Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you're interested in hearing the roots of many of James Horner's great motifs and thematic styles in one of the best scores in the history of the "Star Trek" franchise and the science fiction genre at large. Avoid it... if an abrasive and harsh performance tone and somewhat archival recording quality (especially on the 1991 album) and/or Horner's broad, sea-faring style seems out of place for you in this franchise. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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.
Music as Heard on the 1991 GNP Crescendo Album: **** Music as Heard on the 2009 Film Score Monthly Album: ***** Overall: ***** Track Listings (1991 GNP Crescendo Album):
Total Time: 44:54
* contains original television theme by Alexander Courage ** contains original television theme by Alexander Courage and dialogue by Leonard Nimoy Track Listings (2009 Film Score Monthly Album):
Total Time: 75:16
* contains original television theme by Alexander Courage ** contains original television theme by Alexander Courage and dialogue by Leonard Nimoy *** composed and performed by Craig Huxley All artwork and sound clips from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan are Copyright © 1991, 2009, GNP Crescendo, Film Score Monthly. The reviews and notes contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Filmtracks Publications. Audio clips can be heard using RealPlayer but cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 6/17/03, updated 7/30/09. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 2003-2013, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. Let's not get started on the topic of superior intellects... |
1991 GNP Crescendo