: (Simon Franglen) Although
acclaimed director and producer James Cameron promised several sequels
to his smash hit
shortly after its 2009 release, those
subsequent films took much longer to materialize than expected. Cameron
was intent upon shifting the setting of the second movie to the
underwater realms of the gorgeous planet of Pandora, and to merge his
preferred motion capture techniques with underwater filming required his
crew to spend most of two years developing such a system. The resulting
visuals in
are widely praised as another
breakthrough in filmmaking technology for Cameron, though audiences were
a little more mixed on his movie's story. Clocking in at over three
hours, the director concentrates on the outrageous beauty of the scenery
and extremely tight notion of family. While known for his phenomenal
action sequences, Cameron dropped some of the "gunplay" in the film to
emphasize the interpersonal narratives, and for some viewers, this
emphasis slowed the pace of the plot too much to justify the long
running time. Many of the characters from
return,
including two primary ones killed but resurrected in creative ways. (At
this rate, Sigourney Weaver will continue to factor into science fiction
films for another hundred years.) The family of Jake Sully and Neytiri
has grown considerably since the prior film, and as leaders of their
clan, they find themselves defending their planet once again from evil
humans set on wiping them out and colonizing their world. The main
setting shifts to the planet's oceans, where the Metkayina clan and a
species of intelligent cetaceans, the Tulkun, must decide if they will
ally themselves with Sully and Neytiri's Omaticaya clan in battle. A
fair amount of action still prevails in
,
opening the doors once again for a hybrid fantasy and action score to
dominate the soundscape.
, but it stood as one of the composer's final
blockbuster efforts prior to his tragic death while flying a vintage
airplane in 2015. Its highly alluring romantic passages were accompanied
by rousing action cues as powerful as any in the composer's career, and
these highlights remain inspiring in their unique ethnic inflection as
well. On the other hand,
is a score steeped in Horner's
self-referencing traditions, three of its themes strikingly similar to
prior identities from the composer and the wealth of "Hornerisms" in
instrumental and vocal mannerisms overwhelming. The full score for
also contains a surprising amount of rather dull
atmospheric or suspenseful passages, its strength truly relying upon
thirty minutes of outstanding and memorable material. Even so, there was
never any desire for anyone other than Horner to score Cameron's sequels
in this franchise, with the director himself dedicated to the composer's
sound for Pandora. After Horner's death, there were a variety of names
floated as replacements, including James Newton Howard. For the "Pandora
- The World of Avatar" theme park attraction score in 2017, regular
Horner collaborator Simon Franglen stepped in to arrange music from the
film to suit the ride. That mini-score is not that great, the attraction
using mostly ambient effects, but it does contain one really nice
arrangement of the majority of Horner's themes from the movie.
Meanwhile, Franglen had helped spearhead an effort by a group of
Horner's arrangers, editors, and orchestrators to finish the composer's
incomplete score for
in 2016, with
surprising success. His background in synthesizer programming and
arrangements dates back to James Newton Howard and Alan Silvestri scores
of the early 1990's, and his similar work for Horner had developed since
In the years since Horner's passing, Franglen extended his
solo career in film scoring to several unique efforts that occasionally
espoused significant characteristics of Horner's musical voice, led most
popularly by
in 2021. More than any other
artist, Franglen was channeling the sound of Horner in the 2020's, and
it is no surprise that Cameron entrusted him with the full scoring
duties on the
sequels. The task facing Franglen was
certainly terrifying, not only because of his expected role in filling
the shoes of Horner but also in providing music that could suffice for
the immensity of this franchise. Expectations for his music for
were understandably all over the map.
The magic of the concept had been lost with some listeners. Others have
been unable to overcome the heartbreak of Horner's death. Many were
cautiously optimistic and hopeful that Franglen wouldn't, as John Powell
would say, "fuck it up." Few anticipated that Franglen could equal or
surpass the quality of
, even with the return of so many
other Horner collaborators, just as had been done with
. Amazingly, though, he has managed to accomplish
just that feat. At a time when major film scores struggle to meet
expectations, whether fair or not, Franglen has not only accomplished
the goals of emulating Horner's style and offering a rousing and
romantic score appropriate for Pandora, but he has done so brilliantly.
