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Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: (James Horner)
After the belatedly popular "Star Trek" television series of the 1960's
was finally brought to big screen in 1979 to limited critical and
popular acclaim, young director Nicholas Meyer would take the series in
an entirely new direction three years later. Whereas
Star Trek: The
Motion Picture had wowed audiences with all the majestic fantasy
elements that a $45 million budget could buy, many of which overextended
into lengthy sequences to accentuate their mere brilliance of color and
sound, Meyer's approach to
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was
strictly a plot-driven one (and a necessary move because his budget was
limited to roughly $11 million for the sequel). With the elements of
brutal power, surprise attacks, character development, emotional
turmoil, and, most of all, primal revenge all driving the basis of the
sequel, there was finally appealing substance to go with the franchise's
impressive special effects. The wild success of
Star Trek II in
providing a personal cat and mouse thriller of old, high seas tradition
in space solidified the franchise for at least another nine films,
earning respect despite considerable competition from the concurrent
Star Wars trilogy (and fans angry with the death of the beloved
Vulcan, Spock). The story introduced the concept of a villain
challenging the intellectual and technological capabilities of the
Enterprise crew while also making a crucial link back to an episode of
the original television show. The resulting picture is arguably the one
of the two best of the series, and it also established a new, dramatic
standard for its musical scores. Jerry Goldsmith had adapted his friend
Alexander Courage's television theme into the first film's score and had
composed an elegant, orchestrally sweeping theme for the heroic crew
that was destined to become the franchise's fanfare identity throughout
the 1990's. Despite receiving an Oscar nomination for that work,
Goldsmith was not considered for
Star Trek II mostly due to
financial reasons; music was one of the areas in which the production
had to be curtailed.
Additionally, Meyer wanted an increasingly edgy sound for
Star Trek II, one that could actively accompany the film's
emphasis on intense action while intentionally dropping all of
Goldsmith's identities from the first film. Encouraged by upstart James
Horner's highly innovative science-fiction sound (on a low budget) for
Battle Beyond the Stars, Meyer handed the scoring assignment to
the then almost completely unknown composer. Fresh out of college and
working on trashy B-rate science fiction projects, Horner was given a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Like Cliff Eidelman nearly ten years
later for
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Horner would
jump at the challenge and write the score of his career. This happened
despite the composer's confession that he wasn't a significant fan of
the concept, though due to his controversial involvement with
Goldsmith's daughter a few years earlier, he had attended a few
recording sessions for
Star Trek. Reported friction between the
two composers is likely overplayed, though Goldsmith would eventually
say in 1998, "I think he is a bit eclectic. But then again, at times
we've all helped ourselves to the work of others." Fortunately for
Horner, the outstanding recognition achieved from
Star Trek II
would lead to an extremely productive and lucrative career in Hollywood,
something which Eidelman struggled unsuccessfully to obtain. In the many
years since
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Horner has also
become one of the most artistically controversial composers in the
industry. Known for constantly borrowing material from his previous
scores (among other sources), Horner collectors can often point back to
Star Trek II as being the origin for many of the composer's
trademark, career-defining motifs. Thus, even if you believe in the
perpetual theories of Horner's self-borrowing techniques, you must admit
that
Star Trek II is still a fantastic score for debuting all of
these ideas at once. In general, for comparative purposes, Horner's
approach to the "Star Trek" universe was entirely different from
Goldsmith's. Instead of winning over audiences with the graceful
spectacle of space travel, Horner treats space no differently than he
would the savage, yet exhilarating era of high seas adventures back on
Earth.
Horner wrote four major themes for
Star Trek II,
two intermingling ideas representing Captain Kirk and the Enterprise,
one for Spock that would later become an identity for the Vulcan race,
and a ripping rhythmic representation for this film's colorful villain.
