Buy it... if one of Michael Kamen's most robust orchestral scores can lure you away from the popular rejected score by Ennio Morricone for the film.

Avoid it... if you expect the straight forward romanticism that defined some of Kamen's more impressive love themes and accompanying songs.

Kamen
Morricone

What Dreams May Come: (Michael Kamen) The spiritual side of the concepts of life and death have inspired some of the most compelling films and soundtracks in history, and What Dreams May Come is no exception. The film is perhaps the most thought-provoking display of special effects wizardry in the digital age, using painted illustrations and vivid colors to present fantastic and imaginative visions of the afterlife. As the primary couple played by Robin Williams and Annabella Sciorra navigate their way through Heaven and Hell, they are surrounded by overwhelming visual and aural interaction, giving Vincent Ward's film a unique selling point that, quite surprisingly, failed to gain much box office traction. The film's soundtrack was a source of wild speculation in 1998, with the legendary Italian maestro Ennio Morricone writing a massive orchestral and choral score for the occasion. His melodies and typical use of voices were nothing less than spectacular in their religious fortitude, existing a level of emotional power heard in only the composer's famous efforts. But given that the film itself is already an extremely weighty ride of emotions, the filmmakers determined that Morricone's approach was simply too heavy-handed to make the film attractive to audiences already treated to a sappy ending in the story. With only a matter of weeks before the American opening of the film, veteran Michael Kamen was asked to provide a replacement score that was a little more upbeat and accessible for audiences. Kamen expressed his immense respect and admiration for Morricone at the time, and while he claimed that never heard Morricone's score before embarking on his own emergency work, he acknowledged in a statement at the time that "there are many ways to skin a cat." The score that would result from Kamen's effort treats What Dreams May Come as a love story first and foremost, including a soft and likeable song as the primary melody of the film. Given Kamen's reputation for translating lovely, Oscar-nominated ballads into strong scores, the similar approach here is not surprising. Fans of both Kamen and Morricone will recognize that the maestro's score is an incredibly impressive, superior piece of music. Whether it could have worked in the film or not is another matter.

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Ironically, while both scores exist near the top of each composer's career, neither one seems to have hit exactly the right note for What Dreams May Come. Morricone obviously went over the top with the religious aspect of the story and lost touch with the personal element. Kamen's music definitely has a personal touch, but is lacking some of the element of magic and the supernatural that the film desperately needed. Kamen does instill some sense of wonder through the use creative solo performances throughout the orchestrally conservative score. A pleasant bed of soft orchestrations is given life by fluttering woodwinds, tapping percussion, or elegant solo string and voice contributions. While sub-themes may not be transparent, the demeanor of the score is at times playful and reflective, and you could easily become lost in its atmosphere. His theme is based on a song melody that he and composer Mark Snow had written years prior. Making up the song "Beside You," this theme is very attractive as a folksy representation of companionship. It debuts in "I Once Met This Beautiful Girl By a Lake" and is only slightly referenced until "Together in Heaven" and the final suite cue allow full ensemble development. The song itself is likable, though Mick Hucknell's voice is perhaps too nasal for the story. Without a mid-section that is well grounded in Kamen's theme, the score meanders through the landscape of the film without taking many chances. By far the most interesting portions are those that deal with suspense and the location of Hell. The "Stormy Seas" and "Sea of Faces" cues offer some of Kamen's most robust action material, with far more depth in performance than the material in his earlier, more well known works. The performances by The London Metropolitan Orchestra are well recorded and yield several memorable moments in and of themselves. Kamen's last minute effort is obviously very commendable, and there are ten to fifteen minutes of orchestral bliss to be found in What Dreams May Come. But between the nagging feeling that the score needed a little more fantasy to go with its romance and the presence of Morricone's rejected work on the secondary collecting market, the score leaves you wanting a little more. Something intangible is missing in the spirit of this music and it's difficult to pinpoint what it is. On album, though, there is merit to be heard in both scores. ****   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download

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For Michael Kamen reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.14 (in 14 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.22 (in 32,684 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.