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Star Wars: The Force Awakens: (John Williams)
Regardless of your lingering, nostalgic affinity for the
Star
Wars franchise from its heyday in the early 1980's, you have to
marvel at a concept that now sees much more money spent on its marketing
and ancillary products than on the production of the film itself. The
$200 million cost of creating 2015's
Star Wars: The Force
Awakens, the seventh episode of the cinematic series, was eclipsed
by the combined fiscal force of television advertisements, action
figures, video games, and other brand plundering by Disney, the constant
promotions on television almost equaling actor Harrison Ford's
staggering $25 million base salary in cost. To imagine that Ford was
paid only $10,000 for the original
Star Wars film places the
evolution of the concept in perspective, though most of the astonishing
merchandising and spin-off savaging and draining of the famed universe
rests in its 2012 purchase by Disney from George Lucas. Upon that
transaction, Lucas, despite holding a ceremonial title as a consultant
on the new films, was largely shut out of the process of
The Force
Awakens and the plethora of auxiliary films planned for the galaxy
far, far away. The original story concepts devised for episodes VII - IX
by Lucas were discarded entirely, a source of lament for the creator,
eventually reworked by director J.J. Abrams and franchise veteran
Lawrence Kasdan into a script for
The Force Awakens that is
highly derivative of that of
A New Hope, the Galactic Empire,
Death Star, Darth Vader, the Emperor, and the Rebellion simply replaced
by the First Order, Starkiller, Kylo Ren, the Supreme Leader, and the
Resistance but their functions largely the same. One senses that
tremendous frustration must exist in the inhabitants of that galaxy,
with endless threats from fascism and that pain-in-the-ass Skywalker
family yielding endlessly repetitive angst and suffering. The parallels
between
The Force Awakens and
A New Hope are so shameless
as to ruffle the feathers of some critics, but audiences didn't care;
satisfying execution of the plot overcame its numerous fallacies of
logic (even for the fantasy genre) to garner the film over a billion
dollars of earnings in its first two weeks of release. With grosses like
that, who cares how derivative the idea has become or how much you have
to spend on crew specialists to combat the combined weight gain of
original actors Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Anthony Daniels?
With the diluted
Star Wars concept already spread
across video games and television cartoon series, the famous music of
John Williams for the universe, although intact in its own branding
duties, had already taken a hit in its mystique. Part of this
diminishment over time is due to the maestro's own scores for the three
prequel films of 1999 to 2005, music of extremely high quality, no
doubt, but not achieving the classic status of the original trilogy of
scores. After a busy 2005 that featured a somewhat discombobulated
Revenge of the Sith score, Williams slipped into semi-retirement,
returning only occasionally for feature projects of his choice as his
health allowed. It was largely assumed at the conclusion of the prequel
trilogy that Williams was finished with the concept due to his advanced
age, and fans were appropriately jubilant that at least he had retained
enough of his health to participate in those projects. Amazingly, after
battling heart conditions in his 80's that sidelined him from his
conducting duties and a collaboration with director Steven Spielberg, he
managed a triumphant return once again to
Star Wars in 2015 with
largely only the assistance of orchestrator and conductor William Ross,
with whom Williams has maintained a long collaboration. To experience a
new Williams
Star Wars score thirty-two years after
Return of
the Jedi is nothing less than stunning, especially considering his
laborious process of writing by pen and paper sans all the technological
aids available to composers of younger generations. Williams wrote and
recorded nearly three hours of music for
The Force Awakens, its
sessions spread over a lengthy, five-month period and the bulk of which
resulting from the composer's own orchestrations. Ross conducted most
early sessions but Williams stepped in himself as an hour of his music
was dropped and the final two hours of material solidified.
Interestingly, promising Venezuelan conductor (and emerging composer)
Gustavo Dudamel, winner of several conducting competitions over the
previous ten years, was asked on a whim by Williams at the sessions to
conduct the opening and closing credits sequences for
The Force
Awakens. In a departure from the previous
Star Wars scores,
Williams compiled a collection of 90 orchestral and 24 male choral
voices mainly in Los Angeles for this project, choosing not to employ
the London Symphony Orchestra for practical concerns. Two cantina source
songs needed for the film were bypassed by Williams, Broadway composer
Lin-Manuel Miranda instead taking the lead on those wackier
recordings.
