: (Henry Jackman/Various) As hard as it
is to imagine, the "Predator" concept was actually original at one
point. It had mystery, fantasy, and intrigue to balance its humorously
senseless violence, and part of the concept's charm was its
intentionally unanswered questions. After numerous direct sequels and
spin-offs, the franchise has few unanswered questions remaining, 2018's
focusing the species' true intentions on Earth into
final clarity. The script by original franchise actor Shane Black, who
also directs, is so ridiculous that even an initially receptive Arnold
Schwarzenegger refused to be a part of the production. The "Predator"
race of hunter/killers has decided that it wishes to merge its own DNA
with that of humans' to improve themselves (resistance is futile...),
and it must do so quickly because it believes that climate change will
wipe out humans in short order. The urgency the film tries to create
from that notion is laughable, exacerbating the plentiful other attempts
at humor in the story. (Nothing will ever beat the old woman who sees
her apartment pillaged in
: "I don't think he gives a
shit.") It doesn't really need mentioned that the general equation
continues: humans are trying to understand the creatures while the alien
killers get their thrills out of dismembering us. The music in the
franchise, assuming you ignore the
-franchise spinoff
absurdity, has always been dominated by the cult-like status of Alan
Silvestri's original 1987
a few
years later. John Debney referenced that Silvestri base with mixed
results in 2010's
does the same. Black has collaborated regularly with John
Ottman and Brian Tyler in the years since his films' frequently employed
Michael Kamen. Interestingly, there are a few distinct places in
, led by "The Last Stand," that will make a veteran film
music collector wonder if some Kamen music was edited into the temp
track of the 2018 movie, as a few stylistic influences bleed through in
the final product. The director instead turned to Remote Control
Productions veteran Henry Jackman, who tackled the project with the
usual army of ghostwriters you expect to be employed in anything
RC-related.
The most interesting debate to be had about Jackman &
crew's interpolation of Silvestri's sound for
The Predator is how
it compares in quality with Debney's similar attempt in 2010. Both tried
to take Silvestri's music and adapt it to a more technologically saavy,
electronic variant without totally losing the primal jungle element and
whimsical fantasy. Listeners often forget that much of the 1987 score is
understated, Silvestri enhancing his action sequences by using them as
payoffs for the lengthy suspense of his ambient stalking portions. Those
subtleties of tone remain lost in the sequels, but in the case of
The
Predator, Jackman & crew really make a valiant attempt to adapt a
comprehensive set of motifs from the original two Silvestri scores while
adding a more rounded collection of their own identities. It's difficult
to really figure how and why certain Silvestri motifs were retained for
specific applications in
The Predator, because there are elements
enhanced without strong reason and others ignored, also without strong
reason. It's great to hear Jackman attempt to resurrect so much
Silvestri personality, especially after he failed miserably at that feat
in his 2014 music for
Captain America: Winter Soldier. There is
Silvestri carryover everywhere, especially in the meters and
instrumentation; expect the rhythms, penchant for two-note phrasing and
snare, xylophone, and piano together to denote the classic score
constantly. There are even aspects of
Predator 2 applied. As if
to cover all his bases, Jackman supplies trademark Silvestri flourishes
heard in scores other than the
Predator entries. Jackman merges
these ideas with several new ones for this entry, creating a constant
mash-up of ideas that can spin your head at times. In fact, avid
franchise listeners might wonder frequently about the spotting of themes
given how much time and effort was placed in that task. For some
listeners, the symphonic emphasis and Silvestri techniques aplenty will
suffice alone, even with all the electronic layering heard in the film
version of the score. (Side note: Jackman seems to have a tendency to
tone back the abrasive synthetic portions of his mix for the album
releases of his music. This album still contains many of these layers,
but they sound dialed back.) Jackman mostly loses the jungle percussion
here, emphasizing the choir instead in a multitude of cues as the story
demands a more civilization-wide perspective.