In many respects, he has created a Horner score for an
film more effectively than Horner himself, which is an astonishing
outcome given such expectations. While some of the glamour of the first
score is lost, Franglen also drops the excess of Horner self-referencing
that made
tedious for some listeners, instead finding the
absolutely perfect blend of Horner's mannerisms and his own. While many
Horner collectors forgave the composer for his shameless repetition of
structural and instrumental applications, themselves often derivatives
of classical music, it was difficult for such listeners not to become
distracted by these loyalties, especially in
By carefully culling Horner's obvious trademarks and
repackaging them into a better-balanced score for
, Franglen gives us a tempered Horner score that many listeners
had always wanted. On top of that dominant base, it also features some
influences from James Newton Howard and Howard Shore along with his own
budding style. (Both "Eclipse" and the middle of "Family" have some
harmonies from Shore's
scores.) But the
real coup here is that the score includes many of the best of Horner's
mechanisms without becoming overwhelmed by them, yielding what can be
deemed a truly comfortable "Horner score" that is as enjoyable both as a
ghost of film music glory lost and smart continuation of a major
franchise's identity. The general characteristics remain the same, large
orchestra, varied choirs, solo voices, electronics, solo strings, and
inventive wind or percussion effects forming a whole that is largely
tonal and accessible throughout. Franglen incorporated freshly devised
instrumentation for the score, though more important is how his own
sensibilities with his combined ensemble of sounds melds with
recognizable elements from the first score. This usage is far more
effective than the lip service one might expect a score like this to
provide to
. Instead, the sequel pays extensive respect to
its predecessor just as it does its composer. It's fascinating to
consider the aspects of
that Franglen chose to minimize or
completely drop; most of these decisions are adept. More intriguing is
the composer's effort to extend trademarks from far earlier in Horner's
career into
. While Franglen really only
became an integral part of Horner's team in its later years, he has
proven himself the ultimate "insider fan" of Horner's entire musical
career, and this careful diligence of tribute is pervasive throughout
this work. For Horner collectors, the breadth and frequency of 1980's
and 1990's trademarks here will provide a stream of Easter eggs in the
score that is as charming as it is effective in context. The resulting
style joins an aggressive demeanor from Franglen that is impressively
powerful.
Among the obvious stylistic applications returning in
Avatar: The Way of Water are the use of strings for drama, brass
for adventure, percussion for conflict, winds for exoticism, and
electronics for fantasy. The abrasive ethnic vocal tones from two female
singers return, but they are comparatively diminished by the presence of
solo vocal accents and standard mixed adult choral tones in more
conventional cooing forms. A penny whistle continues to play an
important role, but not always in the usual counterpoint places. Some of
the same glassy percussive and synthetic loops return for the Na'vi
cultural element, with "Happiness is Simple" reprising Horner's
Avatar percussion, winds, and electronics for Pandora in faithful
form. Solo vocals or string performances continue to punctuate
particularly poignant moments in the narrative. There are differences
throughout as well, however. The vital whistle is not mixed as
prominently in
Avatar: The Way of Water, never as impactful as
second minute of "Jake's First Flight" and failing to really anchor the
top of sonic spectrum as it did in
Avatar. Some of the mid-range
percussion strikes are not as singularly spectacular, though that might
be a function of the mix, too. Franglen alters the equation to emphasize
certain returning or new elements, and this is where the score notches
some important victories. Chimes and triangles are integral to positive
scenes involving the water, and whale and other marine sounds are added
to the style of Horner's
Living in the Age of Airplanes for the
Metkayina material. Some electronic growling and pitch-slurring effects
are unique to Franglen, and the abrasive electronic effects in "Bad
Parents" are obnoxious but not a deal-breaker. Most obviously, the
incorporation of a source-like traditional song of new age influence as
related to "The Songcord" is a lovely bookend that certainly would have
tickled Horner's fancy. While the prior score did provide a female-led
song of romance, this equivalent is aimed more at familial and ancestral
reverence, something closer to
The New World than
Avatar.
Importantly, all of these additions by Franglen are compatible with
Horner's methodology, so never does this work sound like it's straying
too far in focus even when infusing new elements into the mix, a great
accomplishment.
