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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you seek a solid, modern variant of Alan Silvestri's maturing, orchestral action style. Avoid it... if nothing other than an equal to The Mummy Returns (or better) will suffice. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Despite the probable temptation, Silvestri refused to resurrect any of the material he wrote for Pirates of the Caribbean (which is something of a rule for him). During the recording of the music, Jan de Bont, who is a fan of heavy electronic rhythms, pushed Silvestri to jazz up the synthetic elements of the score. For the most part, the end result works. Surely, the score for Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life is not a classic, nor does it break fresh new ground. But Silvestri does offer the best material he has produced since The Mummy Returns, with a fantastic mix of electronic loops, a brass-heavy orchestra, and the choir. Many of the musicians had performed on Judge Dredd, and you get much of the same horn-in-your-face attitude here. A simplistic, but very serviceable title theme is present for scenes of techno-gadget adventure, as well as the pseudo-religious moments of drawn out awe (sort of the "Map Room at Dawn" kind of 'whoa' from Raiders of the Lost Ark). The lengthy score has about twenty minutes of straight, timpani-rumbling orchestral bombast, sometimes with the aid of a snazzy electronic drum loop or other synthesized effect. Silvestri shows a hip side of his current electronic use by throwing staggered, almost jazzy brass blasts in over the electronic rhythms (with the same kind of enthusiastic touch that David Arnold has), and these moments of cohesion between the modern and traditional elements are the defining style of Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. The opening cue, as well as the finale cue, "Not Meant to Be Found," use this melding to finally establish a hearty, adventurous theme for the spirit of Lara Croft. No offense to Graeme Revell, but this is the kind of music you want to hear when Jolie kicks someone in the head... There are several other fight sequences in the score for which the electronic rhythms are heard alone, and a few of these are simply cranked up too far in volume and abrasive edge. In the handling of the electric guitar (recorded along-side the orchestra), Silvestri utilizes the instrument as an accent piece, much like John Debney did for The Scorpion King. In fact, the stylish action in Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life shares much more in common with The Scorpion King than Silvestri's own The Mummy Returns. The personality of the score has a distinct jungle-swinging emphasis, with cliched jungle electronics drawing from as early as Romancing the Stone and throwing in a native flute for a more stereotypical effect. To enjoy this newest sequel score, however, you have to suspend your desire for complexity in your film music, because although Silvestri did a superb last-minute job for this score, there is isn't anything groundbreaking in theme, rhythm, or performance. Overall, the engineering of the project is fantastic, although the rotating players did suffer from a few blatant flubs, especially in the horns (3:18, for instance, in "Pandora's Box"). But given the Tomb Raider series' low musical expectations, Silvestri's output is a much welcomed explosion of raw energy and fun. The score album (as opposed to the song album, which offers only a five-minute suite of Silvestri's score) presents exactly an hour of uninterrupted score, containing all major cues from the film. Action fans: eat your heart out. Silvestri is stealing the action reigns from Jerry Goldsmith with every passing year. ****
Insert includes no extra information about the score or film, but does have a hell of a lot of pictures of Angelina Jolie and her upper torso. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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