While it is not uncommon for a fair amount of a score from
any composer to experience significant alterations in post-processing
editing of both the film and the soundtrack's album, Williams' music for
the prequel scores were almost absurdly manipulated for both.
Fortunately, while there was significant micro-editing exercised in
The Force Awakens, some of it by Williams' own particular choices
in the case of the album, there is refreshing synchrony between film and
album in a larger sense with this project. Sure, there are the three
seconds snipped here and there, alternate recordings dropped in somewhat
blatantly, and a few trackings that betray their origins elsewhere in
the picture, but compared to the prequels, Williams enthusiasts have to
be pleased by the general reverence with which the maestro's music was
treated here on screen. The effectiveness of Williams' score in context
is outstanding, a better connection to the musical narrative of the
original three soundtracks achieved while also exhibiting the
increasingly frenetic complexities of the prequels. The quality of
writing in
The Force Awakens, regardless of the inevitable
debates between fans and music collectors regarding the placement of
this theme or that, is stunningly accomplished, a reflection of Williams
at his prime. The orchestrations alone are worthy of review, in part
because of the composer's knack for applying tried and tested classical
and film music techniques in remarkably fresh and effective ways. But
also of interest is the clear difference in the performance tone of the
score due to its recording outside London and without some of the
accents of the prequel scores. Mainstream ears will note that the
prequels' choral and electronic embellishments, outside of the deep
throat-singing for the emperor-like villain of this entry, are gone,
leaving
The Force Awakens as more of an original-trilogy style of
score. While you hear Williams employ harp and woodwinds in ways few
composers do in the younger generation, the goldmine of discussion in
this score should result from the brass, which is a definite,
distinguishing characteristic of this new trilogy. While Williams'
strings retain much of the same character as they always have, the brass
players in Los Angeles feature a much darker, more abrasive tone,
especially in the French horns. Gone is the warmth that you encounter
from the London horns, replaced by a gritty edge simply due to the
difference in the actual model of horns preferred by these new
performers. Expect to hear this change in the villain's theme and the
many muted performances by horns and trumpets (the latter in
triple-tongued duty as usual).
The slightly more brutal tone of orchestration suits
The Force Awakens well, and casual ears tuned recently to Howard
Shore's unyieldingly oppressive applications in his Middle Earth scores
may not notice Williams' subtle shift darker. More obvious to those
listeners will be the composer's thematic tendencies, for better or for
worse. You witness countless criticisms of
The Force Awakens that
revolve around the notion that Williams failed to write themes for the
picture that you can retain in your memory after the conclusion of the
film, and such comments are cheap and without perspective. Only
A New
Hope and
The Empire Strikes Back, two truly transcendent,
classic scores atop the "best of" lists of all time, contained
game-changing themes destined to be heard in sports arenas for decades
to come. While
The Force Awakens, like the four previous scores
in the franchise, does not reach those heights, it's arguably closer
than all the others. Between the two primary new themes in
The Force
Awakens, you have material that is not only short and memorable in
the case of the villain but flowingly lovely and inspirational in the
case of the new heroine in ways that compete with the love theme from
Attack of the Clones in terms of tonal majesty. Williams' ability
to manipulate the level of tonality in the harmony of chords supporting
his themes remains unchallenged in cinema today, no other composer
capable of expressing so much dynamic range of emotion with the same set
of progressions. He is the master of anticipatory bass enhancement to a
theme, holding back the bass region's harmonic resonance during a theme
to denote anticipation, turmoil, or immaturity in the story, the melody
sounding seemingly unresolved except in specific instances of unison
performances deemed worthy of resolution. Likewise, Williams has created
a stable of motific ideas for this franchise based on minor-third
progressions, and don't be surprised if you hear shadows of the Imperial
March (essentially constructed wholly out of that progression) in the
themes representing those connected to Vader by lineage. In some cases,
it might entail ascending minor thirds rather than the descending
variety more famously associated with the franchise, but such is the
need of a hero's musical response. Also vital in a general sense of
thematic attributes in
The Force Awakens is Williams' better
ability in this continuance of story from the original trilogy to apply
those films' themes to more naturally satisfying and frequent ends.
