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Review of Furious 7 (Brian Tyler)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if you desire a predictable extension of the electronic and symphonic blend that Brian Tyler has provided to this franchise for years, this entry continuing to develop its themes adequately.

Avoid it... if you have no taste for the brazen, loud, and often manipulated electronic effects that defined Tyler's earlier entries in the franchise, because they return in force here.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

Furious 7: (Brian Tyler) Despite a concerted effort by the studio to accelerate the production schedule of the Fast and Furious franchise's films, essentially pushing director Justin Lin out of the picture in the process, the entire process was halted anyway by the death of lead actor Paul Walker in, oddly appropriately, a car crash. The financial juggernaut of a series continued without Walker for half of the production of 2015's Furious 7, a combination of special effects, body doubles, and other techniques used to simulate the deceased actor for the remainder of the film. With the story of the racing gang of mercenaries now retiring Walker's character for good, production of the eighth film could proceed on its target to surpass Furious 7, a difficult endeavor given that the 2015 flick overcame massive illegal distribution (mainly in India) to become the fourth highest grossing film of all time. The plot of Furious 7 continues the trend towards an almost familial relationship between its primary characters as time has passed. The adventure is still there, with finally a continuation of the plot after The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (the previous three films had chronologically fit in earlier) taking the now absolved crew on one final journey to acquire a technological target while evading the always ominous Jason Statham. The new director for the franchise, horror expert James Wan, wanted to really emphasize the emotional element besides the stock chasing and heists in this entry, a logical choice especially upon the death of the lead actor. That desire was conveyed to composer Brian Tyler, who had written the music for three installments of the franchise until Fast & Furious 6 didn't find a place in his schedule in 2013. Very young Spanish composer Lucas Vidal handled the score for that film, and it is perhaps no surprise that (aside from the fact that the Vidal score didn't experience an album release like Tyler's do) that a fair amount of Tyler's music from the previous scores was tracked into the final product. Returning for Furious 7, Tyler remains the natural choice for the franchise, his ability to merge symphonic and electronic ruckus into hyperactive musical explosions is rightfully respected in the industry, and his own love of racing and longstanding emotional connection to this franchise make it pleasing to see his name attached to it once again. Not unexpectedly, a massively lengthy album of his score for the film (which received the usual assortment of song placements he had to work around) was provided for concept enthusiasts. The music remains more of a wildcard for traditional film music collectors, however, for a variety of reasons relating to style and redundancy.

Tyler's return to the franchise for Furious 7 comes as he has truly made a new name for himself in the Marvel universe of motion pictures, and it's important to remember that his music for these Fast & Furious films is an entirely different breed, one less orchestrally dominant and defined more by his tinkering with meters and electronic sound effects to yield the propulsion and mechanization the concept demands. The renewed character development in the arc of the narratives allows Tyler to continue to explore ideas he previously established in the franchise. For most listeners, this continuity will be supplied by the staccato line of descending blasts that only needs its first three notes to really define the theme in context (look for this theme to start promptly at about 0:30 into "Furious 7" and close out "One Last Stand"). The remainder of the themes that Tyler carries forth are not as flashy, nor are they as memorable. The acoustic guitar material for the familial relations, joined by innocuous strings that unfortunately sound as watered down as the typical samplings by a Hans Zimmer clone, doesn't really last in the memory as it could, the exceptions being the better engaging "When Worlds Collide" and "Letty and Dom." Such generally unremarkable harmonic interludes ("Remembrance" is a good example in this score) serve their purpose but stand firmly in the background, never attempting to really pack the kind of emotional punch certain situations could use. This restraint may serve the film adequately, but on album, cues like "Awakening" and "Homecoming" have to be considered disappointing. That leaves the action sequences and moments of unique style, the latter exemplified by little accents here and there (vague Arabic vocals in "God's Eye" and exhaled vocal pointers in "Hobbs is the Cavalry," the latter perhaps unintentionally humorous). The chase scenes are challenging to handle in part because they have to function around the sound effects as Tyler seemingly opts to avoid competing with some of the loudest moments of effects. Likewise, the chase sequences are so lengthy that he had to employ unusual meters to allow the rhythms to survive for long periods without simple, unsustainable tempo increases. Almost all of these sequences feature a return to the significant electronic effects that existed in Tyler's first two scores in the franchise, some of them truly obnoxious. Many of these sounds and their manipulation, including those immediately heard in "Furious 7," will be intolerable to the ears of those who attempt to appreciate Tyler's orchestral and rhythmic emulation of the great Jerry Goldsmith. Patience of such listeners will be tested additionally by the brutally long album presentation, which is great to have in many ways but will not impress those seeking Tyler's better symphonic representations. His "Fast and Furious" work is admirably workmanlike, though, and it continues to succeed for its intended purpose.  ***

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 77:10

• 1. Furious 7 (2:57) • 2. Paratroopers (3:12) • 3. Awakening (3:22) • 4. Operation Ramsey (2:12) • 5. Battle of the Titans (2:00) • 6. Parting Ways (2:22) • 7. Mountain Hijack (2:04) • 8. Homecoming (2:06) • 9. Beast in a Cage (3:07) • 10. Homefront (3:02) • 11. Vow for Revenge (2:25) • 12. Party Crashers (5:45) • 13. The Three Towers (3:15) • 14. God's Eye (2:56)

• 15. When Worlds Collide (2:35) • 16. Remembrance (1:40) • 17. Hobbs is the Cavalry (2:31) • 18. Operation Carjack (3:48) • 19. A Completely Insane Plan (3:47) • 20. Letty and Dom (2:26) • 21. Heist in the Desert (1:58) • 22. No More Funerals (3:15) • 23. Hobbs vs Shaw (3:22) • 24. Connected (1:24) • 25. About to Get Real Serious up in Here (2:53) • 26. Family (2:13) • 27. One Last Stand (2:55) • 28. Farewell (1:24)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert includes a list of performers but no extra information about the score or film.

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