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Review of Journey to the Center of the Earth (Andrew Lockington)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you are a sucker for the rousing swashbuckling
adventure scores of yesteryear that require no intellectual thought to
appreciate.
Avoid it... if shamelessly optimistic fanfares and harmonic choral majesty are too predictable in any form for your stuffy sensibilities to handle.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Journey to the Center of the Earth: (Andrew
Lockington) Little reason existed to give special effects guru Eric
Brevig the reigns to this classic Jules Verne-inspired story outside of
the fact that it represented the first motion picture to use digital
projection technologies in modern movie houses to provide a 3-D viewing
experience. Aside from the novelty of that 3-D creation, there is
nothing of particular note about the 2008 version of Journey to the
Center of the Earth. Its collaborative script is dumb, the
characters are shallow, the laws of physics are suspended, and very
little of Verne's original concept survives intact. In fact, the 2008
production is a sequel to the events of the 1959 classic film rather
than a remake, though anybody with half a brain can see that it was only
a ploy to provide nearly constant effects sequences with the intent of
thrilling bored summer audiences with half the efficiency of a theme
park ride. This eye candy is truly shameless, and it's fitting that it
would be treated to an equally predictable formula score. The concept of
blockbuster fantasy or adventure music has unfortunately traversed down
a synthetic path over the course of the 2000's, leading to a popularity
of the original Media Ventures sound with mainstream audiences trained
to accept simplistic masculine bombast with no sense of style for their
eye candy films. Bucking this trend for Journey to the Center of the
Earth is Andrew Lockington, instead writing a throwback score that
reminds of the days when swashbuckling music actually stirred the soul
with symphonic might. This is the first large-scale assignment for the
Canadian composer; his career had consisted of orchestration work for
fellow Canadian Mychael Danna as well as a handful of obscure feature
and television scores to his own credit. Between Journey to the
Center of the Earth and City of Ember in 2008, Lockington
made the kind of surprisingly sudden splash in the industry that was
arguably last witnessed upon David Arnold's arrival in the mid-1990's.
The exuberant style with which Lockington outperformed expectations for
Journey to the Center of the Earth leads to obvious comparisons
to Arnold's bombastic style at the outset of his career, and, with a
purely undemanding method of raising symphonic ruckus, you can't help
but admire the enthusiasm that Lockington infuses back into the
genre.
In no way is this music high art. It doesn't reinvent the wheel. It will beg no comparisons to Bernard Herrmann's commonly praised score from the 1959 version. It will never be nominated for an Oscar. But it is damn entertaining, and for a project as ridiculous as Journey to the Center of the Earth, could you really ask for anything more? The formula for the recording is predictable. A crisp symphonic ensemble in London is complimented by slight synthetic rhythms, mixed choir, and an array of Taiko drums. The style of the composition owes much to the depth of Alan Silvestri's action romps, the occasional burst of John Williams complexity, and the mixture of tones common to John Debney's fantasy scores. The almost unyielding harmonic optimism in the heroic stature of Lockington's title theme and supplemental ideas is almost dizzying in its gleaming character. Not only does this score resurrect the high adventure of film music's Bronze Age, but it does so without any reservations. By diving head first into this unashamedly ballsy bombast, Lockington doesn't allow you enough time to overanalyze his choices. In these regards, it is much like Silvestri's The Mummy Returns and James Newton Howard's Atlantis: The Lost Empire; you have heard most of the key elements in classic scores of the past, but sometimes a repackaging of the concept into a shiny new incarnation can be so refreshing that it transcends the confines of a "guilty pleasure" listening experience and actually becomes a worthy art form itself. The "Journey Theme" that guides this score receives its necessary brass introduction of robust stature, though more impressive is Lockington's ability to manipulate the idea down to the level of a contemplative solo piano. Also impressive is the limited role of synthetic rhythmic devices, which proves that you can indeed employ them without detracting from the organic feel of the overall composition. Moments of choral majesty accompany some of the grand sights in the middle of the score. From "The Center of the Earth" to "Storm," this score is at its best. The first cue's awe-inspiring fantasy play is followed by two cues of sensitive thematic development that are a welcome interlude to the action. Then, the duo of "Building the Raft" and "Storm" is a dynamic powerhouse of propulsive orchestral ruckus rarely heard in such coherent form these days. The lighter moments heard at the start and finish of the score take advantage of precise piano, woodwind, and tapped percussion rhythms that embody a sense of optimistic anticipation. Lockington makes sure to keep even his softer material engaging with a style of movement that will, in "Morning Routine," remind some listeners of Thomas Newman's trademark rhythms. A subtle tribute to James Horner's Star Trek scores at about the thirty second mark into "The Return" is a neat touch. In its whole, Journey to the Center of the Earth impresses because of its very balanced organization. Slight dissonance brings enough basic suspense to a handful of cues to suffice. The strong balance between orchestral sections allows each element to flourish in clarity, and the choir isn't as overused as it is in many similar productions. Some of the credit undoubtedly goes to orchestrator and conductor Nicholas Dodd, whose talents have contributed greatly to Arnold's career. The quality of the recording's mix is engaging, with just enough reverb to give the brass performances a swinging personality without swallowing up the softer instruments. The Taiko drums can be heard in a few places, but they don't play a particularly prominent role. If this score has a weakness beyond its obvious lack of originality, it exists in its exhausting length. Most of the best portions of the score are indeed heard by "Storm," and the action that follows can become overwhelming after 45 minutes of bravado. The album release does present more than an hour of the score in a chronologically true order that tells a narrative outside of the picture. That product was somewhat difficult to find at retail outlets, available only in digital download format in America (through New Line Records) though pressed onto a CD by Silva Screen for European buyers. While intellectual listeners will likely find Journey to the Center of the Earth to be a tedious exercise in predictable genre formulas, this is one of those scores that requires you to turn off your brain. Every soundtrack genre has its exceptional entries, and in the area of shamelessly bold adventure, Lockington has repackaged history's best swashbuckling techniques and asks for no forgiveness. In a stagnant year for film music, this score is an obvious respite from the routine. If only more film music could be so charmingly fun... ****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Both Albums:
Total Time: 67:30
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
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