Expect to hear much more due influence of
A New Hope, in other
words.
As this review transitions into specific motific and cue
analysis, be forewarned that if you seek not to have plot specifics from
The Force Awakens revealed, then cease reading and go appreciate
Williams' music in context now. The last thing you need are more "why
are the Skywalkers even allowed reproduce?" questions that actually
merit serious consideration. At the very least, go to novelty stores and
buy toilet paper rolls with Kylo Ren pictured on every piece (you'll
find them next to the Donald Trump variety). Meanwhile, this review will
proceed through the themes of
The Force Awakens, starting with
those fresh to this picture. The score's primary new identity is the one
for the heroine, desert scavenger, Rey, whose theme represents the
wholesome romantic side of the journey in this story. Rey's idea allows
Williams the flowing fantasy appeal most related to the resonating
performances of the Buckbeak theme from
Harry Potter and the Prisoner
of Azkaban, lofty string layers conveying the lovely primary melody
over rolling timpani and noble brass counterpoint. Her idea receives its
own concert arrangement and is the first new idea presented in the end
credits suite, but its true introduction comes in "The Scavenger," where
Williams reveals all three components of the theme in diminished scope
but with the required sense of resourcefulness for the character. Her
self-sufficiency is represented by an introductory auxiliary motif (0:53
and 1:59) before a separately recurring rhythmic motif making the
minor-third connection (1:03, 1:22, and 2:07) adds determination to her
character. The actual theme is heard first at 1:31, and note that the
aforementioned rhythmic motif continues on woodwinds underneath the main
melody. You'll encounter this overlapping of these three identities for
Rey frequently. The wholesome, full ensemble performances of the main
idea make for the most impressively lyrical moments of the score on
film, and listen especially for when brass take the lead in the
performances (as at 1:22 in "Rey's Theme"), for you'll definitely hear
the
Harry Potter connections in these passages. Later in the
score, moments with this theme include a soft woodwind performance at
0:21 into "That Girl With the Staff," three resolute applications in the
middle of "Finn's Confession," a major expression of defiance and fear
at 2:40 into "Maz's Counsel," a slight woodwind reference at 1:43 into
"Kylo Ren Arrives at the Battle," and a vital, tragic performance at
1:39 into "The Abduction" that receives a less forceful take included on
the album compared to the better, growling version in the film.
As
The Force Awakens reaches its conclusion, Rey's
theme offers the movie's most comforting element. After conducting
fragmented sonic battle late in "Torn Apart" and "The Ways of the
Force," it becomes a stabilizing force of hope in "Farewell and the
Trip," in which it mingles extensively with the franchise's older
themes. As the idea shares characteristics with the new themes for Kylo
Ren and Luke Skywalker, questions must be raised about Williams' (and
the film's, for that matter) heavy foreshadowing of the familial
connection between Rey and these other characters in the placement and
progressions of the identity. In the case of Kylo Ren, you have a
distinct theme of dread for his entrance and exit scenes, much akin to
the very obvious and overbearing usage of the Imperial March in the
original trilogy's two latter films, as well as a secondary motif that
is bit squishier in its attribution and meaning. The main theme for Ren
is a pair of four-note descending phrases adjoined by a bridge note
connecting the two as needed. Heard almost exclusively on snarling brass
(this is where you really hear the difference in the tone of those Los
Angeles horns compared to the London ones), Ren's fanfare is expectedly
related to the minor thirds of the Imperial March but also informed by
Rey's identity in its bridge note, which is heard uniquely twice in the
introduction to the theme at 4:20 into "Main Title and the Attack on the
Jakku Village." Interestingly, on a side note, don't be surprised if the
lay viewer associates the theme more frequently with Ren's shuttle given
the placement of the theme in the film. After the "Jakku Village" cue,
the next impactful presentation of the theme bursts forth similarly
(with that same, damn shuttle) at 0:51 in "Kylo Ren Arrives at the
Battle," this time with woodwind dissonance and the muted brass trumpets
really lending a sinister effect to the idea. Throughout that cue and
"The Abduction," the Ren theme receives expected treatment, including
two more subtle bass region performances in the latter, but it's
intriguing that Rey's theme actually dominates the actual departure from
battle in that scene. Obvious brief placements for the main Ren theme
exist twice in "On the Inside" before returning to full fanfare glory at
2:48 into "Torn Apart" and simmering later in that cue. A fascinating
disintegration of the fanfare commences at 1:21 into "The Ways of the
Force" and the theme isn't heard from again until its appearance at 4:45
into the end credits. It's important to note that the album does not
reflect the truly impactful role of this theme on screen as a reliable
calling card for the character's entrances. Though intentionally
immature in development, it is a remarkably memorable identity as
applied.
