Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #1,127
Written 12/23/05
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Buy it... if you enjoy hard-ass electronica rhythms and Graeme
Revell's usual, heavy industrial sound design.
Avoid it... if a score inspired by MTV and aimed at the same
audience is not your cup of tea.
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| Revell |
Aeon Flux: (Graeme Revell) When a studio denies
screenings for critics on a project as highly advertised as Aeon
Flux, you know that something is wrong. A few notable exceptions
have popped up over the years (Psycho being the best known), but
for the most part, studios have little interest in treating critics to
screenings of films that they know are downright awful. And while
Aeon Flux may never be found in those "world's worst films"
categories, it been thoroughly slapped around by those critics who went
ahead and viewed it. One critic had the outstanding response of saying
that the film is "as enjoyable as acid reflux." Based on the animated
MTV series, the film's story is set 400 years in the future and tells us
that the remaining 5 million or so people who have survived a terrible
disease are confined to one city, and that city is controlled by one
powerful family. Inevitably, of course, people want outside of the walls
of the city, and a supertechno assassin is dispatched by these rebels to
kill off the people holding their curiosity in check. The film includes
some interesting ideas about future technologies, and has a compelling
take on the memories of clones, but let's be as plain and clear about
this story as possible: it exists so that we can watch and enjoy
Charlize Theron's body in a tight, black-leather jumpsuit while it
performs acrobatic moves and kicks necessary ass. Given its origins on
MTV, it's no surprise that a techno-score is the order of the day, and
sound design film score veteran Graeme Revell would be a perfect fit for
this project. One of Revell's most flashy and independent scores is the
sci-fi thriller Red Planet, which treated the futuristic setting
of exploration with operatic vocals over hard rock rhythms. Recently, in
2005, Revell has scored a variety of urban and techno-themed films,
including the electronic remake score for The Fog. His work for
Robert Rodriguez for both Sin City and the atrocious Sharkboy
and Lavagirl was overshadowed in both cases by John Debney's
superior contributions to those scores.
The interesting connection for
Aeon Flux to
those combo efforts with Rodriguez and Debney is a specific comparison
that is becoming evident between Revell's and Debney's works. At times
in
Aeon Flux, especially in the opening cue, the
techno-orchestral styles and rhythms of Revell sound surprisingly
similar to those of Debney in his (throw-away) scores like
The
Tuxedo. The distinction between them, however, is that Debney always
keeps his music accessible to a wider audience with a more easily
listenable palette of sounds whereas Revell loves to whip up a frenzy of
disjointed metallic sounds into nearly all of his rhythms. In these
regards, he's also a harder electronica version of David Arnold, and
while this sound is perfectly suited for
Aeon Flux, it's hard to
imagine the majority of traditional film score collectors seeking it
with vigilance. You have to remember that Revell's hard-ass rhythms and
grinding sound effects are a good fit for the world of
Aeon
Flux's exploits, even though it's hard to stay focused on anything
that consistent while Revell's score is rip-snorting along. Revell is
loyal to the title theme for
Aeon Flux (he's seemingly been using
more consistent themes in even his poorer scores these days... a nice
shift), stating it with all the synthetic, electronica beat coolness he
can muster at the start and following with some sporadic use of the
theme throughout. He outdoes himself in the final "Aeon Flux" cue at the
end of the album, handing the theme to the electric guitar and
traditional rock band for one drawn-out, cymbal-crashing romp of rock.
As for the multitude of action material in between, Revell does employ
the string section of the Hollywood Studio Symphony as a bridge tool,
but the mass of the music is defined by his relentless rhythms and harsh
sound effects; by the time "Monorail Chase" storms across the speakers,
you feel the need to walk out into the snow for a while to cool off your
ears. Overall, the score is aimed at the MTV crowd and Revell purists
who love his most frenetic rhythmic scores for synthesizer and
industrial sound effects. That last "Aeon Flux" cue should be cool to
anyone, however, and is perfect bait for any compilation.
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- Music as Written for Film: ***
- Music as Heard on Album: **
- Overall: **
Bias Check:
For Graeme Revell reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 2.74
(in 19 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 2.78
(in 17,131 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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