Franglen's incorporation of singular "Hornerisms" in
Avatar: The Way of Water deserves discussion on its own, as the
combination of these insertions forms an identity equal to the themes
for fans of the composer. In musical structure, Franglen expertly
emulates Horner's counterpoint techniques and anticipatory chord shifts
in general, starting at 2:16 into "Leaving Home." The anticipatory chord
resolution at 2:34 into "Sanctuary" is typical to
Apollo 13, the
technique reprised at 2:49 into "Na'vi Attack." Related are shifting
bass harmonies from
Glory under the choir at 1:09 into "Train
Attack." Swaying movement between two chords at 0:45 and 0:59 into
"Friends" hail from
The Land Before Time, while the opening
ascension figures in "Cove of the Ancestors" resemble
Cocoon.
Horner's harmonic sensibilities for the feeling of suffering is central
at 1:30 into "Eclipse," raising
Legends of the Fall and
The
Four Feathers. In his use of pace, Franglen's action cues have the
frequent cadence shifts that emulate Horner's handling of evolving
tempos and sync point adherence, declining to even suggest the worst
habits of modern, ostinato-driven monotony in the industry. The
emphasized, static brass movement at 1:51 into "Training Montage" dates
back to Horner's early 1990's children's scores and was a feature of
Avatar. Even more noticeable are Franglen's brief instrumental
nods to Horner that are liberally littered throughout the score. A
puffing shakuhachi flute rhythm akin to
Legends of the Fall and
The Mask of Zorro is tastefully mixed into "A New Star" and "Kids
in Peril," and the wailing descent from the shakuhachi as an accent
figures at 3:04 and 3:42 into "Na'vi Attack" and is emphasized with
Willow zeal from 2:35 to the end of "Bad Parents." (Even more
distant wails opening "Family is Our Fortress" date back to
Willow as well.) Another woodwind effect from
Vibes
factors at 0:19 into "Songcord Opening" for fantasy appeal. The
application of brass is a little more streamlined by Franglen, but
notable accents for trumpets represent throwbacks to Horner's career,
too. The floundering trumpets at the end of "Family is Our Fortress"
emulate
Aliens, while the wayward solo trumpet in the middle of
"Family" offers a sense of disappointment heard in
Willow.
The application of percussion by Franglen is outstanding
in
Avatar: The Way of Water, in part because he manages to work
in so many trademark traits of Horner's music from those players as
well. Light percussion, synthetics, and strings in "Converging Paths"
offer the composer's ear for nature a la
The New World. The
distinctive snare rhythm from
Glory is at 0:20 into "Masks Off."
The accelerating cymbal tapping and drum stinger motif at 0:16 into
"Rescue and Loss" is a common 1990's Horner technique utilized notably
in
Courage Under Fire. Snare and anvil strikes at the outset of
"Knife Fight" are from
Aliens. The crashing piano motif at 0:36
and 0:58 into "Knife Fight" owes to
The Pelican Brief, and the
double strikes of metallic percussion at 2:21 into "Knife Fight" are
from
Titanic as well as
Avatar. The piano and whistle at
the end of "Into the Water" is a clear connection to
The Spitfire
Grill, while the ascending rumbling piano chords at 1:58 into "The
Spirit Tree" are a staple of
Clear and Present Danger. Rambling
keyboards in the background from
A Beautiful Mind are reprised in
"Into the Water" and others. These Horner-like pace-setters extend to
thumping bass rhythms of "Payakan" that date back to
Apollo 13,
and electronics, vocals, and brass late in "Sanctuary" strongly remind
of
Living in the Age of Airplanes. (The start of "Into the Water"
owes much to that score as well.) In the use of vocals, Franglen
supplies a solo boy soprano voice at 2:22 into "The Tulkun Return" that
reminds of the most elegant Horner moments (including in
Avatar).
A solitary boys' choir expresses sadness early in "The Spirit Tree" much
like
Casper, choir and snare together in "The Hunt" resemble
Titanic, and, most effectively, the light, three-note choral
motif opening "The Songcord" and also recurring at 0:32 into "Family is
Our Fortress" is positioned similarly to the opening and closing moments
of
Willow. No survey of "Hornerisms" would be complete without
references to his famous four-note motif of danger that gained its fame
in
Willow as well; that motif did find a home in
Avatar,
and Franglen applies it more sparingly. It can be heard at 0:43 into
"Na'vi Attack," 0:42 into "Eclipse," and 1:11 and 1:16 into "World
Upside Down" to punctuate the climax of the whole narrative in sublime
fashion.