While the fanfare for Kylo Ren is an easy target in
The
Force Awakens, Williams' secondary motif for the villains of the
tale is more elusive in its purpose. Although its three progressions
inform several cues throughout the score, its actual eight-note, formal
form is heard most clearly several times on brass at 0:13 into "The
Abduction" and in suspense mode at 3:43 into "Han and Leia." It
continues in repetitive agony at 1:07 into "The Ways of the Force" and
segues into Kylo Ren's theme in the end credits. Theories abound as to
whether this motif belongs to the Starkiller, the First Order, or
something else, but given its placement in the film (and, more
importantly, its absence during the Starkiller and First Order scenes of
glorious display), this motif is more likely an informal introduction to
Ren's theme or an accompanying motif of general dread. The latter
hypothesis is supported by its subtle use at 1:15 into the unreleased
cue "Finn's Trek." Interestingly, Finn, the redeemed stormtrooper with
almost a child-like connection to both Rey and resistance pilot Poe
Dameron, does not receive consolidated thematic representation until he
starts to openly become an action hero. His frantic, rhythmic motif is
the basis of the lengthy "Follow Me and The Falcon" cue (split into two
needlessly and abbreviated on album), utilized upwards of ten separate
times in that thrilling cue alone. While this theme may be the score's
most difficult to perform by the orchestra given its pacing and taxing
of the trumpets in particular, the melody remains somewhat anonymous
throughout the picture, especially with the original
A New Hope
fanfare for the Millennium Falcon interjecting at times. The idea
returns as a chase motif once again twice late in "The Rathtars!" before
succeeding Kylo Ren's theme in the end credits. Perhaps the character's
ongoing identity problems in this film are the reason for the lack of a
more delineated, dedicated theme. Neither "Finn's Trek" nor "Finn's
Confession" (or his heroism late in the film) is addressed with a
variant of this action motif or anything else. His best moments on
screen actually come alongside the theme for Poe, which is heard twice
gloriously in the film and both ironically involve Finn as a central
element in those shots. The first moment comes at 1:19 into "I Can Fly
Anything" as the two steal a tie fighter and the latter more
impressively explodes at 1:06 into the sadly unreleased cue "The
Resistance" as Poe decimates the tie fighter fleet while Finn roots him
on. The relationship between Finn and Poe (which has been mentioned as
having either fanboy fanaticism or homosexuality at work - hopefully the
latter!) is supported by their overlapping themes at 5:23 into the end
credits. A nice reprise of Poe's theme exists at 0:35 into
"Farewell."
The score for
The Force Awakens wouldn't be
complete without its share of scherzos and marches of pomp, and Williams
indulges fans of
The Phantom Menace and later Indiana Jones
scores with ideas for the resistance and X-wing fighters that both
receive concert arrangements on the album. The "Scherzo for X-Wings" is
largely based upon the primary franchise theme, but "March of the
Resistance," heard in various forms during the X-Wing attacks on screen
(including "Resistance" and "The Bombing Run," both unreleased cues) is
reprised to a lengthy extent in the end credits (though the album
presentation cuts some of this material out). It's not one of Williams'
best marches, but it certainly fits nicely with surrounding material in
The Force Awakens and supplies more than enough positive energy
when needed. Two new themes of darkness round out the freshly recurring
offerings in the score, one of which rising from the ashes of the Sith
and dark side of the force material from
Revenge of the Sith.
