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FILMTRACKS.COM
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of Real Steel (Danny Elfman)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you've always admired Danny Elfman's wholesome
contemporary tones in Anywhere But Here and The Family Man
and desire that sound expanded with a full orchestral ensemble for a
heroic sports genre triumph.
Avoid it... if you're turned off by the prospect of hearing Elfman revise Bill Conti's Rocky formula into the futuristic world of bad-ass mechanized fighting, complete with thumping rock percussion and prominent electric guitars.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Real Steel: (Danny Elfman) The idea of boxing
robots has long bounced around the studio circuit, and in the age of
Transformers and their evolved special effects, it was only a
matter of time before Richard Matheson's 1956 concept (or an equivalent)
was translated into the standard formula sports movie. Veteran comedy
director Shawn Levy uses the science fiction genre in 2011's Real
Steel as a convenient cover for revisiting a combination of plot
devices from the Rocky franchise, most of them blindingly
transparent. A former boxer played by Hugh Jackman lives in a 2020 era
when real boxers have been replaced by robots and his own entries into
the ring have left him drowning in gambling debt. Attempting to deal
alone with his young son and turn around his finances, he stakes his
future on an old junkyard robot that, with some ingenuity and hard work,
becomes a sentimental favorite in the ring even if he isn't crowned
champion. The bond between father and son is repaired and finances are
saved, yielding the kind of tough, redemptive spirit that always
permeated the world of Rocky Balboa. A somewhat positive critical
response praised Real Steel in regards to exceeding low
expectations, and the film recouped its budget after a couple of weeks
in the theatres, immediately spurring talk of a sequel from DreamWorks.
Among the major assets of Real Steel is its original score by
Danny Elfman, for whom the inspirational sports genre had not been
explored prior. The composer's ventures into topics that bring
youngsters to the big screen have typically been influenced by some dose
of the tragedy prevalent in Elfman's career, even in a project like
Charlotte's Web. His uplifting scores are tinged with sadness in
most cases, and Real Steel finally allowed the composer to
develop a character-driven narrative that resolves itself with glorious,
redemptive, and surprisingly charming tones. Because of the science
fiction elements, he also reaches into his rich history in the fantasy
genre, touching upon aspects of his writing that are sure crowd
pleasers. The contemporary and technological angle seems well suited for
Elfman's late-1990's contemporary tones, beefed up with electric guitar
depth at times in his career but rarely as palatable as in the
supporting roles here.
Most importantly, at a time in film music when the robot fight sequences in Real Steel could have been treated to generic rock band thrashing and synthesized library samples that might extend over into the rest of the score, it's refreshing to hear Elfman's organic take on the film, focusing appropriately on the people rather than the machines. The ensemble is key to appreciating the personal touch of Elfman's approach to Real Steel. A standard Los Angeles group is joined by electric guitars (including a bass guitar), rock band drums, occasional bad-ass loops, angelic choir, and fleeting solo vocals by the female singer Poe. Nearly all of these elements extend out of the era in Elfman's career when he was blending contemporary appeal with his melodramatic tones of the early 1990's. The aggressive guitars, drums, and Poe's defiantly gritty voice all return from Elfman's relatively unknown but satisfying score for Anywhere But Here in 1999. The merging of subtle bass enhancements, softer guitar, choir, and orchestra are, meanwhile, a throwback to his equally obscure but lovely music for The Family Man in 2000. Solemn sequences in Real Steel resurrect a feeling of Americana that dates back to A Civil Action, too, and Elfman's knack for elegant piano solos for character interactions is well developed. A few bursts of action-genre energy hail from the enthusiasm of Men in Black, but without any of the obnoxious associations. Despite the story's setting in Michigan, Elfman handles the Americana element with a respectfully Southern-style twang in a few of his guitar rhythms, developing into a tone very much reminiscent of John Williams' opening to The River by the middle of "You Deserve Better." There are times in the score when the parochial nature rambles in pleasantly tonal expressions of wholesomeness, as in "On the Move." Conversely, there are also times when Elfman, with some help from assistant composer T.J. Lindgren, reaches into the rich history of Bill Conti's music for the Rocky franchise and updates it for a futuristic setting. In "Atom Versus Twin Cities," "Twin Cities' Intro," "This is a Brawl," and "Into the Ring," Elfman and Lindgren convey the harshest attitude, a necessary nod to the mechanical muscularity that pounding percussion and rips of the guitars