As important to the strategy behind the score for
Avatar: The Way of Water is Franglen's thematic tact. The plots
of the two films force the most romantically beautiful material into the
middle third of each score, and they both lead to resolution cues that
are fairly solemn and unhappy compared to the rest of prior music. As
with
Avatar, the cues of wonderment are the lovely release in the
middle portions, but again like the predecessor, some of the action cues
thereafter feature absolutely ball-busting force of satisfaction. The
most interesting single decision in the approach to
Avatar: The Way
of Water is that to abandon three of the five Horner themes from the
prior film. To this end, by dropping the ascension theme (0:30 into
"Climbing Up 'Iknimaya - The Path to Heaven" and 0:30 into "Jake's First
Flight"), the Na'vi culture theme (3:08 to 3:54 into "Becoming One of
'The People'"), and the two three-note phrases that comprise the
military theme (0:00 and 1:54 into "War"), he eliminates the most
obvious references to the main theme of
Glory (the ascension
theme) and Tristan's theme in
Legends of the Fall (the Na'vi
culture theme). Given that Horner's military theme and material for the
villains personally was rather nebulous, it was smart to start fresh
with a new idea for those concepts. Losing the Na'vi culture theme is a
little more controversial, though Franglen does replace it with an
ancestral-oriented theme that serves a broader scope. The two returning
themes are Horner's discovery/love theme shared with the "I See You"
song and the Na'vi battle theme, which is more of a simple, defiantly
ascending motif. Retaining the discovery/love theme seems like an
obvious prerequisite, though with the original romance between the two
leads replaced by broader familial priorities and the discoveries
related to the underwater realms handled by other themes, this idea is
seemingly transferred to the Na'vi more generally. It remains a truly
beautiful melody, and Franglen exercises its main phrasing well in full
and fragmentary use, sadly without its customary whistle counterpoint
accompaniment in most cases. It's hinted twice at 2:47 into "Leaving
Home" to conclude the new main theme but is afforded a guilty-pleasure
reference in the style of "Becoming One of 'The People'" at 1:35 into
"Happiness is Simple," where the lack of the whistle at 1:44 is the
major omission. Franglen condenses the highlights of "Becoming One of
'The People'" well at this juncture, but don't expect that personality
to persist due to the quickly souring narrative.
Early in
Avatar: The Way of Water, Horner's primary
discovery/love theme is forced into adversarial prominence, reforming
into an action motif immediately in "Train Attack" and battling the new
military theme, becoming especially prominent at 0:51 in dramatic
renditions. It is paired with the battle theme at 2:48 into "Masks Off"
(this time with the whistle, though that instrument is diminished in the
mix) but is less obvious thereafter. Subtly hinted at the outset of
"Converging Paths," the theme influences the battle theme at 1:56 in
progression suggestions and recurs at 1:10 into "Mighty Eywa" while
sharing chords with the new main theme. It is combined with the new
Payakan theme for the crescendo at the end of "Friends" and twinkles at
1:16 into "Cove of the Ancestors," its second phrase at 1:55 on violin
reminiscent of "The Bioluminescence of the Night" in its descending
piano lines underneath. The theme shifts back to brief action bursts at
1:12, 2:18, and 2:37 into "Na'vi Attack," the last one significant, and
informs the progressions at the start of the sorrowful "Family" before
making a disappointing but somewhat acceptable exit at that juncture.
Horner's Na'vi battle theme is built upon
Willow's call to action
brass figures (2:17 into "Scorched Earth" and 3:37 into "The Destruction
of Hometree") and is not as obviously conveyed at the forefront compared
to Horner's emphasis of it. Hinted at 1:21 into "Train Attack," it
becomes a little more cohesive at 2:02. A brief fragment flashes at 2:48
into "Masks Off" and then closes the cue explicitly. It is shifted
intriguingly to a soft variant in the first half of "Converging Paths"
and teases some comedic flair early in "Training Montage" before filling
out for the ensemble at 1:30 and guiding the rest of the cue. The battle
theme is twisted into new ascending phrases at the outset of "Where the
Men Hunt," enjoys a prominent moment at 4:55 into "The Hunt," lingers
for a few bars in the background at 1:57 into "Knife Fight," is somewhat
obscured at 0:51 into "World Upside Down," and guides a defiant rumble
at 1:08 into "Songcord Chapter" against the main theme. Despite this
solid usage of these two Horner themes, Franglen allows three of his own
ideas to dominate
Avatar: The Way of Water. He created five
significant new themes for the film overall, with a sixth at the end
potentially setting up future sequel scores. Each of these ideas is
steeped in Horner mannerisms, both in structure and instrumentation, and
their usage is more consistently developed here than their equivalents
in the first score.