Utilizing the male throat singers as a base, the theme for Snoke, the
emperor equivalent, breaks no new ground and is pretty predictable in
its reference of similar progressions as the former Palpatine theme. The
album version of "Snoke" does not feature one of the dramatic openings
to his scenes (Williams' usual descending horn lines of impressive
stature), but it does offer the some skittish string foreshadowing of
the minor-third trios of notes in its later half that will later come to
take over Kylo Ren as he fights the dark side in his confrontation with
Solo, connecting Snoke's suggestion with Ren's deed. In "Torn Apart," at
1:28, this motif builds to an agonizing crescendo that leads directly
into the score's final theme: the one of death. While the performance of
this whimsical string identity at 1:59 into "Torn Apart" is memorable in
punctuating Solo's final, loving gesture to Ren, the theme's more
developed performance comes as the Starkiller destroys the Republic's
home world and moons in "The Starkiller," an interesting choice by
Williams to take a highly melodramatic, treble-dominated route to
addressing this momentous scene of victory for evil. It's a 180-degree
turn from the original trilogy's pulsating Death Star treatment. On a
positive note, Williams leaves listeners with three performances of a
new theme of hope at the outset of "The Jedi Steps," as Rey ascends to
return Skywalker's lightsaber. The final performance of the idea
accompanies the reveal of Skywalker, suggesting the theme as either his
mature identity or one that will accompany Rey and/or a new resurgence
of the Jedi in subsequent films. It suffices to say that it would be an
inexplicable travesty for this solemnly impressive new theme to go
unused in the sequels.
Perhaps the most fabulous aspect of Williams' approach to
The Force Awakens is the composer's integration of the
franchise's previous themes into this effort, all of which dating from
the original trilogy (none of the themes debuting strictly in the
prequels seem to be reprised in full here). The original Star Wars
fanfare alternately represented Luke Skywalker, the prior rebellion, and
the concept as a whole, and in
The Force Awakens, it is applied,
interestingly, to not just the bookend positions as expected, but rather
as the anthem of the recognizable technology that lingers from those
films. Almost all of the placements of this franchise/rebel theme
accompany moments of glory for the Falcon and X-Wing fighters when those
machines essentially recreate their actions from
A New Hope. The
two separate phrases of this theme are delightfully joined at 3:45 into
"Farewell and the Trip," and Williams' references to the idea amongst
Rey's theme at the conclusion of the end credits are extremely
satisfying. As was becoming apparent in the prequels, however, the
franchise fanfare is not the emotional heart of the music for the
concept. That distinction truly lies with the theme for the Force. While
references to this identity in the prequels were more infrequent than
they perhaps needed to be, Williams goes the opposite direction in
The Force Awakens, including it at every conceivable moment in
which that mystical power is at play. He even applies a heroic variation
of it after the Poe theme's performance in "Farewell and the Trip"
(0:48) with a hint of valiant posture dating back to its use at the end
of
A New Hope. In its proper element, however, the Force theme is
the one that will bring tears to your eyes in
The Force Awakens,
as not only does it emerge along with Rey's discovery of it, but in each
"the legend is true" moment of dialogue offered by the older characters
in the film. The album's presentation of cues does not offer the theme's
proper placement as Solo explains to the younger generation about
Skywalker and the Jedi, but most pertinent performances are indeed
included on the product. It appropriately reveals itself with mystery in
"Maz's Counsel" and some solitary comfort at 4:02 into "Han and Leia."
The theme is often deconstructed into fragments, as in the bold portion
at 3:13 into "Torn Apart." Its three performances in "The Ways of the
Force" are all notable, though the final one was replaced in the film by
a reprise of the "Burning Homestead" cue from
A New Hope with
prominent horn counterpoint rather than Williams' less monumental (and
arguably more appropriate) vision of the cue. Significant complaints
from fans will likely result from this tracked-in passage, from both
those seeking it on album and those offended by its clear lifting
without clear purpose.
