 |
| Pemberton |
Project Hail Mary: (Daniel Pemberton) From a
popular 2021 Andy Weir novel comes the blockbuster film adaptation,
Project Hail Mary, five years later. With a strikingly original
concept, the story postulates that a microorganism is feasting on the
energy of our sun and forming a band between there and Venus that is,
over time, allowing them to consume their way to dimming the star's
light and thus endangering Earth. With the infestation of these
organisms spreading around the universe, the scientists and militaries
of our world strategize to send a spacecraft to one star seemingly
unaffected in order to find a solution. A brilliant but goofy scientist
played by Ryan Gosling is forced against his will onto the mission after
other science offers are killed during preparations for the flight. He
ultimately becomes the only survivor of the initial portion of the
journey, the other two members killed in stasis and his memory suffering
badly upon waking. Still, he manages to traverse to the target star and
find, amazingly, a rock-like alien that has lost its crew and is also
trying to find the key to saving their own star. The two work together
and become close friends while saving each other's lives and,
inevitably, their worlds. Undoubtedly,
Project Hail Mary is an
immensely positive and affirming movie about bravery, collaboration, and
multiculturalism, with no deficit of tear-jerking moments of
sentimentality along the way. The film stormed through theatres with
praise from all corners, as its unique premise is a truly fresh idea.
Its shots will make you dizzy because of their spinning ships and camera
angles, and the music could do much the same for some. The overall
soundtrack is a failure with the song and source inclusions, the
filmmakers' insistence upon
Guardians of the Galaxy-like
placements not working here. The genres and time periods of these
selections are all over the place, making little narrative sense and
distracting in context.
While the use of "Two of Us" by The Beatles is the most
obvious inclusion and a part of the story, it still causes problems with
the film's tone since the music isn't really heard diegetically by the
Gosling character, Grace. Especially nonfunctional in the mix because of
their starkly different tone is "Po Atarau" by Turakina Maori Girls'
Choir and "El Amanecer" by Carlos Di Sarli. Two pieces of film music
history are included, though; while "The Final Bell" from Bill Conti's
Rocky is credited, it is not obvious, but John Williams' alien
call-out theme from
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a
worthy reference. The juxtaposition between the songs and the score is
unnecessarily jarring when immediately adjacent to each other. That
original music is by Daniel Pemberton, who reunites with the producers
of the
Spider-Verse movies and defies conventions again. His
strategy for
Project Hail Mary was to bring religion and
sentimentality to contemporary worldly percussion. Very few scores sound
like this one, regardless of genre, yielding a very unique experience.
It reverses all the understatement of the composer's score for 2024's
Fly Me to the Moon on route to gaining an extremely prominent
role in the movie. There is majesty and melodrama unlike any
science-fiction entry in recent memory, but Pemberton doesn't abandon
his more creatively contemporary percussive techniques, either. The
quirk factor of the score by itself causes some of the problems with the
surrounding songs, the latter just too conventional by comparison and
betraying the story's originality. Pemberton's instrumental coloration
is where he absolutely triumphs in his equation, essentially producing a
Thomas Newman score through the lens of a Remote Control graduate. The
orchestra is deep but not frequently obvious against the other
contributors. The vocals are the true star consisting of children's
choir, operatic soloists, and the experimental vocal ensemble Shards.
Synthetics are tastefully applied without becoming overly metallic as
called for by story, and straight sound effects, especially in relation
to water, are well applied rhythmically.
This wouldn't be a cool Pemberton score without some rock
inspiration, and those contemporary elements, from electric bass to drum
kit, connect to the songs and hipness of Grace's likable personality.
The percussion is outstanding throughout, highlighted by a variety of
struck wood objects for the alien collaborator, Rocky, and human body
struck for Grace. Particularly vital to the technology and biology of
the plot are glassy tones that are frequently provided by ondes
martenot, glass harmonica, cristal baschet, and marimba. A wet mix helps
accentuate these elements greatly and also aides in the fantasy
implications of the choir. The combination of all these influences
waffles between deeply religious respect and outright zany humor. Some
listeners won't be ready for how funny and upbeat much of the score will
be, a necessary move by Pemberton to set the movie's tone as one of
optimism and friendliness. Most importantly, the score sounds foreign in
ways that Newman would be very proud. The work kicks itself into high
gear with its melodies as of "Tau Amoeba" when the aspect of majesty
fully emerges. While the film discusses God, mere friendship and
cooperation receives religious music, and these final cues reaffirm that
position. Pemberton recorded relatively long cues that were trimmed down
for use in the picture, so the immensely long album presentation
provides a little more narrative clarity at times than the movie alone
might suggest. That said, in its narrative, the score is rich with
themes that may struggle to connect due to their extremely creative
coloration. The structures of the ideas remind of Angelo Badalamenti
repetition at times, each idea tending to serve rhythmically or driving
basslines that can appear without the melody for a minute or longer.
