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| Jackman |
Monsters vs. Aliens: (Henry Jackman) Generating
expensive hype by spawning the first 3-D advertisement to ever appear
during America's Super Bowl in early 2009,
Monsters vs. Aliens
represented Dreamworks Animation's initial venture beyond the 2-D world.
With the help of Paramount, veteran Dreamworks directors Conrad Vernon
and Rob Letterman are offering both 3-D and 2-D versions of
Monsters
vs. Aliens to children ready for another CGI adventure and adults
nostalgic about the monster movies of the 1950's at which the film aims
to parody. The lead character, voiced (and looking like) Reese
Witherspoon, is hit by a meteor full of mysterious material that extends
her to almost 50 feet in height, at which point the American government
(led by Stephen Colbert as President, which is strangely appropriate the
more you think about it) stashes her away with other monsters it has
collected through the years. When nasty alien robots begin to destroy
the planet, tearing at San Francisco with better efficiency than a giant
squid, the earthly military unleashes the monsters against the villains.
It's parody of the grandest order, with in jokes galore and a plentiful
dose of cuteness. There was an obvious avenue to be explored with the
soundtrack for
Monsters vs. Aliens, one that could have ripped
pages from every alien invasion and monster score from Akira Ifukube to
David Arnold. Surprisingly, that direction was only barely touched upon
in the music for this production. Not at all a surprise, though, is the
fact that Dreamworks turned to Hans Zimmer to guide them to success for
Monsters vs. Aliens. The animated projects of this studio have
relied upon Zimmer and his wide range of Media Ventures/Remote Control
assistants since the beginning, and that trend continues here. What has
always been interesting to monitor is the actual assignment of the
various films to Zimmer's associates (or himself). In the early days,
John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams (along with Zimmer) produced the
most attractive material for these ventures. In recent years, though,
the assignments have begun to spin off (just like in the mainstream
action genre) to Zimmer's lesser known assistants, and such is the case
with
Monsters vs. Aliens. For many, Henry Jackman is just another
name amongst the several hundred that typically appeared on an album
release of Zimmer or Powell's music. In fact, he's written additional
material for
Hancock,
Kung Fu Panda, and
The Da Vinci
Code, as well as various programming and solo work in the television
venue.
The most common complaint that veteran collectors of
film music maintain about the music that arises from these
Zimmer-related assignments is the fact that it all sounds alike. That
is, essentially, why such artists are termed "Zimmer clones."
Unfortunately,
Monsters vs. Aliens does nothing to dispel this
notion. Jackman has created music that Powell could have written in his
sleep, with orchestral and electronic slapstick material that could
practically be ordered from a company library at this point. So generic
is the music for
Monsters vs. Aliens that it effectively follows
all the rules of a Remote Control style of application without providing
any truly unique personality. The London ensemble and its accompanying
voices not only proceed in stereotypical staccato movements, but the
organic elements are mixed in such a way as to make them occasionally
indistinguishable from their synthetic counterparts. A Hammond organ and
associated sleazy lounge atmosphere is suggested in the rhythms of some
cues. Cute sound effects, led by the mandatory theremine, are paraded
with consistency. Stop and go action is countered by affable, light
rhythms to coincide with the extreme synchronization points in the
slapstick action. That action is nicely layered and applied with gusto
in its cymbal crashing and blaring horn nobility, balancing each section
of the ensemble with zealous intent. Occasional crescendos of gothic
power, aided by distant organ effects, are welcome, though, as in
"Susan's Call to Arms," the score typically degenerates into
contemporary rhythms of enthusiastic, prancing attitude whenever it gets
the chance. The score's thematic constructs are summed up in "The
Ginormica Suite," and while these ideas are pleasantly constructed and
performed, none is distinct enough to remain in memory after the
conclusion of the film or album. Part of this is a pacing issue; the
score often moves with tempi so exuberantly fast that you don't really
get a chance to catch your breath and appreciate any of them (other than
a pseudo Mediterranean subtheme of despair on violin). The score also
imitates the style of the many 1950's songs heard throughout the film,
culminating in the nearly intolerable "Monster Mojo." Ultimately, the
music for
Monsters vs. Aliens does everything it needs to in
order to suffice (avoiding the word heard at the very end of the score),
but in the absence of any truly interesting parodies of classic monster
and alien themes and styles (the likes of which Michael Giacchino
captured perfectly for his one cue in
Cloverfield, for instance),
the score degenerates into a standard, anonymous affair. Perhaps films
like this don't deserve anything better, and it's impressive how Zimmer
can plug any number of his assistants into these assignments with
adequate results. But a sense of originality is definitely missing,
regardless of the hoops effectively jumped through for this and
equivalent entries.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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| Bias Check: |
For Henry Jackman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 2.75
(in 16 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 2.7
(in 5,166 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes extensive pictures and credits, but no extra information
about the score or film.
