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Review of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (John Williams)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... no matter your expectations, even if you demand a
powerfully melodic and excitingly complex piece of grand artistry from
an era of greatness that only John Williams in top form could deliver.
Avoid it... on the quickly pirated "for your consideration" awards promo unless you absolutely require fifteen or so minutes of additional material and film variants of a few (but not all) cues in poor audio quality.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
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. *****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Regular Commercial Album:
Total Time: 77:42
Disney Awards Promo: Total Time: 68:07
NOTES & QUOTES:
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.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Star Wars: The Force Awakens are Copyright © 2015, Walt Disney Records (Commercial Albums), Walt Disney Studios (Promotional Album) and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 12/28/15 (and not updated significantly since). When a Filmtracks visitor once disregarded Admiral Ackbar as a "disgusting man of fish," another visitor appropriately defended Ackbar as "one fine piece of Mon Calamari ass." |
