may be director Joe Dante's most innocent children's film in terms of
its completely silly and likable story aimed at the imaginations of
youth, the tale also contains some of the director's fiercest
condemnation of media influence on our children. The basic premise is
corny and doesn't try to hide that fact; three nerdy kids in
contemporary 1985 are sent (through their dreams) technical schematics
from friendly aliens and use an old Apple computer and a battery to
invent a sphere of energy that, along with parts of an old amusement
park ride, will take them on a journey to the aliens' distant
spacecraft. When they get there, however, it becomes evident that all
the knowledge about Earth that they can convey to their new alien
friends comes from what they have seen on television, making a comedic
but rather damning assessment about our own society (especially when you
consider how often humanity's interactions with alien creatures in the
media leads to war). Generally greeted positively,
is
considered one of Dante's more obscure efforts despite a cast that
includes Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix as debuting youngsters. Also a
footnote in the production is Jerry Goldsmith's score, a work that
hasn't really competed well with the better known entries by the
composer in the collaboration but does indeed stand favorably in
qualitative comparison. Dante's instructions to Goldsmith for the
assignment pointed to rather solemn Americana music to represent the
concept of dreams unrealized, and while there is a fair amount of that
melancholy tone heard during the skyward gazes in the picture, the
composer still infused
with a whimsical, optimistic
twist on his usual action material, producing an always redeeming and
sometimes exhilarating fantasy environment. This score's closest cousin
is clearly
exceeds the later
effort in terms of thematic cohesion, performance enthusiasm, and
singular highlights. There is no doubt that Goldsmith's technique of
blending symphonic and synthetic elements was reaching its maturation by
1985, and
benefits greatly from an intelligent balance
of the two. At the time, he was still employing three or so keyboard
players to stand alongside the orchestral musicians and perform live
with the ensemble. Because of the obvious alien and fantasy elements in
the story, Goldsmith applies the resulting otherworldly effects as both
singular accents in the work and, more entertainingly, as rhythmic
accompaniment to the rest of the players.
Despite some slower, ethereal material representing its
contemplative moments,
Explorers is a likable score all around,
with typically lightweight character and low impact intentions. It's
another case in which Goldsmith perfectly captures the tone of a film
without compromising his own inherent styles. There exist four main
themes in
Explorers, one an anthem of great strength and
determination for the spacecraft and technology, one of innocent
character friendship for the children's bond, another of airy five-note
phrases that could be termed the "whimsical dream motif," and finally a
wacky comedy theme for the alien kids. On the original 30-minute
presentation of score that existed on the early LP and CD releases of
Explorers, these themes seem significantly self-contained until
"Have a Nice Trip" wraps them neatly for the finale and end credits,
though when appreciating the full 70+ minutes of Goldsmith's
composition, you can hear them mingling far more frequently. Clearly the
most memorable of these themes is the one representing the boys'
innovative inclinations, developed in its fullest form in "The
Construction," the highlight of the score that was moved to the start of
the original album presentations. Also anchoring "First Flight," several
other moments of journeying excitement, and the conclusion of "Have a
Nice Trip," this idea falls under the classification of infectious
Goldsmith rhythmic propulsion, creating a clear and bold rhythm on
thumping piano or bass strings while developing a truly inspirational
theme on brass, cellos, and synthesizers on top. The first minute of
"The Construction" is incredibly motivating, following the technique of
adding the various lines of the theme "from the bottom up" (as Goldsmith
says). The driving piano is joined by low strings and the theme unfolds
as higher elements eventually add their voices to the performance. The
conclusion of "The Construction" contains one of Goldsmith's most
robust, concert-like arrangements, with broad brass strokes firmly
bringing the score's most attractive cue to an ambitious end. In the
middle of this performance, the composer utilizes an exuberant version
of the "dream motif," more often expressed with subdued whimsy
throughout the rest of the score. Introduced subtly in the opening two
cues, really taking flight in "Sticks and Stones," and reaching soaring
heights on violins and light electronics in the latter half of "First
Flight," this pensive theme is often responsible for the more restrained
and sad material Dante requested of the composer. It also receives by
far the most treatments by light synthesizer tones, often in conjunction
with fluttery synthetic effects emulating the aliens' own noises.
Accompanying the dream motif in "Sticks and Stones" and
other cues is the similarly rendered friendship theme for the children,
and in several cues thereafter, you hear Goldsmith express this material
with harmonica in Americana tones reminiscent of Arthur B. Rubenstein's
just previous equivalent usage for
WarGames. It's somewhat
generic, wholesome Goldsmith writing, but it's welcome none the less.
The final major theme in
Explorers is the one for the primary
alien child the boys encounter in outer space, hence its silliness.
Smartly hinted by Goldsmith to suggest that this wacky alien is
responsible for the dreams experienced by the humans, the pure fluff of
this idea finally stomps in full in "She Likes Me" with electronic
keyboards and live percussion a merging of Goldsmith's usual comedy
tones (similar to
I.Q. and other early 1990's works) and always
reminiscent of Henry Mancini in a twisted way. It turns dark in "Fast
Getaway" and "Space Pirates" for light mystery and temporary fright. In
between full and lofty performances of the score's other main themes in
"Have a Nice Trip," Goldsmith allows this prancing piece a few minutes
of unadulterated fun as the alien child initiates another round of
contact. It's corny to the max, but you really couldn't have expected
Goldsmith to complete a score for a Dante film like this without some
wild elements rolling over from
Gremlins. The material in between
these thematic explorations is really no different from
Innerspace, usually easy on the ears but not often reaching
memorable heights. Goldsmith does twist the dream motif into the minor
key in "I Want to Live" and "More Dreams" to represent an adult in the
story who never realized his own dreams, and, by "Let's Go," this
material, exudes a feeling of deeper, melodramatic whimsy that is a
welcome shift of tone in the score. On the whole,
Explorers
features fifteen to twenty minutes of highly engaging fantasy material
from Goldsmith, a worthy entry in any collection rich with scores from
this fruitful period in the composer's career. It was first released on
CD by Varèse Sarabande in 1990, with three pop songs moved to the
end of the product (the 1985 LP record had scattered them throughout).
The songs, the first of which did not appear in the film, are typical
rock affairs that have nothing in common with the score. In 2011,
Intrada Records released the full score without the songs (but with all
of the film's source recordings), its stunning sound quality and
completion of the narrative flow of the music meriting significant
praise. Goldsmith collectors will almost uniformly recall
Explorers fondly, and though few will rate it amongst his best,
the 2011 album is a lovely presentation of this highly effective,
brightly optimistic, and thematically rich score.
@Amazon.com: CD or
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- Music as Written for the Film: ****
- Music as Heard on the 1990 Varèse Album: ***
- Music as Heard on the 2011 Intrada Album: ****
- Overall: ****
| Bias Check: |
For Jerry Goldsmith reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.26
(in 124 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.29
(in 153,454 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
|
