I'm shocked at the response this score has received. Indeed "The New World" has shades of several Horner works but why has this particular one received so much scorning? If I had to choose a few of his better scores of the new century, this one would definitely be on the list.

People have said it sounds an awful lot like "The Missing". That score, I felt, was much weaker than this. It had perhaps a little more depth, but overall it left me cold. There's much more feeling and love in this work, despite its sweetness (which is why I suspect Malick was displeased with the end result...and in that regard, I don't blame him. This score is lovely on its own, but rather wrong for the film). As for the connections to "Braveheart", yes they're there, but not nearly they're not nearly so intense as to call it a "Braveheart rework". Besides, "Braveheart" is far from an original masterpiece (it's slightly overrated actually).

We must learn to overlook his flaws and just enjoy the music for what it is. James Horner is miles away from the finest of composers throughout history but his music is still enjoyable. Maybe someone else can help me understand why "The New World" has picked up so much controversy instead of other more banal Horner works in the past.

Anyway, the film is stunning and flawed as it is, his use of Wagner and Mozart still helped the film.

Matt