Ultimately, it's the main friendship theme of
Project Hail Mary
that wins your heart, but you have to wait for it. This identity doubles
as representing both sacrifice and salvation as well, cementing the bond
between Grace and Rocky in the end. Built from two four-note phrases of
redemption, only the final note changes for a notable ascent, and it's
the kind of simple and deceptively catchy construct that really sticks
with you after the score is over.
Not surprisingly, the friendship theme for the two leads
doesn't appear in the first half of the story after one statement of
three phrases opens the film on choir in "Ryland Grace, Cognition
Assessment." It's a nice preview that isn't as prominent in the movie as
need be, one answer phrase making another cameo in the crescendo closer
to the cue's end. The theme finally returns for its first major
rendition at the end of "Connection" for the moment when Grace takes off
his helmet in the tunnel connecting the two ships, affirming the two
characters' trust. It slowly builds inspiring resolve in the partnership
at 2:58 into "Grace Go Home" and provides soothing closure to the cue at
its quiet end. This theme matures fully for the choir and ensemble in
the first two minutes of "Tau Amoeba" and becomes a cheery rhythmic
device right away in "Amaze Amaze Amaze (Fist My Bump)," in which the
idea evolves over the cue into a very upbeat choral and percussion piece
of sheer happiness. Extending wonderfully out of the score's hope theme
at 2:40 into "Goodbye My Friend," there is giddy enthusiasm in the
melody against the Rocky material in "Amaze Amaze Amaze (Life on Erid)."
Finally, a sendoff with repeated, cascading phrases at 2:19 in that cue
is a redeeming and delightful ending. The aforementioned hope theme also
serves the concept of discovery in
Project Hail Mary, its simple
and elegant six or seven note undulation up and down gleaming with
promise and again changing the final notes in each phrase. Heard first
at 2:30 into "Box in a Box" for a quick sense of intrigue and against
the work's humanity theme at 1:23 into "Top Secret Clearance," this hope
theme supplants the humanity theme again at 2:43 into "You Were Loved
(Burial)." It recurs at 0:24 into "God Willing" after the mission theme
and provides grace to the rest of the cue. Secondary phrasing emerges as
a separate identity of glorious beauty in "A Moment," and it joins the
victorious friendship theme at 2:48 into "Amaze Amaze Amaze (Fist My
Bump)." In the finale, the idea guides the heartbreaking choral
farewells for dance moves in "Goodbye My Friend" and punctuates the last
moments of "Xenonite Contamination" for a difficult decision.
The most frequently accessed but not particularly obvious
theme in
Project Hail Mary represents both the mission and the
government technologies behind it, often existing in the flashback
scenes as Grace recovers his memory. Using a three-note anchor with a
four or five-note response, this idea sometimes precedes the hope theme
and is very slight and high-pitched in its three-note incarnation early
in "Last Man on Ship." Its position in these early scenes of
disorientation is very smart by Pemberton, suggesting some logic of the
mission presence even though the main character can't figure why he's
there. Lonely in the last thirty seconds of "Invalid Operation" for a
moment of realization, the mission theme is quiet on subtle marimba at
the start of "Humanity," thumps early in "Top Secret Clearance," and
vaguely guides the meandering tones of "Petrova Line." Curiously
metallic in its four-note version at the outset of "Barrier Language,"
it shifts to an ethereal, choral and synthy glass tones in the cue's
middle. Very slight while guiding the pleasantries in the latter half of
"Connection" and interrupting the friendly progress in the middle of
"Learning to Communicate," the theme eventually comes to dominate the
last portion of the latter cue on choir. It then opens "God Willing" and
persists as a rhythmic formation under the hope theme, slightly grinds
on metallics at the beginning of "Three Days," and reduces to sadness as
"Rocky Sacrifice" starts. In closing, it reminds of duty extensively in
"Goodbye My Friend." Pemberton's separate humanity theme is the most
religious of all the identities in the score, descending gracefully.
After debuting at 0:42 into "Humanity" on soft choir for its major
introduction, this idea is set to a cyclical rhythmic formation in the
first half of "Top Secret Clearance" and distorted with organ-like
despair in "You Were Loved (Burial)." It's lovely, optimistic, and
acrobatic on the choir early in "Centrifuge" for a highlight of the
score and breaks through the ambience on choir late in "Anybody Home?"