While some listeners may be disappointed by Franglen's
decision to drop three themes from
Avatar in this work, his
replacements are uniformly successful and, in some ways, completely
superior. One of Horner's strengths was not only writing fantastic
themes but applying them appropriately to his narratives. For some
reason, he struggled in
Avatar to connect his major ideas to the
free-floating, singular explorations of melodies that sometimes
supplanted them. Franglen doesn't suffer this issue at all until his
resolution, which could be explained in future scores should he continue
in the franchise. His new primary identity for
Avatar: The Way of
Water represents the concept of family, and it is eventually joined
(and nearly overshadowed) by a Metkayina theme for the underwater
civilization, a new military theme for the villain and invading humans,
and secondary themes for the Payakan character and the concept of
ancestry that is intertwined with the Eywa lifeforce of Pandora.
Franglen's new family theme is the glue that holds the score together,
in part because it comprises the melody of the source-like "Songcord"
song that accompanies the score with three performances. This
long-lined, very Horner-like identity is heard immediately in "Leaving
Home" ("Hometree") on tentative brass and then dramatically at 0:25 on
strings. It adds intensity throughout the cue, becoming fuller on
strings at 1:10 with brass counterpoint and cymbal accents and emerging
for full ensemble at 2:20 with aggressive percussion and choir, its
first phrase left softly hanging at the end. This cue also introduces
the theme's interlude phrasing at 1:52 in lighter choral tones. The
first vocalized form of the theme comes at 0:26 into "Songcord Opening,"
where Franglen explores additional secondary phrasing for the idea. The
family theme opens "Happiness is Simple" on whistle over the previous
score's lighter glassy percussion and shifts even higher whistle at
1:03. It overtakes the military stewing at 1:07 into "Family is Our
Fortress" and achieves a pinnacle in the score during "Sanctuary," where
it ensues with resolve and pounding percussion at 0:19, swells to the
full ensemble at 0:37, and provides its interlude at 1:14 on massive
choir as a distinctive highlight for the theme. The theme is embroiled
in action in the middle of "Kids in Peril" and late in "Na'vi Attack,"
briefly ascends in the fighting at 0:20 into "A Farewell to Arm," is
twisted into a troubled choral variant at 1:29 into "Eclipse," and
achieves a hugely heroic statement at 1:48 into "Bad Parents" before
admitting a dose of defeat at 2:37.
The position of Franglen's main new family theme is
surprisingly restrained in the final third of
Avatar: The Way of
Water, but it still achieves its purpose. Slight at 0:25 into "Knife
Fight," it becomes more coordinated at 0:58, and a fragment struggles at
the outset of "World Upside Down." In the resolution sequence cues, the
theme elegantly returns at 0:54 into "From Darkness to Light" on solo
cello and yields a larger and inspirational performance at 2:36. Very
slightly suggested late in "Family," it is vocalized in "Songcord
Chapter" and stoic from the ensemble thereafter in that cue. Franglen
does allow it to send the score off with melodrama, however, the idea on
solo voice at 1:31 into "The Spirit Tree" but adding orchestral layers
to produce a big finale with the choir. It is then the basis of the full
"The Songcord" song; these vocals in the fictious Na'vi language are
performed by lead actress Zoe Saldaña with a distinctive sense of
exotic authenticity. A "Songcord" is a device that stores a family or
clan's history in the story, so Neytiri is essentially recording her
experiences in these cues. As effective as this theme may be at
bookending the narrative in
Avatar: The Way of Water, it's the
new Metkayina theme for the associated underwater culture that steals
the heart of the score. This idea is to this score what the
discovery/love theme was to the prior one, supplying the absolute beauty
of the work's midsection with such overwhelming romanticism that it's
difficult to not declare it the top attraction of the score. It is
guided by two five-note phrases with a soothing new-age atmosphere that
makes best use of Franglen's own electronic sensibilities. Faintly
previewed at the end of "Converging Paths," it explodes with a noble
introduction at 1:46 into "Sanctuary," where it really resembles
Living in the Age of Airplanes with its vocals and orchestral
backing. The beauty of the theme is expressed after 30 seconds in "Into
the Water" on ethereal vocals and electronics, eventually achieving a
full performance at 2:07 that passes the melody to the strings and
woodwinds for its secondary phrasing. This theme also contains a lovely
interlude sequence in "Into the Water," heard on descending strings at
1:02 and 1:54 and with a gorgeous solo voice at 2:40. This Metkayina
material returns at 0:26 into "The Way of Water" on solo voice and
electronics, with the theme's interlude present at 0:57 on solo viola
over rambling piano. These two cues convey the bulk of the score's easy
listening with the Metkayina theme, conveying phenomenally pretty
tonality over electronics and percussion that cannot be missed.
