(The following donated review by Mike Piazza was moved by Filmtracks to this comment section in April, 2007)

Renaissance Man: (Hans Zimmer) Action star Hans Zimmer cooled off for a while to make this score. Zimmer started off his work with film music using a distinct style that reinvented the use of electronic instruments. All of his earlier works were mostly electronic in nature. You can hear a little of this in some of the tracks, for example tracks three and six. Synthesizers are used throughout the entire score, but they seem to mix well with the full orchestra he conducts.

Zimmer also introduces one of the most interesting things I've ever heard come out of the composer. At the end of track two, he gives off a rock-like, bouncy, percussion filled theme that is used to describe the unorganized clatter that Devito has to teach. It is like nothing I've ever heard from the composer, introducing not only strong trumpets and drums, but also a chorus giving off an Indian like chant. This is the part of the score that is a little iffy. It's hard to enjoy it, and hard-core Zimmer fans have voiced their opinions on it as well.

The score, however, does pack a very well composed main theme, brought out in track one. Beautifully performed on the piano, which dissipates into strings later in the track and is played predominantly by strings in the middle of the album. Other themes in this score are what make this album a great compilation. Later in the first track comes a heart-bouncing military theme played proudly on trumpets and drums. An entire track is devoted to the famous "parade" theme known throughout the world. It is gives off a very proud resemblance to the latter first track with a bouncing military track.

All of these components, whether bad or good, when placed in the blender of Zimmer's mind produces an excellent mix of both Zimmer's early work and what the work he would produce later. There are tracks for everyone in this score. If you are a big fan of Zimmer's latter work, the highlight track would be the seventh. If you are largely into synthetic electronic sound tracks three and six are packed to the brim. For the casual listener you get all of the above and more.

The last song of the CD is so horrid that it is so hard to believe that any album producer would be so obtuse as to put it in. The author, Marky Mark, decides since he "can't think of a rhyme, so why not repeat the same sentence over and over twenty times?" The score however is able to compile amazing works by Zimmer and his many different faces. The CD is getting harder to find. I bought it for five bucks, which makes it an excellent used buy. Check online auctions as well. ***