Finally, the humanity theme is adapted into "A Moment" for choral
contemplation without its opening notes and stomps cyclically in the
anticipation of "Time Go Fishing." These secondary themes are impactful
in the early and middle portions of the score but are replaced by the
friendship theme.
The smirk-inducing but never outright silly comedy
material in
Project Hail Mary starts by representing the coolness
of Grace inherent in Gosling's nerdy, every-man performance but
eventually pivots to completely adopt Rocky's enthusiastic and sometimes
child-like personality. Although previewed in the latter half of "Box in
a Box" in kazoo-like tones, everything thereafter points this material
towards Rocky, starting with the accelerating nerves yielding to funny
rhythmic amusement and slight blues tone in "Cannister Catch." The
rhythms are brightly cheery in "The Message," setting a remarkably light
tone for what could be ominous scenes, and this music is key to letting
audiences know that the alien is not dangerous. Rocky's music bounces
with a more pronounced beat to major-key friendship in "Clock Numbers"
and continues with a deep, hip bassline in "Learning to Communicate."
That Ennio Morricone-like humor with resounding bassline continues in
"Finding Rocky Voice," the bass riffs from "Learning to Communicate"
carrying over in "Rocky Moves In" with clapping effects. This material
segues into a more determined but still awkward mode in "Life is
Reason," provides some hope of a recovery in "Wake Up Buddy" without any
melodrama, and slowly returns to a major rendition in "Believe in the
Hail Mary" for the reunion. The outright rock explosion at the end of
that last cue is better than the song insertions heard elsewhere in the
film, though some listeners might be turned off by the use of such
contemporary music for a triumphant feeling that had previously been
addressed by religious infusions. Finally, the character's wooden
percussion opens "Amaze Amaze Amaze (Life on Erid)" against the
friendship theme. While this music may not have readily identifiable
motifs, it's more important that Rocky's innocuous personality and
genuine benevolence towards Grace and the mission (despite some
good-natured jabs at the human's idiosyncrasies) are identified through
the alternately inventive and outright bouncing musical style. Pemberton
never goes overboard with this style, however, though the heightened
action at the climax of the film does push these rhythmic devices to
challenging degrees of activity and dissonance that are certainly
functional and in character despite being a detriment on album.
There isn't a significant amount of outright action and
suspense in
Project Hail Mary, and Pemberton handles these
passages with his chaos mode. Often dissonant and thumping and
accompanied by unusual percussion, these cues are darker, glassier
versions of the Rocky material in general. After the minor sense panic
heard in "Invalid Operation" for Grace's initial disorientation, the
composer allows this mode to straddle the line with its playful
alternatives with the struck wooden percussion in "Erratic Maneuver
Detected," one of the more bizarre first contact cues ever in cinema
history. The score's humanity material degenerates into noisy ruckus
late in "Time Go Fishing" with electric guitar, and pounding downward
pitch slurs of extreme obnoxious intent dominate in "Excessive
Centrifugal Force," by far the work's most difficult moment. The other
facet of the score consists of Pemberton's atmospheric cues, often
utilizing pitch-wavering effects that create eeriness and confusion for
the main character's lost memory. Occupying most of "Ryland Grace,
Cognition Assessment" in a state of shock and horror for ensemble and
choir, this mode is barely audible in the loneliness of "Last Man on
Ship" and applies appropriately watery percussive effects in a marginal
rhythm during "Water Based." After tightly controlled movement in the
first half "Box in a Box," these ambient sounds provide minutes of
non-descript droning in "Entering the Tunnel," a useless cue on album,
and the same issue plagues much of "Anybody Home?" This approach is
turned to more positive uses in "Connection" and the very minor glassy
backgrounds in "Grace Has Mate." It finally reduces the score to a quiet
panic and slight lamentation in "Xenonite Contamination." In the end,
all these disparate parts to
Project Hail Mary come together well
because of Pemberton's common instrumental vocabulary and optimistic
spirit of fantasy. The score suffers from issues on both the screen and
on album, though. Its battle with the songs is an obnoxious one, and the
use of a song to open the end credits before transitioning into score
snippets allows for no good main titles suite. The 120-minute album is
way too long, but a fantastic hour-long presentation is recommended by
the composer himself. In these highlights, you can't help but admire the
utter and complete joy that this music brings to a genuinely
heart-warming film.
@Amazon.com: CD or
Download
- Music as Written for the Film: *****
- Music as Heard on Album: ****
- Overall: ****
There exists no official packaging for the digital version of this album.