The culmination of Franglen's new theme for the Metkayina
comes in arguably the most impressive and certainly the most celebratory
cue of
Avatar: The Way of Water, "The Tulkun Return." Heard at
0:16 and 0:50 on brass over exuberant percussion, the fuller phrasing at
the back end of the theme is explored. An interlude variant for solo
voice at 2:20 provides a charming close to the cue. This theme becomes
involved in the action at 3:14 into "Na'vi Attack" but otherwise does
not prominently figure into the remainder of the score. Sharing the same
harmonies and chords as the Metkayina theme is Franglen's secondary
identity for the Payakan character and the cetacean species by
association. Heroic on solo voice, electronics, and strings at 2:10 into
"Payakan," this idea is reduced to solo viola at the end of the cue for
a tender conclusion. It's solitary at the start of "Friends" but builds
to choral triumph at 0:27 and explores its own swaying interlude at 0:45
and 0:59. That interlude returns at 1:10 into "The Tulkun Return," and
the main phrasing of the theme jumps into a massively heroic mode at
1:53 into "A Farewell to Arm" on full choir. All of these themes find
themselves battling Franglen's new identity for the human military and
the resurrection of the villain, Colonel Quaritch. Despite Cameron's
removal of several battle scenes, this theme still dominates much of the
score. It consists of an underlying rhythmic motif and an oddly heroic
brass identity paired with it once fully revealed. The bass motif is an
ominous, rising phrase from key, a four-note sequence instead of three
notes as Horner had utilized. This underlying motif becomes increasingly
powerful through the score until achieving fully chanted force by end of
"Na'vi Attack." Before then, however, it is repetitively prominent early
in "A New Star," persisting through all of the cue. A descending violin
line at 0:53 and 1:56 as counterpoint becomes its own warning siren and
previews the more sophisticated thematic lines at 1:10 and 1:56. The
rhythmic motif persists at 0:10 into "Train Attack" underneath Na'vi
choral chanting, continuing at 0:21 into "Masks Off" with ripping snare
until the full theme is finally revealed at 0:31, the rising phrases
obsessively stewing later in the cue. The military theme opens "Rescue
and Loss" in defiance, developing into a frantic, deconstructed action
burst that re-focuses at 4:29 before again becoming chaotic. With a dose
of menacing growling, it begins "Family is Our Fortress," becoming faint
for a moment but rediscovering its form at 1:43 with the brass theme
atop an accelerating crescendo; the theme alone closes out the cue with
quiet desperation.
