Casually, a film music collector could assume that the wild collection of ingredients in Rampage was set to yield some combination of Max Steiner's King Kong and James Horner's Mighty Joe Young, but this finished product by Lockington proves once and for all that having all the best ingredients (and yes, intentions) doesn't always resonate with audiences when assembled. One of the more interesting criticisms of Lockington from some score aficionados has been a seeming inability by the composer to write memorable themes. There are usually themes present in his work, but their structures aren't always deemed accessible for some reason. Rampage will exacerbate this perception for many. Indeed, there are two extensively referenced themes in this score, but there's so much layering and processing in the mix that it's not surprising for audiences to completely miss them. Even enthusiasts of Dodd's trademark orchestrations will struggle to hear them thrive in more than just two or three later action cues. In the past, Lockington's weaker action scores have been generic in their worst passages; here, he has finally managed to produce music that is damn near unlistenable in many sequences. His exploration of electronic manipulation, likely to address both the video game heritage of the concept and the science within this particular script, has led him directly into the trap set by Hans Zimmer's Remote Control Productions, the founding headquarters of unbearably processed noise masquerading as fashionable blockbuster music. Honestly, most of the score for Rampage sounds indistinguishable from a typical Remote Control flame out, and perhaps the film, in retrospect, would have enjoyed just as much success with none of Lockington's research and the totality of the dependably mind-numbing libraries of Steve Jablonsky, Ramin Djawadi, or Lorne Balfe instead. Peyton counters by stating that the score "blends elements of horror, comedy, action, and adventure while not losing the heart and intimacy that fuels the entire enterprise. Andrew has done a beautiful job of not just blending these elements, but also evolving the ideas, and elevating the music to something that I could never have initially imagined when we started this process." That's splendid support from the director, but these men somewhere forgot the key Spielberg/Williams ingredient: distinctive connectivity to the audience.

Where Lockington does marginally succeed for Rampage is in the dichotomy he nourishes between the downright nasty action sequences and the comparatively heartfelt cues for the relationship between Johnson's lead and George the gorilla. His two themes are also relatively attractive, if not enunciated to satisfaction so that their evolution can be fully appreciated. The film's primary identity is an anthem worthy of the Remote Control collective, its intelligent 11/8 meter countered by tired ostinatos over a juvenile set of chord progressions that begs for comparisons to Jablonsky's Transformers identities. (Lockington should know better than to start on key and climb immediately to a delayed minor-third chord in these circumstances. Trevor Rabin already juiced that one.) This theme, representing the ballsy concept as a whole, is summarized in the trailing title cue, "Rampage," where it does finally experience some smart and cohesive symphonic force in the latter half. It takes a long time for Lockington to reach that point with his main theme, however, its initial full performance occurring at 0:06 into "Gorillas" before being joined by ebullient, ethnic counterpoint from the choir at 0:22. That counterpoint line is faintly reprised without the voices as a motif of its own at 0:03 into "Paavo" before returning to a reverent, full rendition of the main theme at 0:44 that isn't heard with such clarity again until the "Rampage" arrangement. A subtle exploration of the etnic portion of the idea is quietly expressed at 0:10 into "Lab." This theme takes a back seat to Lockington's other idea until the end of "Cornfield," when, at 2:57, it enjoys Jablonsky Transformers treatment without shame. At 0:45 into "Team," the main theme returns on cellos and Lockington finally unleashes it at 0:43 into "Grenades" with positively pounding percussion akin to Zimmer's Backdraft. After stewing around with the progressions in "Requiem," the composer reprises a final heroic rendition of the theme at 2:43. More frequently referenced by the composer is his comparatively dramatic theme for the bond between human and gorilla leads, identifiable by its slowly descending bass chords in each instance. You hear this theme's underlying chords initially at 3:51 into "Space" and the melody itself for the first time at 0:55 into "Calm." The progressions of the theme return alone at 4:08 into "CRISPR," strings intentionally slurring the notes together, a technique joined by ostinatos and choir during the progression's appearance at 5:07 into "C17."

The "Cornfield" cue toils with the underlying chords of Lockington's dramatic character theme for Rampage as the choir flirts with the actual melody in various guises. Hints of the descending lines occupy the end of "Chicago" and an emotional moment at 1:48 into "Team," though a brief action variant bursts out at 2:15 into "George" as a foreshadowing of the full development at 1:22 into "Showdown." The theme achieves catharsis at 0:31 into "Requiem" before occupying "Saved" after the 0:42 mark. It serves its purpose but certainly doesn't hold the emotional weight that one would expect. There are other singular, tonal moments of interest in the score worth mentioning, beginning with a propulsive action variant at 1:04 into "Kate" that features some strong French horn counterpoint. The middle of the "Antennae" cue contains a potential villains' theme or, at the very least, an effective suspense mechanism. A massive fanfare at 0:55 into "Showdown" is sadly orphaned. These points of interest, along with the thematic development, may not salvage the score for listeners turned off by the truly wretched processed layers. While a cue like "Space" might not offend much in its manipulations of the children's choir, later action cues are sometimes obliterated by grinding, pitch-defying effects. Some of these are undoubtedly the sampled wild howler monkeys, but one can't really distinguish them individually. Starting in "Wyoming," otherwise solid orchestrations are eaten alive by processed distortions. Lockington builds up to deafening crescendos in several battle cues, often allowing a varying, completely unnecessary trailing effect in the bass ("C17," "Quarry," "Team," "Grenades") that sounds like a failing piece of mechanical equipment. The long, Dunkirk-inspired crescendo of torture concluding "Energyne" is beyond dispiriting. Even the otherwise attractive "Requiem" cue contains two interludes of stuttering, pitch-challenged effects that nearly ruin the moment. That cue also has one of several odd cuts in the various overlays; at 2:14, the electronic effects at the forefront suddenly end and are replaced jarringly by an otherwise organic, melodic passage. Overall, a trained ear can pick out keen thematic development and immense underlying orchestrations at times in Rampage, but this is not the right kind of score to demand trained ears. This music is not going to connect with many listeners because of its muddy melodic enunciation and sometimes ridiculously overthought manipulations. Still, enthusiasts could take heart in lossless download options and a belated international CD release. Just try not to wince upon hearing such a talented composer crank out generic, Remote Control aggravation.  **   @Amazon.com: CD or Download