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Review of Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Christophe Beck)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you want to welcome Percy Jackson into the cinematic
world with a rousing, robust and occasionally rowdy score of impressive
orchestral and choral force.
Avoid it... if you maintain a large fantasy film score collection and therefore put yourself at risk of being reminded of several great scores of recent years when hearing the blindingly direct references to them in this music.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief:
(Christophe Beck) You have to wonder how many authors like Rick Riordan
have achieved fame simply because of the impact that J.K. Rowling had on
the children's fantasy genre of novels. In the latter half of the
2000's, Riordan's "Percy Jackson & The Olympians" series of books
followed in the wake of the "Harry Potter" franchise, taking advantage
of the same general "average boy of previously unknown fantastic
heritage becomes unlikely hero while training to use his magical or
mythical powers" plotline. So hot was the author's concept of replacing
the witches and wizards of "Harry Potter" with Greek mythology in "Percy
Jackson & The Olympians" that the rights to his first story, "The
Lightning Thief" were purchased by 20th Century Fox the year before the
book actually debuted. Handled in its translation to the big screen by
veteran Harry Potter director Chris Columbus, Percy Jackson &
the Olympians: The Lightning Thief awkwardly opened in theatres
during the slow season of February, perhaps a sign that the studio
recognized that a blockbuster was not in the can. Indeed, the film was
greeted with decent, but unenthusiastic responses from critics, and
after a flourish at the box office to accompany its first weeks, it
fizzled quickly. The film still grossed well over its budget, however,
perhaps encouraging a green light for a sequel that was always in mind
when organizing the production of The Lightning Thief. The
template by which the soundtrack for the film would be shaped was
obviously influenced by the Harry Potter films, and John
Williams' sense of melodic mastery in particular. With the titular
character forced into incredible situations of marvelous wonder, as well
as an impending battle between the Greek gods over Zeus' stolen
lightening bolt, a score with several prominent themes was deemed
necessary. It's easy to get the impression that Columbus would have
pursued his friendship with Williams for this assignment had the maestro
not gone into semi-retirement several years prior, but he instead hired
his I Love You Beth Cooper collaborator, Christophe Beck, for
what immediately became the Canadian-born composer's most significant
career film project. Awarded an Emmy for his extensive work for the
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" television series scores, Beck made the
transition to the big screen and mostly became mired in a plethora of
ridiculous comedies, a unheralded genre he claims to enjoy
scoring.
Aside from a pair of fantasy-related scores earlier in the decade, Beck had not yet tackled this genre, nor had he ever assembled a 110-minute feature score of this magnitude. He recognized the immense career opportunity that The Lightning Thief represented (think not only in terms of this one paycheck, but the possible sequels as well) and, while consciously attempting to avoid emulating John Williams specifically, scoured through his personal favorite fantasy scores (and likely some old influences from his mentor, Jerry Goldsmith) to find an appropriate approach. This survey had both positive and negative consequences. It ensured that Beck was equipped with the right instrumental and choral tone and basic structures to provide The Lightning Thief with a functional score. But it also unintentionally caused the score to sound like a familiar blend of those sources of inspiration, leaving the listener with a nagging feeling that originality is lacking in the work. To a novice film music collector, The Lightning Thief could be resoundingly magnificent if these influences are not a factor in distracting from the otherwise muscular and impressively organic texture of Beck's composition. On top of that, the score's orchestration, performances, and mixing all yield a satisfying fantasy genre environment. Beck at the very least shows his talent in handling a full ensemble with the kind of force never necessary in the vast majority of his scores. Ultimately, however, The Lightning Thief is the sum of its influences, and although scores of this kind often produce "guilty pleasure" listening experiences, their success, especially on album, depends on how well the composer adapts, or at least hides, their references. Unfortunately, Beck's work here is almost a constant reminder of previous scores, truly a shame given the fact that the execution of his basic ideas is so well executed. The main character is afforded two themes, one of broad mystery that usually resides in the lower registers and another of straight-laced action that accompanies his heroic deeds. The former is what results when you take the bold title theme from Jane Antonia Cornish's Island of Lost Souls and append a portion of John Powell's Phoenix theme from X-Men: The Last Stand to the end. You could replace the X-Men reference with Richard Harvey's Russian-styled theme from the television production of Animal Farm or, incidentally, a phrase from the interlude of Randy Newman's The Natural and the similarities can be extended even further. Granted, some of those great scores are somewhat obscure, but if you're familiar with them, then good luck trying not to make the connections in The Lightning Thief. The series of four-note progressions that outline Jackson's wondrous mythology theme are conveyed by several sections of the ensemble in "Prelude" and extend to the boy's relationship with his father in "Son of Poseidon." Not only are the first two four-note pairs of this first identity for Jackson highly reminiscent of the rising, aspiring nature of Cornish's ballsy theme for Island of Lost Souls, but Beck also uses a less overwhelming version of the same deep, almost harsh brass tones to denote the gravity of the theme's meaning. A direct correlation in instrumentation also comes into play when discussing Beck's action theme for Jackson. Heard in "Victory," "Hollywood," and "Homecoming," this rousing explosion of rhythmic force for noble shades of brass, rip-snorting snare, perpetual timpani, and swirling or chopping strings is clearly fashioned after David Arnold's Independence Day, a score that has influenced countless successors through the years (including, ironically enough, Island of Lost Souls). Even the theme's redemptive interlude for strings, gracing the latter two cues mentioned, mirrors the Arnold classic. Thankfully a bit more original in its final incarnation is Beck's third theme for The Lightning Thief, one representing the Greek gods specifically (and likely tailored for Zeus). The ominous, humbling pair of ascending and descending progressions forming this identity in "The Parthenon" and "Mount Olympus" is effectively fresh and is accompanied in the latter cue by an ultra-cool whipping sound in its rhythm. A few other motifs seem to weave through the score, including a meandering, villainous deep brass theme in "Lost Souls" and "Hades" that reflects Arnold's Quantum theme from Quantum of Solace. Also of note is a nebulous choral identity in "Medusa" that addresses her creepy persona with an appropriately slithering blurring of pitch from the higher end of the singing group (as well as strings). The "End Credits" arrangement takes many of these ideas (though interestingly not the action theme until only faint hints at the end) and presents them in a very attractive, seven-minute suite. Overall, The Lightning Thief is no doubt an effective score in context. It may sound generic to even casual movie-goers, for its safely harmonic style and conservative instrumentation meet all expectations without exceeding them. Such listeners may also hear everything from Laurence Rosenthal's Clash of the Titans to John Ottman's The Fantastic Four in this music, not mention fluttering rhythms from Goldsmith's Star Trek: The Motion Picture. But it still serves its purpose and helps you root for Beck, who is one of those composers who has toiled without due recognition for too long.
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 59:08
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
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