serve to enhance. Like Conti in his era, however, the reason these pop-enhanced fight sequences are so much more competent than they could have been in Real Steel is because of a constant orchestral presence. Behind the slapping and cool percussion in "Twin Cities' Intro," for instance, is an interesting series of hyperactive string figures, and in the other similar cues, the thematic brass material from the less rocking cues is a contributor. This technique keeps the score grounded in the characters who run the robots rather than the technology itself, and some of the softer conversational cues invert the equation by tempering the orchestral material with slight electric guitar reminders. On top of all of that, no Elfman score in this genre would be complete without some wholesale moments of choral awe, and he obliges his listeners with a few passages of floor-rumbling choral crescendos in "Meet Atom." Even beyond his intelligent application of instrumental tones, Elfman succeeds in Real Steel because of the score's thematic integrity and the immensely powerful narrative flow of the score's final two cues. In these regards, he follows the Jerry Goldsmith playbook in emulating the strengths of classic sports-related scores like Hoosiers and Rudy. The primary theme builds its foundation upon a descending six-note series of ascending pairs, often expressed in full by brass during the most triumphant moments in the score. Heard prominently in "Charlie Trains Atom," this idea is the feature attraction of Atom's underdog success. Elfman references the pairs of notes within this theme frequently throughout the score, sometimes vaguely on guitar or piano, constantly reminding the listener of this identity without allowing it to become trite or oversaturating. The use of pairs in this and the secondary progressions are constantly reflective of the duality in the plot's various elements (two robots fighting, man controlling robot, man and son, etc). The melodic material for the characters is less clearly defined but explored in almost dreamy fashion in roughly half of the tracks presented on the score's album. It takes until "Parkway Motel" for the most coherent secondary idea to truly reveal itself, Poe's vocal expressions of the idea a dead ringer for the theme from Anywhere But Here, and the piano's variations of it in "You Deserve Better" and "Final Round" (at the start) are nothing less than relaxingly fulfilling. Elfman's utilization of tempo and full ensemble bravado in Real Steel's memorable duo of "Final Round" and "People's Champion" is where the Goldsmith procedures of victorious expressions come into play. Some listeners may also equate the sense of momentum in these cues with Conti's often reprised Rocky fight sequence and victory material, though no matter from where the inspiration comes, Elfman knocks the ball out of the park with his slowly accelerating sequences of major-key thematic butt-kicking. Wild string ostinatos and brass proclamations of the main theme become increasingly melodramatic (joined eventually by even the choir) as the guitars and rock percussion maintain the contemporary rhythms underneath. A couple of the sequences in the lengthy "Final Round" could become sports arena staples much to the same degree as Goldsmith's final game music from Rudy, displacing Conti's equivalent but dated Rocky as well. The conclusive crescendo of this ultimate feel-good tonality for all of the combined elements in the score draws out the tempo of its progressions in classic anticipatory fashion in "People's Champion" before ending the score, quite literally, on a single piano note. That note, however, sounds awfully like an intentional poke of fun at Steve Jablonsky's Transformers scores, its deep resonance seemingly besting everything Jablonsky has ever written for that franchise with one classy, low octave jab. Overall, Elfman's score on album, despite a preview of the triumphant main theme performances at the end of the story in "Charlie Trains Atom" to open the product, make take some time to generate excitement. In all of its corners, however, its balance of character warmth and mechanical attitude is well achieved and begs for an album longer than 42 minutes. The mix of all of the elements is commendably accomplished, the guitars enjoying a slightly wet sound and never overwhelming the orchestra. Some older listeners may be turned off by the rock-like fight sequences, but when you consider the balls they needed to be successful, as well as Elfman's constant orchestral presence in their ranks, you have to appreciate how adeptly he handled them. In the end, Real Steel is a score with uniquely packaged character, smart thematic loyalty, and one hell of a narrative conclusion, and any other composer attempting to match its quality in a possible sequel will face a potentially impossible challenge. *****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 42:18
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a list of performers but no extra information
about the score or 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 Real Steel are Copyright © 2011, Varèse Sarabande and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 10/20/11 (and not updated significantly since). |
