects the region less than, for instance, David Arnold's Stargate. The second theme is the heavy-duty, percussive Egyptian representation, with strings and woodwinds performing a more standard ethnic Egyptian piece for the Western ear to easily identify. The third theme is more of a general-purpose adventure piece, by far the most optimistic of them all. Beginning with a short, but very melodic love interest, the theme develops into the same kind of happy go lucky adventure spirit that made Silvestri's Back to the Future theme so adorable to fans. There are a few incidental subthemes, including one for viola that grows into the "wondrous magic theme" that accompanies curses and other fantasy elements of the film. The chorus builds upon this mystique, though its chants never occpuy very lengthy sequences of the score. The sound quality of the Sinfonia of London Orchestra and Chorus, as recorded at the stunning CTS Colosseum in England, is crisp and dynamic. The album offers a phenomenal presentation of the score, with exactly seventy minutes of pure, unadulterated Silvestri action providing for an exhilerating and enjoyable hour plus of noisy fun. In an action sense, the score for The Mummy Returns hits all the right crescendos and pauses just long enough from the ruckus to allow you to come up for air. There are percussive hand-to-hand battle cues that will clang. There are male and female choirs chanting along with marching armies of fighters. There are spontaneously swelling moments of strings for the emotional shots. And most importantly, there are brass like you haven't heard a long while. The most impressive aspect of Silvestri's score is that he manages to weave it all together into such an effective whole while balancing each element. Where Goldsmith's original score often degenerated into uninteresting lengths of noise, Silvestri's effort never becomes boring, and functions very well on album. The song at the end, performed for the first time by "Live," is a horrendous example of nonsensical hard rock encroaching further into the realm of the orchestral domain. There's really no reason for this hideous song, nor any from its genre, for this film (other than the mandatory benefits of marketing, of course). Nevertheless, this will be the only album on which you can obtain the song until it is released by the group on its own album in late July. For Silvestri fans --and I suspect, fans of all film music-- the song will be an intolerable addendum to the score. The last score track, however, is a magnificent suite of almost eight minutes during which Silvestri parades forth all of the themes from the film, and this makes for a great ending to the album. **** Review #2, by Joshua Blackman
The Mummy Returns: (Alan Silvestri) I really love Goldsmith's score from the original. It not only contained exciting Egyptian action cues, but three great themes (the best being the Jarre-esque romantic theme), and although Goldsmith himself despised it, the film was pretty good too (and I'm a sucker for Rachel Weisz). The sequel film didn't fair as well, but it still managed to provide nonstop action and a few laughs for it's two hour running time. Alan Silvestri's score, though, rises above the film in almost every respect. It has a feeling of non-stop energy, excitement and fun which permeates throughout all the music. This is action swashbuckling music at its best. There are many themes utilized throughout the score, the primary ones being: Rick's Theme, the Rick/Evy love/adventure theme and the Imhotep/Anck-su-namun love theme. Rick's Theme is heard often and has a really fun, heroic feel to it and is just as good, if not better than Goldsmith's equivalent theme.... ***** Read the entire donated review.
Insert includes extensive credits and pictures, but no extra information about the score or film. It is arranged in a folding poster position which is difficult to condense once open. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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