If you can imagine a combination of Goldsmith's own Dennis the Menace and Jamshied Sharifi's Muppets from Space, then you begin to get an idea about both the scope and energy level of the score for Mom and Dad Save the World. The battle between a piano-performed love theme and another "Baby Elephant Walk"-influenced identity (a song which also seemingly inspired the wretched electric organ theme in Goldsmith's Mr. Baseball the same year and the quirky alien theme in Explorers earlier) greets the listener in the opening track, and that conflict continues to the very last note of the score. It would be interesting to know what exactly was going through Goldsmith's head when wrote this utterly silly bombast. Was he trying to conjure a slapstick comedy score for children? Something slightly darker, like Gremlins 2: The New Batch? Or did he immediately recognize the terrible quality of the picture and unleash waves of random pseudo-science fiction and contemporary romance cues? Despite a few healthy themes that repeat sporadically throughout Mom and Dad Save the World, there really isn't much cohesiveness to the work. Narrative flow is nonexistent. You have to attempt to enjoy the score cue-by-cue, whether it's a loungey piano solo, a choral chant, or a brooding action piece. None of these aspects is particularly memorable, often reminiscent of better Goldsmith ideas elsewhere. No spectacularly singular bursts of energy punctuate the score in Explorers fashion. Aside from a faux choral anthem in "Tod, The Destroyer" and a percussively outlandish and wincingly obnoxious "Rebel Dance" cue, the majority of the score is tolerable in a typically slapstick manner. One advantage this score enjoys is the crisp performance of the National Philharmonic Orchestra, a group that seemed to do the best justice to Goldsmith's wilder, more imaginative scores. Be forewarned, however, that if material such as Dennis the Menace or Goldsmith's final score, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, tests your patience, then the cute marches, cliched jazz rolls, and stock orchestral fanfares here will serve no purpose for you. As a whole, Mom and Dad Save the World requires a very specific, adventuresome mood from the listener, and even a great majority of Goldsmith collectors will likely find too few unique angles in it to warrant full listens. As a composition, however, the score offers Goldsmith at his most playful, not necessary his most creative (this is no I.Q.), but its prancing mayhem could very well drive you nuts if you aren't ready for it.  **   @Amazon.com: CD or Download