The opening title explodes with its swelling themes for Kirk (first,
positioned as the primary theme in fanfare format) and the Enterprise
(in the bridge placement in between Kirk's theme), tipping the hat
immediately to Courage's theme. Horner chose not to explore any of the
underscores for the original television series despite the direct
connections in storyline, but he did avail himself of Courage's theme
extensively in this score (referencing the theme in no less than six
cues). Horner's use of the Kirk and Enterprise themes often overlaps,
causing the two to become somewhat indistinguishable to casual ears. He
does, though, apply the complimentary ideas in highly specific places to
reference the tightening relationship between the two as Kirk takes
command of the ship. The ship's theme is almost exclusively conveyed
(along with subtle hints of Spock and Kirk's theme after about a minute)
in Horner's personal favorite scene and cue, "Enterprise Clears
Moorings." The swashbuckling aspect of this idea is prominent as the
Enterprise seemingly unfurls its sails and heads out to rough seas. The
broad, orchestral theme takes you back to the adventures scored by Erich
Wolfgang Korngold, with masted ships in close combat and displaying the
brilliance of their own colors and sails. Such an interpretation by
Horner makes perfect sense, given the parallels between space fleets and
those of the sea. Meyer's film follows the sea battle mode until Spock
and Kirk defeat the evil Khan (Ricardo Montalban and his fake chest,
both fan favorites) by reminding the audience that space is three
dimensional, the key to winning the battle between the stolen Reliant
and the Enterprise. The continuation of the Kirk and Enterprise themes
in the battle sequences, ranging from "Kirk Takes Command" to "Genesis
Countdown," infuses a sense of excitement and optimism that accompanies
Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future without remotely approaching the
realm of trite character, a problem that dealt a fatal blow to Leonard
Rosenman's
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Complimenting the nautical themes for Kirk and the ship is
the fledgling idea for Spock and his Vulcan culture, introduced
prominently in a handful of cues in
Star Trek II before
significant expansion in
Star Trek III and slight alterations by
Eidelman for
Star Trek VI. Unable to obtain a desired ondes
martenot for the theme, Horner instead used slightly out of pitch
panpipes and recorder to produce the necessary other-worldly effect in
"Spock" and "Spock (Dies)" (a technique emulated by both Eidelman and
later Michael Giacchino for the 2009 reboot score). The ethereal nature
of Spock's meditation and death scenes in
Star Trek II is well
served by Horner's material, and the connection between the second and
third films and their scores would be crucial in these regards. The most
important incarnation of this theme was developed at the last minute by
Horner. As executives (and even Leonard Nimoy, who was the one who
wanted out of the franchise and therefore his character's death) pushed
Meyer to film a scene of the dead Vulcan's coffin on the Genesis planet
at the end of the picture, thus leaving the door open for his
resurrection in the franchise, Horner was credited with making the scene
an emotional powerhouse by offering a ponderous and beautiful string
rendition of the Spock theme. The final (and arguably most engaging)
theme in
Star Trek II represents maniacal Khan in his quest for
revenge, and it is this material that seems to have inspired most of the
composer's other similar works of the 1980's. During the two major
battle sequences and the escape from the Genesis explosion that ends the
film, Horner unleashes a primordial and powerful sense of rhythmic
inevitability from his orchestral ensemble that perfectly resembles the
unrefined, torn edges to Khan's brilliance. A relentless, slapping
percussive rhythm is accompanied by a precursor of Horner's four-note
motif of danger (representing evil in general and heard best at the
start of "Surprise Attack") that would follow him through decades of
scoring. French horns pound out the key, with mechanized thumps down a
note, while wildly fluttering movements on strings and brass (and even
blasting flutes on occasion) signal a theme of sorts over the top that
is so blustery that it impressively mimics the villain's unpredictable
thought process.
