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FILMTRACKS.COM
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of Predators (John Debney)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you have waited twenty years to hear Alan Silvestri's
famous theme from Predator resurrected on the big screen, joined
in a new setting by an extremely creative collection of sounds to stir
atmospheric dread in between bombastic and majestic orchestral
passages.
Avoid it... if you expect the entire range of Silvestri's motifs to be satisfyingly developed by John Debney, or if you have no interest in a score that uses electric guitars and challenging, dissonant tones to define the reboot rather than a clear and interesting new theme.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Predators: (John Debney) Regardless of your opinion
of the degeneration of the Predator film franchise since its
outstanding 1987 debut, there is no doubt that the concept of a
nasty-looking, technologically advanced race of interstellar hunters has
fascinated audiences and filmmakers alike. The evolution of the
franchise has been immensely disappointing, though, forgetting the true
suspense of the original classic and turning the creatures into standard
comic book villains through their studio-forced interaction with the
Alien franchise. Director and producer Robert Rodriguez had long
been interested in creating a sequel to the initial two Predator
films, first pitching a rough script to 20th Century Fox in 1994 and
waiting fifteen years for approval. While 2010's Predators is
technically a sequel to the 1987 classic, it aims to reboot the
franchise into a fresh new series of films. Directed by Nimrod Antal,
the first of these introduces a distant planet on which humans skilled
in the art of killing (and other, similarly talented aliens) are brought
to be the targets of hunting by the famed "predators" in a game reserve.
As you might expect, the newest batch of humans to be mysteriously
abducted and dropped onto this planet has to work together to survive,
battling not only their own betrayals but also two breeds of predators
that have begun a civil war. It's a messy situation, to say the least,
and Antal and Rodriguez offer no real resolution for the human survivors
of this initial reboot tale, obviously leaving the door open for
additional sequels. Made for a relative bargain at only $40 million,
Predators recouped that sum in just a few days at the box office,
shaking off mixed reviews that tended to remind that there is little
chance that this franchise will ever match the suspenseful allure of the
original. Among the memorable aspects of Predator that has
remained highly respected even in the mainstream is Alan Silvestri's
music. The propulsive, percussive and brass-dominated score relies on
one of the most distinct, rhythmically unique themes to exist in the
genre, and it's been immensely disappointing to encounter the later
entries in the franchise that did not, despite some hints by Brian Tyler
for the most recent one, actually utilize this famous theme. It was
initially expected that Silvestri would return for Predators,
though he was reportedly unable to because of a scheduling conflict with
The A-Team. Due to his association on several films with
Rodriguez, however, including co-compositional credits, John Debney
stepped into the role immediately after finishing Iron Man
2.
Debney is a composer who has made a career out of adapting his own style to match that of others, and given the contemporary similarities in the talents of Debney and Silvestri, it should come as no surprise that the former has proven himself very capable of emulating the latter. To casual viewers of the film, Predators will sound like a comfortable fit with Predator, especially considering the extent to which Debney evokes not only the theme of the prior film, but a number of more general techniques as well. Debney and Rodriguez were in a bit of a difficult position in terms of balancing the direct references with new material, and, for the most part, the 2010 score successfully carries Silvestri's material in a different direction. That said, although there are attractive strengths in Debney's approach, there are weaknesses as well. On the positive side, the Silvestri references, instrumentation, and overall tone are very strong. Debney recorded a number of unique sounds for manipulation into a hunting atmosphere, taking the usual metallic scrapes and clangs and altering them for a dulled ambient effect. Key is the employment of Tibetan long horns to imitate the howling cries of large creatures (associated mostly on Earth with wolves). The spread of the percussive duties is extremely interesting, especially in the emulation of sound effects within the music, including those iconic sounds that come from the predators themselves. It's somewhat surprising that the choral ensemble isn't used in such a capacity; instead, it lends traditional power and awe to a handful of cues. The general tone is also nailed by Debney, with a combination of muscular, harmonic chase cues and eerie atmospheric dissonance often clashing violently. This is one incredibly brutal score, a tiring but exhilarating listening experience that successfully denotes a sense of cataclysmic battle. On the flipside, Debney's score for Predators lacks in its establishment of a dominant new identity for this fresh world, downplays some of Silvestri's interesting secondary ideas, and grates with two applications to the soundscape: electric guitars and a dry mix. Debney does dabble with a few new motifs, but their development is so obscured by the texture of the music that nobody will leave the theatre remembering anything other than Silvestri's theme. Despite Silvestri's wondrous space theme and ass-kicking baseline (pairs of forceful six-note phrases), neither is heard prominently outside of the token arrangement at the end of the album. Debney's electric guitars, a la Iron Man 2, cheapen the sound of the score as well. They're an unnecessary element. Finally, the dry recording mix and restricted dynamism of the score (or crappy album mastering?) reduces the impact of the varied percussion, especially diminishing the reprise of Silvestri's theme at the end. While the overall impression left by Predators is a bit conflicted, there are individual highlights. The start of "Free Fall" is a clear homage to Silvestri's style, eventually yielding the first, full-fledged, propulsive action in "Trip-Wire." A thematic variant that Debney does expand upon, a relatively simplistic minor third set of progressions based on Silvestri's score, is grandly introduced at the end of "Not of This Earth." That theme is reprised faintly at the end of "Hound Attack" (and again with sympathy on strings in "Leg Trap"), a cue that appropriately imitates the sounds of sirens and dog calls. The first major statement of Silvestri's theme comes in "Predator Attack," sullied by electric guitars. Another singular moment of harmonic grandeur comes with the choral awe of the super villain in "Meet Mr. Black." Silvestri's chasing mechanisms flourish in "Smoke" and culminate in a fantastic crescendo at the end of "Nikolai Blows." The choral majesty of "Stans' Last Stand" is joined by notably bizarre horn and synthetic effects. The score's new theme over a chime-banging, countdown sequence at start of "Hanzo's Last Stand" is followed by (arguably cheap) Japanese flute and taiko drum stereotypes for the character. Silvestri fans will love "Edwin And Isabelle Captured," a cue dominated by familiar motifs. Large choir and chimes in "Predator Fight" lead to primal trumpet wailing before "Royce Runs" returns the track to a massive statement of the new theme with choir, guitar, and intentional distortion. "She's Paralyzed" opens with a distracting electric guitar rhythm under Silvestri's horn theme; why couldn't the old percussive rhythm be used instead? Electronic bass enhancements at the end of that cue return to obnoxious, Iron Man 2 levels. Not surprisingly, the climax in "Royce vs. Predator" includes monumental timpani, constant cymbals, and chorus for a satisfying resolution. The only impact of Silvestri's space/wonder theme comes in "Let's Get Off This Planet," a cue of false resolution that degenerates back to eerie Tibetan horns and sound effects to suggest more challenges to come. On the whole, there is much to like about Predators. It's exhausting, engaging music that finally utilizes Silvestri's original themes. But the application of those themes is not always satisfying, the score has no clear thematic identity to define the new setting (outside of its creative instrumental personality), the electric guitars are unfortunate, and the mix is restrictive. A score with this much intrigue in its soundscape, especially in the howling parts, deserves a bit more reverb and/or frequency range in the mastering. The "Theme from Predator" concluding the album will send you back to the original album, unfortunately, with seemingly sampled percussive sounds in the rhythm poorly served along with a mix even dryer than the rest of the recording. It's still good to hear, but it, like the entire score, is not quite Predator quality. ***
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 69:11
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes notes from the composer, director, and producer,
as well as information about the score and film.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Predators are Copyright © 2010, La-La Land Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 7/12/10 (and not updated significantly since). |