Williams ensures that the theme for the Force is a
dominant factor in the final scenes in
The Force Awakens. After
the two references in "Farewell and the Trip" (one the aforementioned
alteration of bravado and one of quiet resolution), Williams closes out
the film with the theme as the stout highlight of the finale leading
into the credits (which also feature the theme at 7:27 with some ballsy
demeanor). It's a powerful send-off musically, compensating for or
perhaps exacerbating a cheesy overhead drone shot meant to extend the
potency of the cliffhanger ending unnecessarily. Outside of the main
franchise/rebel fanfare and Force theme, you hear several themes from
A New Hope and
The Empire Strikes Back reprised in
moderation. The brief scene with Kylo Ren praying to the melted helmet
of Vader is clearly treated to a low woodwind cameo of the Imperial
March's primary phrase, but don't expect to hear this passage on album.
Available for enjoyment, however, are the most important statements of
Leia's theme and the Han Solo and the Princess love theme. The first
minute of "Han and Leia" contains both themes on woodwinds and strings,
neither afforded much romantic appeal given the strained relationship
between the two. The love theme is reprised later in the cue with the
same tepid attitude. Look for both identities again in "Farewell and the
Trip," the love theme developing out of shades of the theme of death at
1:48 and concluding with one definite bass string note that segues into
a mysterious presentation of the Force theme to suggest the end of that
relationship. Moving on from there, Leia's theme receives a remarkably
intact performance on flute at 2:54 that even includes the wavering
violins from its origins in
A New Hope as accompaniment, a purely
nostalgic moment. There are a number of other brief moments in
The
Force Awakens that would seem to suggest connections to prior themes
as well, including an allusion, perhaps, to the Luke and Leia theme from
Return of the Jedi early in "That Girl With the Staff," but you
often hear more general mannerisms from Williams that will remind you of
similar non-thematic moments in the prior six scores. His handling of
alternating chord progressions for woodwinds to denote the desolation of
the desert is one, a feature of several early cues in this entry. Scenes
of people running, humorously enough, also seem to evoke a consistent
response from Williams. Pulsating brass and bass strings for running
stormtroopers in "Attack on the Jakku Village" and regal shades of
positive order as at 3:30 into "Farewell and the Trip" are examples. One
poignant moment of vintage Williams defiance comes at 2:26 into "Torn
Apart," as Chewbacca shoots Kylo Ren (that petulant bastard!) in
rage.
As you can tell from the verbosity above,
The Force
Awakens contains an abundance of thematic development that is highly
coordinated and easily distinguishable. While the true meaning of some
of the new themes may not be apparent, especially in the structural
relationship between Kylo Ren and Rey's material, not to mention some
connections between Skywalker's new theme and Rey's, their usage in this
film is simple to grasp. The placement of Kylo Ren's theme may dominate
the screen in its applications, but you really do understand musically
that the relationship between Rey and the Force is central to this
trilogy by this first score. A few notes will follow now in this review
as pertaining to highlights in individual cues. It's important to
recognize that Williams himself butchered the original recordings (and
chose some alternates and different speeds) when assembling the album,
and the concurrent release of a "for your consideration" awards promo
online by Disney didn't help clarify the picture much. But for the sake
of pointing readers to highlights in individual cues, some quick
discussion of the initially available cues is merited. The "Main Title"
recording for this score is nicely handled, especially in the prominence
of the snare, and the wondrous transition to the standard Williams "be
impressed by this ship" motif that follows opens the film promisingly.
The commercial album combines two "The Attack on the Jakku Village" cues
into one and cuts out a substantial amount of the tonal suspense and
chasing of the original recording, as well as the ending of the cue. (On
a side note, take a moment to search online, like everyone else, for who
the hell Max von Sydow's character was. They'll probably make a whole
spin-off movie based on his relationship with Skywalker.) The incidental
cues separated on the consideration promo ("Lunchtime," "You Got a
Name," and "I'm No Hero") are natural extensions of "The Scavenger," the
exception being the opening minute of "You Got a Name" as Solo and Rey
get to know each other to a woodwind statement of Rey's theme. The film
and album versions of "I Can Fly Anything" are frightfully disparate,
with Williams taking the
Phantom Menace-like action cue to the
chopping block for countless minor edits throughout for the album. It
would seem that this cue underwent some substantial rearrangements and
edits to accommodate the film, too. The same could be said of "Follow Me
and The Falcon," which has so many 3 to 10-second sections cut out for
its split presentation on album that it's nearly impossible to keep
track of all the differences. The pacing of the cue is the ultimate
concern, though, and most listeners won't notice the difference. The
commercial album's insertion of Rey's concert arrangement between the
two halves of the cue remains extremely unfortunate.
