I think my impression is that you're getting a strong "been there, done that" vibe from these, which is funny, given that this is about when I entered the score-listening game! Many of these I would increase by a star, but then again, I'm not bingeing this sound!
> -----------------------
> Skylanders: SWAP Force (2013) - ***
And of course the first is one I haven't heard! I need to listen to some scores from this franchise.
> Beyond: Two Souls (2013) - ***½
Man, what a creepy aspect to this game (Elliot Page's full-body nude thing). David Cage is a major creep, who would have guessed. In any case, on a good day I'd have this at ****, but it's objectively pretty derivative. A fun cloudy-day listen!
> Planes (2013) - ****½
Full ***** from me, and not just nostalgia talking (though this was one of my earliest score purchases). For me, it's soaring, thrilling, uplifting and wow, that theme. I was enamored from the first teaser using it (and was disappointed when the film failed to live up to the stunning music). A modern classic, in my opinion.
> African Safari (2013) - ***
Not heard any of his documentary scores, need to fix that.
> Game of Thrones Season 3 (2013) - ***½
Sounds about right. Depending on my mood I may knock this down to ***, never been enamored with his GoT scores as a whole, though they have some excellent highlights.
> Pacific Rim (2013) - ****½
Another I'd knock up to full marks. Absolutely stunning use of the RC voice at the time to craft something gritty and full of memorable, catchy personality. Even the foghorn of doom sounds metallic and fitting. It's Djawadi's best by a lightyear, and one of my top favorites.
(Okay, heavily nostalgic here, and sure there's some passages that aren't five-star, but hey!) I need to rewatch this now that I've seen Neon Genesis Evangelion (twice! Ah, pandemic) and see the influences.
> Pain & Gain (2013) - **
I may actually say this needs to be *, in that it's all 'tude and no personality. ** is probably about right, given that it's just boring and not offensive. But c'mon Steve, an hour of this? A 35-minute album would do this one a favor.
> Ender’s Game (2013) - **
Might say kick this up to ***, but it's more boring than I remember (this one needed a 40-minute highlights album badly), AND they rejected Horner for this.
> 300: Rise of an Empire (2014) - *½
I remember this being one of the first new reviews from Clemmensen I saw that he used RC-music-as-steroids as a swipe. I'd probably shift this to *** if I'm in a good mood (guilty pleasure action music, albeit overlong album), but again, they rejected a much better score for warmed-over RC tones. Holk would have a far better showing on Mad Max: Fury Road.
> Divergent (2014) - **½
Solid *** from me. Again, overlong album, but the **** highlights are quite fun and pretty, but there's a lot of ** filler. The Elle Goulding material easily constitutes the best music from this one.
> The Equalizer (2014) - **½
*** from me, but only because I have an irrational soft spot for HGW's specific thriller flavor. I have absolutely no justification for why, given that I disagree with nothing you say!
> Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) - **½
Heh, I thought the star score on this one was balancing the HGW material with Audiomachine's! Yeah, you're missing nothing. Their material was one of the biggest wastes of the decade. Hire the people known for nothing but power anthem-esque Epic Score music, and have them deliver the most over-processed abrasive action muck I could imagine for a CoD game? Madness. I'd bump HGW's material up by a star, but maybe it just compares favorably to the headache cushioning it.
> -----------------------
> Next time: “I used to be hip, and now I’m this old fart that does only
> orchestral music and tunes.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DlTexEXxLQ
I love this series, and it makes my day every time I see a new entry!
