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Composed, Conducted, Co-Orchestrated, and Produced by:
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Brian Tyler
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Co-Orchestrated by:
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Robert Elhai
Dana Niu
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Release Date:
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November 25th, 2003
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you would enjoy an extension of the propulsive action
material you heard in Brian Tyler's Children of Dune earlier in
2003.
Avoid it... if you found Children of Dune to be simplistic and
tedious, or if you were hoping for a better contrast of music for the
present and past settings.
Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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Timeline: (Brian Tyler) Director Richard Donner's films
have included a plethora of sequel-inspiring works, from Superman: The
Movie and The Omen to the Lethal Weapon series. The
Michael Crichton-written Timeline is not likely to be one of them,
with the sci-fi/adventure film debuting to only moderately interested
audiences. The time travel concept in Timeline involves a secretive
multinational corporation (no surprise there) that has invented a method of
reverse time exploration, and the characters who test the new technology end
up fighting for their lives in the 15th Century when things, naturally, go
wrong. The movie seems like a nifty excuse to place tomorrow's technology in
the setting of knight and castle warfare, and at the very least, the film is
a visual stunner. Both Donner had Crichton projects had been accompanied by
the music of veteran composer Jerry Goldsmith over the past twenty-five
years, from Coma to Goldsmith's lone Academy Award-winning The
Omen. His involvement with Timeline extended to a score of decent
length being recorded, although in a rare move, Goldsmith's music was thrown
out (due to the drawn-out production of the project more than the quality of the
music). Fans of the composer, already noting Goldsmith's slowing production of
scores in the 2000's due to age and illness, cried foul while also seeking
the reported 74 minutes (in 39 tracks) of Timeline music that he
recorded. Donner then turned to Brian Tyler, a young composer for whom 2003
has been an outstanding year of discovery. In addition to a collection of
thriller scores for lesser-known projects, Tyler hit the jackpot with his
best-selling score for the television sci-fi series Children of Dune.
With a fresh new sound of bombast, Tyler creatively wove a multitude of
large thematic ideas into one explosive result for Children of Dune,
and fans who discovered Tyler with that score and album will likely be
enthused by the same kind of output by Tyler for Timeline. Along with
all the romantic elements of battle and passion available to him, Tyler
would also be able to whip up a frenzy with the diverse, technological
aspects of the story. Ironically, the finished result sounds remarkably
similar in style to a Goldsmith effort.
On the front of epic battle, Tyler succeeds greatly.
Outside of a subtle electronic rhythm in "Transciption Errors," though, the
technological elements of the present locale of the story are largely
underplayed. For the destination, Tyler doesn't bother taking the path that
a composer experienced with the Middle Ages would (a la Basil Poledouris and
his primitive rhythms and percussion), but instead tackles the six hundred
year gap by forcefully applying basic action material to the setting. If you
recall the more propulsive sections of Children of Dune, carried by
lengthy sequences of snare ripping, timpani pounding, and harmonic blasts of
the brass, then you may be able to appreciate an extension of that sound for
Timeline. Tyler once again offers several themes for our enjoyment,
with three developed well and a fourth lingering within the layered depths
of the considerable action material. A theme for determination marks the
cues "Battalion" and "Enter the Wormhole," perhaps best capturing the
adventuresome spirit of the journey. A more awe-inspiring theme is offered
for the grand vistas of battle, and it is announced by heavy snare drums and
an electronic choir in "Galvanize the Troops" and "Night Arrows." A tender
love theme is provided by the strings and woodwinds in "Lady Claire and
Marek" and "Eternal." The less cohesive theme, heard in the main titles, is
perhaps muddled by its own enthusiastic performances, which is less of a
complaint than a comment about the activity level of the score. Tyler's
music here is interesting at the very least, and even in its most blaring of
moments, maintains the same harmonic consistency as Children of Dune
did. Singular motifs, such as the announcement of the arrival of battle in
"Night Arrows" that does its best interpretation of a James Horner score
from the 80's, are spaced throughout Timeline. Perhaps some more
attention to thematic development for each idea --as had been done
brilliantly in Children of Dune-- would have been welcomed, because
no matter which theme in Timeline that you enjoy the most, you're
likely to get only a maximum of two full performances of that theme during
the running time. As established on album, Timeline is an easy and
sustainable listening experience. It's not the most sophisticated of music,
but it doesn't have to be, and it puts a flourishing end on an already
impressive year for Tyler. ****
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. Main Title (2:15)
• 2. Galvanize the Troops (0:45)
• 3. Battle of La Roque (4:13)
• 4. Troops in the Fog (1:38)
• 5. Battalion (0:48)
• 6. 1357 France (2:53)
• 7. Enter the Wormhole (2:48)
• 8. Timeline (1:29)
• 9. Lady Claire and Marek (1:38)
• 10. Night Arrows (2:51)
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• 11. Transcription Errors (2:04)
• 12. Storming the Castle (4:11)
• 13. Battlefield Revealed (1:06)
• 14. Interruptus (2:51)
• 15. Mysterioso (2:45)
• 16. Eternal (2:24)
• 17. Village Burned (1:18)
• 18. Descent (2:43)
• 19. History Will Change (2:11)
• 20. Past and Present (2:23)
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Insert includes a list of performers and photos of Tyler and Donner from the recording sessions.
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