The sequence of "The Rathtars!" features perhaps the
score's most anonymous action material akin the generic side of the
prequel entries. For the unreleased cue, "The Resistance," much of the
material is tracked in from the concert arrangement of the march, with
the exception of the final minute with Poe's theme in full glory. While
the album version of "The Abduction" may suffice for some listeners (it
does, after all, offer the impressive trombone counterpoint in the bass
of Rey's theme at the end), the film version is far more brutal in how
the brass close out the cue. On the promo, the end of "Finn and Poe,
United" contains rebel-related material unreleased. The totality of
"Snoke" material seems incomplete, though two similar cues for his
communication scenes are available, the two variants each with their
plusses. In the case of "The Starkiller," don't expect many variations
on this straightforward cue. Unreleased is the final X-Wing attack on
the Starkiller, "The Bombing Run," with ample references to the original
Death Star assault music, which is appropriate given how much (and
almost how silly) the dialogue between pilots carries over in style and
language. That cue does include one nice, unresolved reference to Rey's
theme at its end. The assault material continues at the outset of the
promo version of "On the Inside" for a little less than a minute, a
passage not featured on the primary album. A bit disturbing is the
editing Williams did to the album for "Torn Apart," his choice to cut
short the minor-third suspense crescendo of Solo and Kylo Ren both
holding the red lightsaber on album totally unnecessary. Later in that
cue, you hear alternate takes on the album, with the theme of dread for
the villains cut out. In "The Ways of the Force," the promo offers some
alternate takes in its first minute, but not the "Burning Homestead"
reference of the Force theme from
A New Hope. The "Farewell and
the Trip" cue on the album is actually a combination of "The Journey
Home," the "Rey Meets BB-8" material from earlier on the commercial
album, followed by the actual "Farewell and the Trip" cue at the end.
Williams' arrangement of these cues, mainly cutting out the droid
interactions, is among the few really nice choices made for the album,
as nothing of importance was eliminated. For "The Jedi Steps and
Finale," there seem to be several sections with a bit longer playing
times, suggesting manipulations, aside, of course, from the extended
resistance march heard in the film version of the end credits.
Ultimately, the commercial album will bother those listeners with ears
tuned to find the occasionally less polished edits that exist throughout
the product, especially if they've seen the film multiple times. But at
least the score isn't totally crucified as the prequels were, making
comparisons between film and album nearly impossible.