Returning in
The Predator, of course, is
Silvestri's main franchise theme, but not to the extent that you might
expect or want. It seems that the composers couldn't really decide what
to do with the idea. They apply its main rhythm and melody early in the
picture, highlighting "Discovery" and "Project Stargazer" before
alluding to only fragments of it early in "Out of the Cage" and late in
"On the Loose," by which point the legacy material is being swallowed up
by Jackman's new motifs. The composer doesn't really impress with his
two fuller interpolations of the theme, for his rhythm screws up the
iconic instrumental spread and he never attempts to access the theme's
secondary fantasy phrases. But the last minute of "On the Loose" handles
the theme well as a heightened action motif. Two themes from
Predator completely gone are those for fantasy and military, the
latter understandable given that the trumpet idea there was for the
deaths on that specific team. But losing the fantasy theme, especially
in the opening sequence, is sadly unnecessary. Jackman instead
resurrects Silvestri's descending suspense and panic motif (introduced
in
Predator in "Who Did This?" and fully explored in "Building a
Trap" before transitioning to languishing strings in "Anytime" and
"Billy") and infuses it nearly everywhere in this score. Its prevalence
is almost distracting, and it is this motif that will make casual
listeners think that the Silvestri presence is constant. The referencing
of Silvestri's two-note phrasing does much the same, the two descending,
static pairs in ominously dramatic fashion, presented mostly in
Predator 2, reprised here with emphasis by "The Predator's Gift"
at the end. (Also listen for a piece of
Predator 2 fantasy
material referenced in "The Sacrifice.") The "Discovery" cue is where
many of these tribute applications start, the main theme, descending
suspense motif, and solo jungle drum motif all existing in short
succession. The last of those was a memorable technique explored by
Silvestri in the original entry, and it continues to appropriately fade
in and out of the soundscape here in "Discovery," "Out of the Cage," and
"Apex Predator." Even with all these references, Jackman & crew don't
come close to matching the authentic intensity of Silvestri's best
moments, whether in the main theme's rhythm or in other highlights, like
the outright coolness of "Jungle Trek" in
Predator. The team
compensates by throwing a number of new themes into the equation, and
they are surprisingly loyal to them.
The primary new theme of
The Predator is
arguably a representation of the new twist in the overarching storyline
or, alternately, the more superior alien killer that arrives during the
picture. Its rather simple, brutish progressions are heard early in
Arrival (2:38), Discovery (1:00), and Project Stargazer (1:32) before
existing throughout "Beautiful Specimen" in softer shades. Though not
prominent in the mid-section of the score, it does offer a brief fantasy
statement to open "The Ark Ship." Its return at the climax of "The Last
Stand" is followed by a massive choral rendition in "Man vs. Predator"
and an ominously layered version to close out "The Predator's Gift." The
other notable new theme in
The Predator represents the humans'
heroic military group. Though introduced in "The Loonies," this theme is
fully expressed in "Rescue" and "Team McKenna," the latter march mode
ironically more appropriate for a
Captain America movie. It
receives significant manipulation in the score, faintly playing against
another character theme in "The Good Soldier," adopting determination
late in "Contact," transitioning to melodrama (with even tolling chime)
at the end of "The Sacrifice," and reducing itself to a trumpet solo
fragment at 1:48 into "The Ark Ship." It is victorious again throughout
"The Last Stand," dissolves to familiar trumpet duty in "Remembrance,"
and challenges the villains' main new theme in "Man vs. Predator." The
idea is a bit too optimistic, really, and inflates a super-hero
environment where none should exist, but at least it is consistent. A
secondary piano theme for a central child character, Rory, is developed
in "Rory" (early), "Playing with Fire" (0:32), "Another World" (multiple
times), and "The Good Soldier" (against the military theme). With all
these new ideas mingling with the vintage Silvestri influences in
The
Predator, the score has much to consider. There are moments of
individual intrigue as well, including phrasing reminiscent of John
Williams'
A.I. Artificial Intelligence in the first half of
"Alien Abduction." When taken as a whole, however, the score seems like
an exercise in checking certain boxes of needs rather than really
collecting all of these disparate parts into a fully functional score.
The references to the franchise's main theme remain unsatisfactory
despite any joy one might have in their mere existence. The percussion
isn't quite as impressive as in Silvestri's two scores (the best main
theme performance remains in
Predator 2), and the mixing is not
quite as expansive as needed for the topic, a problem that plagued
Debney's music for the prior film. This one will entertain in parts but
won't leave a truly lasting, positive impression.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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| Bias Check: |
For Henry Jackman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 2.74
(in 19 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 2.71
(in 5,409 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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