Franglen's handling of the new military theme in
Avatar: The Way of Water intensifies in its bassline and brass
definition of the theme in the second half of the score. Juxtaposed
against the Metkayina tones in the latter portions of "Where the Men
Hunt," the theme lets rip at 0:21 into "The Hunt" with brutal attitude
over the ascending rhythmic motif. It boils down to three-note phrasing
at 1:06 to emulate "War" for a moment here (the propulsive force
conveyed during this sequence is remarkable), but the new rhythm and
theme define much of the action that follows in the long and memorably
powerful cue. The rhythmic motif is muscular at 2:13 into "Kids in
Peril" over puffing shakuhachi flute and builds even more momentum at
the start of "Na'vi Attack," really shining with the theme at 1:24; the
sonic battle against the discovery/love theme is very strong in these
passages. The military theme opens "A Farewell to Arm" and sets the
pace, even against massive pitch-slurring pulses, and it lurks on deep
brass at 2:11 into "Eclipse." The rhythmic motif launches into an even
more dominant stance in "Bad Parents," the theme blasting away on brass
at 0:42 alongside score's most distorted and distracting synthetic
effects. Both the rhythm and theme persist with metallic clanging at the
outset of "Knife Fight," the theme getting the upper hand at 0:44
amongst piano crashes. It becomes a little less formed early in "World
Upside Down" and functionally dies on trumpet at 1:15 into "Family."
Aside from these themes, Franglen explores one other recurring idea in
the score. Heard during the story's exploration of the Eywa concept,
this theme is possibly a wider identity for ancestry in general for the
protagonists and their culture. It's quite nebulous but highly tonal,
its three-note phrases resembling the aforementioned choral motif from
Willow but not the same. Heard in the first minute and close of
"Converging Paths" and at either end of "Mighty Eywa," this ancestral
theme is far brighter at 0:40 into "Cove of the Ancestors," switching to
solo viola at 1:39 and closing the cue in some suspense. It is agonized
at the start of "Eclipse" but rebuilds from contemplation at 0:33 into
"From Darkness to Light." The composer leaves listeners with one
additional thematic idea tied to Metkayina's Spirit Tree at the end of
the score, occupying the first half of "The Spirit Tree" on light choir.
This idea doesn't explicitly connect to the broader Metkayina theme and
only exudes hints of the same electronic undercurrents. Franglen yields
to the main family theme in this cue for a dramatic though not
overwhelming finale, but one could hope that the Spirit Tree theme will
receive additional treatment in subsequent scores.
Overall, the score for
Avatar: The Way of Water
is perhaps the greatest relief in the digital age of film music. With so
many years to contemplate the disappointment that could await this
franchise's sequel scores after Horner's death, one cannot blame the
composer's enthusiasts for being pessimistic. Astonishingly, Franglen,
aided again on his crew by Horner regulars like Simon Rhodes and J.A.C.
Redford, managed to achieve what seemed impossible: actually improving
upon Horner's score for
Avatar while remaining incredibly loyal
to him. This score is a technically brilliant love letter to Horner's
career that resurrects the best of his trademarks but leaves the
controversial self-repetition behind. Not only did Franglen and his crew
greatly surpass all expectations for
Avatar: The Way of Water,
they did so by charting Horner's music into new waters with fantastic
themes, an extremely tight narrative, and a vibrant, smart mix of
orchestra, voice, electronics, and specialty accents. It is the kind of
score that will beckon 5.1+ surround or high-resolution stereo
appreciation, though neither download option was readily available for
Hollywood Records' initial two album offerings. (Don't bother with lossy
compressed downloads; such constriction is a frightful disservice to a
score like this.) The film does utilize an end credits song, "Nothing is
Lost (You Give Me Strength)," written by Swedish House Mafia and
performed by The Weeknd. Franglen helped co-write the song, explaining
its score-like choral elements; its melody does not carry over to the
score, however. It's not a terrible song, but its vocal manipulation is
annoying and the tone doesn't connect well enough to the score and the
"Songcord" vocals to bring the whole soundtrack together. This song only
appears on the shorter "soundtrack" album along with 72 minutes of
score, and this presentation represented the only CD available for the
score. The longer, "score" album runs 101 minutes without the song (but
still misses the initial end titles cue); both include the main
"Songcord" vocalization. Unless you demand the song, do not be tempted
by the shorter album. The longer presentation includes several vital
cues and moves "Leaving Home" (titled "Hometree" on the shorter album)
to the front as necessary. Aside from two additional "Songcord" cues,
the "score" album also adds "Train Attack" and "Masks Off" (both with
crucial adaptations of the discovery/love theme), the playful "Training
Montage," and a large chunk of the later action and resolution music.
It's totally unforgivable for the momentous "Sanctuary" to be missing
from the shorter album, too. This cue is an absolutely necessary
highlight from a blissfully outstanding score that may fool you into
believing for just a moment that James Horner is still alive.
***** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