True fans of the franchise will seek out little nuggets
of referential motific suggestions that Williams may or may not have
inserted into
The Force Awakens. There are several places, for
instance, when the minor thirds of the Imperial March could seemingly
have informed an otherwise orphaned sequence here. There are pairs of
trumpet notes at 2:39 into "The Falcon" on the commercial album that
could be connected to the Hoth battle from
The Empire Strikes
Back. The opening of "Han and Leia" is reminiscent of the planning
discussion about the twins' future in
Revenge of the Sith. The
start of "Finn's Confession" has similarities to "Talk of Podracing"
from
The Phantom Menace. The beginning of "Kylo Ren Arrives at
the Battle" offers impending worry harking back to the two latter
prequel scores; some of this tone continues in the "Snoke" cues. The
initial reveal of the Falcon at 2:30 into "Follow Me" is offered the
franchise's fanfare in eerily similar fashion to the vessel's leading of
the rebel fleet into battle in
Return of the Jedi, a nicely
nostalgic reminder. The same applies to the exuberant performance of the
Force theme from the Death Star explosion as the Starkiller meets a
similar fate here ("The Journey Home"). Bait for
ultra-deconstructionists are moments of extreme manipulations to themes
such as the bass string performance of Kylo Ren's theme backwards at
1:26 into "The Bombing Run." Perhaps the minor third phenomenon will be
explained in full at some point by these aficionados. There are moments
of curious lacking in a few cues when additional motific references may
have been recommended to Williams, most of which involving the backstory
filled in during the visit to Maz Kanata's cantina on the planet of
Takodana. The vision sequence for Rey featuring new and edited dialogue
from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda (Ewan McGregor and Frank Oz earned their
pay with one sentence apiece while Alec Guinness calls to Rey by the
trickery of sound editors chopping apart the actor's performance of the
word "afraid") was handled with stark dissonance and hits when
opportunities to work in some tasteful, quick references to past themes
were missed. Likewise, "Maz's Counsel" did not recall anything notable
from the prior six films aside from the Force theme, this despite her
Kenobi-like knowledge of the Skywalker legacy. Some fans may quibble
with the lack of any truly resonating performance of the Han Solo and
the Princess love theme given the events of the film, though their
strained relationship did not really allow it; more clever would have
been a connection Williams could have made between Kylo Ren's theme and
that love theme. At some point in this trilogy, a reference to "Across
the Stars" to bring the Skywalker saga to a conclusion would certainly
be appreciated.
All minor quibbles aside,
The Force Awakens
meets and exceeds expectations where the prequel scores failed to do so
without requiring extended time to sink in. Only half of the recorded
music for the film has been made available, excluding the two cantina
source songs (one of which Jabba-related for pure fun), and there
remains about half an hour of the film's finished presentation missing
from both the commercial product and the awards promo. Unlike the
prequel scores, however, the missing material is not pivotal to an
appreciation of the score; so much of the latter two prequels remains
unreleased that they are a goldmine of "new" music for the composer's
enthusiasts (those, at least, not interested in online piracy). By
comparison, really, the only two cues of obvious need for fans here are
the Imperial March moment with Vader's helmet and the also brief cue in
which the Falcon nearly collides with the Starkiller and lands instead
in its forests. At a healthy 78 minutes, the commercial album is not
problematic in its length; rather, it's the editing and alternate takes
that should give Williams' collectors pause. That was the maestro's
choice, of course. Perhaps the most important fact to remember about the
score for
The Force Awakens is that all of it is essentially
Williams' in its composition and orchestration. William Ross assisted
the composer, but this is a vintage Williams score as saturated with his
superior trademarks as any. To think that a composition such as "The
Jedi Steps and Finale," with its incredible end credits arrangement that
is not simply an edited amalgamation, is possible from Williams in 2015
would have seemed inconceivable just ten years prior. Not only should
this score's detractors remember how lucky they are to have a score of
this magnitude from Williams' own pencils in the mid-2010's, but they
have to recognize that
The Force Awakens, by the grace of the
maestro's continued undiminished excellence, is superior to damn near
everything else being produced for blockbuster features of the era. It
exists at the pinnacle of 2015 regardless of any controversy surrounding
the film's reliance upon old formulas, and it eclipses the appeal of the
prequel scores and may even surpass
Return of the Jedi for some
listeners. The icing on the cake is an outstanding mix of the music on
album. The touch of reverb embellishment is welcomed, and the stereo
soundscape presents the instruments in Williams' desired locations well.
The same cannot be said of the promo, which debuted in minimal MP3
quality and with a mix closer to that of the film's presentation. On its
primary album, there is absolutely no doubt that
The Force
Awakens belongs in your Williams and
Star Wars collections.
It's a powerfully melodic and excitingly complex piece of grand artistry
from an era of greatness that seems a long time ago in a movie industry
far, far away.
***** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
| Bias Check: |
For John Williams reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.68
(in 91 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.54
(in 360,199 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
|
The slipcase packaging of the commercial albums contains a note from the director about the
score, along with extensive photography from the film. The Target-exclusive album is identical but
adds new cover art and two trading cards. Some pressings contain a paper insert advertising Star
Wars concerts set to debut in 2016. The Disney promotional album is a digital product with no
official packaging.
