The deliberate opening titles are one example of where
Leviathan excels, with Goldsmith establishing an elegant and
slowly building theme for strings over broad brass as counterpoint and
an array of whale sound effects for good measure. What follows in the
rest of the score is a classic study in Goldsmith suspense, though two
tracks distinguish themselves as enjoyable listening exceptions. An
affirming piano-led theme of diminished romantic reflection makes a
short appearance in "One of Us" and a victorious end titles cue gallops
with almost the Western spirit and thematic bounce of Bruce Broughton's
Silverado. While out of place given its openly optimistic
personality, the variation of theme in "A Lot Better," along with the
intrigue of the opening cue, is worth the price of the album despite the
reminders it will inevitably give you of Stu Phillips' famous theme from
"Battlestar Galactica." But rather than providing bland suspense music
for the majority of the middle sections (a format Goldsmith followed in
projects such as
The River Wild and a host of others during this
period), he sustains substantial power and rhythmic development in many
of the action explosions. The orchestral presence is powerful and
brooding, with one brass motif after another striking you while staccato
strings chop mercilessly above them. The true point of interest in
Leviathan remains the host of sound effects that Goldsmith
employs. The 1980's were his time of prime electronic experimentation,
and in an environment as other-worldly as the bottom of the ocean (and
with the obvious need to frighten the viewer), Goldsmith's foreign
atmosphere in
Leviathan stretches from the benign whale calls to
the harshest slashing and backwards-mixed effects (heard in the
outstanding "Can We Fix It" cue) used in, coincidentally, the film
Dark City. The substance of the horror underscore is not quite
the quality of
The Swarm, but it puts the similarly conceived
ideas in
Deep Rising to shame. In the film, Goldsmith's score is
featured with great force, prominently mixed into the DVD's primary
two-channel Dolby Digital soundtrack. While many casual listeners may
write off
Leviathan as a merely average Goldsmith action and
horror romp, it surprises you with its persistence of attitude and
quality of enthusiastic performances, especially during its highlighting
bookend cues. The original pressing of the album was a rather amusing
example of the extremely poor and difficult-to-read packaging on some of
Varèse Sarabande's early CD releases, but don't let such trifles
restrict you from giving this often underrated score another chance.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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