Walker's strategy in the franchise was more orchestral,
whereas Tyler's infused an increasing synthetic presence, along with
more modern post-processing. Wynn clearly made a strategic choice to
walk a line halfway between the two styles, and he succeeds with skill.
While not very experienced in the suspense and horror genres thus far
for the big screen, he credits studying under Jerry Goldsmith and
Christopher Young early in his career for helping him find the right
techniques to access. Those composers are precisely the perfect
inspiration to have in the genre, no doubt, and Wynn channels both quite
intelligently. His use of chord shifts reflects the harmonic tendencies
of Goldsmith, especially as he moves fluently between major and minor
modes for intrigue. Fluttering woodwinds and a very high string presence
atop the soundscape remind of Young's methods of creepiness. From both
sources of inspiration, a sense of propulsion towards the inevitable
conclusion is very well conveyed, like flowing water. There is a sharp
synthetic edge to some cues, but these electronics are masterfully
engrained into the mix. Wynn even incorporates sampled sounds from an
actual medical device and scraping effects to punctuate certain scenes.
Critically, the orchestra is extremely motivated in its reverb-friendly
performance inflection, and the outright action has aggressive brass
techniques that keep the cues interesting despite their discord. It's a
work that sounds nasty at times, and you have to admire such personality
in the end result. He also wastes few opportunities to state one of this
several themes for
Final Destination Bloodlines, their
progressions sometimes bleeding into one another. He's also not afraid
to overlap them in ways that suggest both synergy and battle, several
sequences impressively suggesting three themes in short succession. His
main theme is a gem of Goldsmith resurrection, and it is joined by a
family theme that represents the desperation of the characters
attempting to cheat Death. On the other side, you receive a fantastic
identity for Death and a frequently associated motif for fate that
shares some of its constructs with the main theme. Finally, you also
receive reprises of Walker's original theme for
Final Destination
in a cameo role for the recurring character that returns for one final
performance. Together, these themes make nearly every moment of this
sequel score interesting even if the tone is horrifically challenging to
enjoy.
The main theme of
Final Destination Bloodlines
is a wonderfully propulsive horror identity with harmonically dramatic
chord shifts. It reminds of Goldsmith's
Basic Instinct and
contains two parts, each dramatically compelling and proving once again
that really good horror scores can be tonally beautiful as well. Expect
to find yourself combining these performances into an attractive suite.
Featuring fully at 0:20 "Bloodlines (End Titles)" in a massive symphonic
performance, this idea punctuates the horror in the middle of "The MRI"
against medical device-like tones and emerges quietly from the Death and
fate material in "Bludworth's Goodbye." It toys with the Death theme
early in "Escape to the Compound" before a full performance in panic and
briefly overcomes the Death theme in the electronically prickly "The
Plan." More impressive is its full expression of thumping rhythmic
fussing "Drive to Iris," which continues in its unnerved rhythmic duties
in the chillingly great, ticking time-bomb of "Connecting the Dots." The
theme almost gets off the ground with its rhythm in the latter half of
"I Screwed Up the Order" and attempts to gain some confidence at the
electronically embellished end of "Your Plan is Nuts." Its accompanying
rhythm alone occupies part of "The Book" and "The Compound," and the
theme struggles against the horror a minute into "End Credits Suite"
prior to returning to its full form in the middle of the cue for two
performances. The family theme provides the other noteworthy moments of
compelling drama in the work, a redemptive and yearning string identity
that actually dares audiences to care about the core characters despite
their fate. Faintly heard throughout "We Can't Give In" with increasing
intensity, this theme builds more emotional connections in "Two of Us"
and achieves its prettiest, melancholy performance from strings and
piano in "The Skyview." It cries out during the action of "Waterworld,"
builds to an urgently worried ensemble rendition of tonal beauty late in
"Meet Bludworth," and strives for hope in the engaging string
contemplation of "Resurrection." It turns dark on glassy bowl tones in
"Graveyard," twists in agony from strings in "Premonition," reduces to
be barely evident in "Psycho Grandma," and offers some soothing keyboard
and string solace in the first half of "Look After Paco." Don't expect
this family theme to prevail in the end, of course, but its appearances
are appreciably voluminous, and they compliment the main theme's
reserved agony well enough to keep the listening experience
dynamic.
On the darker side of
Final Destination
Bloodlines, Wynn coins an excellent identity for Death, a slower,
menacing representation of impending doom that blasts with full force on
low brass at the start of "Bloodlines (End Titles)." It turns to various
ensemble sections nicely in the swirling first half of "Bludworth's
Goodbye," deliberately stalks the latter half of "Escape to the
Compound," and stews beneath the family material in "Two of Us" and
guides a stinger at the end. The idea can serve rhythmically as well,
which it does to set a sense of the inevitable in "The Plan." This idea
accelerates during "Lawnmower Man" and "I See You" as Death approaches,
becomes more brazenly open in "Decoding Iris' Book," claims victory with
a crescendo late in "Resurrection," and triumphs with gusto at the end
of "Tower of Terror." Inescapably intertwined with the fate theme in
"Tempting Death," the Death theme interrupts meandering light drama in
"Technically You Weren't Dead" for more inevitability, informs the
momentous close of "Premonition," and opens "End Credits Suite" on low
strings and taunts later themes in the arrangement. The fate theme,
which seems to bleed together with an idea for the penny in the story,
is a direct sibling to the main theme, an elongated form of the same
idea. It's heard on violins at the start of "Elevator Ride" and
developed throughout the cue, shifts for kinder drama early in "We Can't
Give In," and proceeds on mournful cellos half a minute into
"Bludworth's Goodbye," where it forms a rhythm for the Death theme. It
closes "Decoding Iris' Book" with uncertainty, flows out of the main
theme's rhythm late in "Connecting the Dots," previews the Death theme
late in "Resurrection," and overlaps the Death theme in cyclical form on
high strings in "Tempting Death." Whining in the latter half of
"Premonition," this motif achieves a massive moment of fright in the
first half of "The Collapse," goes subtle for a moment late in "The
Compound," and dances with the Death theme in the second half of "End
Credits Suite." The returning Walker theme from 2000 is applied to the
Bludworth character played by the late Tony Todd. This treat closes
"Bloodlines (End Titles)" with a single phrase, maneuvers into dramatic
sorrow at the end of "Bludworth's Goodbye," reprises the "Main Titles"
cue from the first film early in "Meet Bludworth," and reminds briefly
at 0:30 into "Decoding Iris' Book." The end credits make the point of
shifting from the Shout song to the score for one final Bludworth theme
performance. Overall,
Final Destination Bloodlines is a very fine
horror score with distinct Goldsmith flavor. Its album provides the cues
out of order, which harms the listening experience, but the opening
track is among the best of the year. Shave the album down to 30 minutes
of outstanding material for the win.
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