The explosive energy generated by the orchestra during
the action sequences of
Star Trek II is magnificent, and, with
the employment of menacing lower brass performances, parallels similar
cues offered in
Brainstorm. The tapping and snorting of this
rhythmic device (including a generous amount of cymbal strikes and
metallic clanging), doesn't cease until the beautiful explosion of the
Genesis torpedo at the film's climax. Clicking percussive effects join
single-minded piano strikes to create almost a medieval environment of
battle that foreshadowed Horner's Klingon material for the following
film. No better a musical representation of Khan's single-minded
character could be made than with this extremely focused environment of
forceful movement. Horner pays a basic tribute to the previous
Star
Trek score by using a Blaster Beam effect (well reconstituted by its
original performer, who would reprise his performing role in the first
four sequel scores) to add power to some of his bass whole notes (a
technique also used by Goldsmith) in these scenes, and especially those
involving the Mutara Nebula near the end of the story. Oddly, this
effect can't be heard as well on album as in the film, where it serves
as obvious backing for Horner's harsh brass tones (producing the more
familiar "dooing" sounds with the resonance of the first score). It's
hard to imagine how Horner could accomplish this overwhelmingly engaging
sound with 90 musicians when you compare his score to something like
Dennis McCarthy's
Star Trek: Generations, which featured more
players and accomplished nothing close to exhibiting the same power. A
charged performance by Horner's musicians is likely the reason for the
disparity. The score concludes in the "End Title" with the format of
accelerating progressions that Horner would employ in scores ranging
from
The Rocketeer to
The Legend of Zorro, a familiar but
effective method of closing many of his works. The two primary themes
for
Star Trek II remain the score's greatest asset, though when
looking back upon Horner's contribution for the franchise, it's hard not
to return more frequently to the battle music in both works (and
especially "Surprise Attack" in this one). This may be due to simple
overexposure of the primary themes due to their concert arrangement and
consequent performances. But, most importantly, it proves that Horner's
work for the concept is at least well rounded.
For many years, Horner's two
Star Trek scores
had been badly neglected on album, a couple of antiquated GNP Crescendo
products transferring the music from LP form in the early 1990's. With
only about 65 minutes of music heard in the final cut of the picture
(and 75 recorded), the 45-minute GNP CD did contain the necessary
highlights. Two notable missing cues that fans sought extensively
included "Kirk in Space Shuttle" and "Kirk Takes Command," both
extending his theme into more exuberant variations. Also in surprising
demand was the bagpipe and orchestra arrangement of "Amazing Grace"
heard during the funeral scene, a cue Horner fought strongly against
(calling the bagpipes "bleating goats") despite falling in love with the
general regional sound later in his career. While the awkward use of "Amazing
Grace" still irks some listeners, one of the beauties of
Star Trek II
was Meyer's intelligent employment of music, sometimes leaving sequences
to only sound effects, dialogue, or silence. Thus, Horner's effort was
well represented, though sadly out of print, on the GNP product.
Nevertheless, a 2009 remastering and complete presentation of the score
by Film Score Monthly's Retrograde Records (in non-limited form) was
greeted with overwhelming fan response. The generous treatment of the
score not only offers the entirety of the recording (including Craig
Huxley's "Genesis Project" source music), but the sound quality is
generally improved and the packaging is outstanding. The recordings of
Horner's two scores in the franchise has always sounded somewhat
archival, matching
Brainstorm in flatness during some of the
explosive brass sequences, and even after the remastering for the 2009
album, there remains some constriction in the soundscape. For some, in
fact, the sound quality may be too dull for complete appreciation on any
album. Both albums feature Nimoy's vocal performance of the standard
"Star Trek" epilogue over the beginning of the "End Titles," a tasteful
finale to a classic score; the FSM album cranks up the reverb on his
vocals. Overall, enthusiasts of the "Star Trek" franchise agree that
this score is superior to the marginally creative but watered down
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, though debate continues
about the merit of
Star Trek II when compared to the first
Goldsmith score and Eidelman's single entry. At any rate, it would
inspire great Horner music in
Brainstorm,
Krull,
Willow, and
The Rocketeer, and it remains a fine example
of a surprisingly impressive score with which a young composer suddenly
made his name.
Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download
Music as Written for the Film: *****
Music as Heard on the 1991 GNP Crescendo Album: ****
Music as Heard on the 2009 Film Score Monthly Album: *****
Overall: *****
| Bias Check: | For James Horner reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating
is 3.13 (in 98 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.25
(in 184,725 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
|
