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Review of Reign of Fire (Edward Shearmur)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you delight in exhibits of superior instrumental
texture, especially if they are the groaning, banging, and shrieking
variety that cause pets to flee from the room and neighbors to peer out
the windows with cautious curiosity.
Avoid it... if you expect the marginal thematic element in Reign of Fire to provide enough satisfying harmonic relief from what remains a long album of challenging post-modern techniques and loud dissonance.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Reign of Fire: (Edward Shearmur) Apparently,
according to the plot of Reign of Fire, dragons were the reason
the dinosaurs went extinct and they've been hibernating for millions of
years until a new stock of food on the planet comes available.
Fortunately for them, 2008 was their year of supposed resurrection,
ascending from a construction project in London and wiping out most of
humanity (presumably savoring the slow and juicy obese people first). As
necessary for this 2002 film, however, small bands of humans have
survived and are rebelling against the fire-breathing creatures that
inhabit the skies. The American and British commando-like warriors
eventually figure out that there exists only one male dragon, and they
set off to London to find this original badass and literally swing an
axe at it. Fallacies of logic abound, but let that not interfere with
grunge-ridden set design and flashy special effects. The apocalypse
flick didn't ignite the box office, only recouping its production costs
in the American market, but it has earned a place on late night
television due to its casting of then and future hunks Matthew
McConaughey, Christian Bale, and Gerard Butler, as well as former Bond
girl Izabella Scorupco. The music for Reign of Fire could have
gone in several directions; dragon-related movies have had scores
ranging from the most challenging, atonal work of Alex North
(Dragonslayer) to the soothing, simplistic romanticism of Randy
Edelman (Dragonheart). It may have been logical for young
composer Edward Shearmur to approach Reign of Fire as a straight
action assignment, though what he wrote for the picture turned out to be
far more complicated and dissonant than expected, arguably music too
intelligent for a film of this poor quality. In the early 2000's,
Shearmur was finally living up to the promise he exhibited in his major
introductory work of 1997, Wings of the Dove. He was fresh off of
K-Pax, Species II, and Count of Monte Cristo,
lending fresh ideas to the arguably tired dragon genre in Reign of
Fire. The resulting score is a blend of post-modern techniques more
common to Elliot Goldenthal or Don Davis' music, and along with the
tiresome, but prerequisite comparisons to Jerry Goldsmith's
Alien, the music for Reign of Fire was typically equated
with the darkest portions of The Matrix and Final Fantasy: The
Spirits Within. As you might imagine, therefore, it translates into
an interesting but extremely difficult listening experience on
album.
There is much to appreciate in Shearmur's score for Reign of Fire. With the assistance of Goldenthal orchestrator Robert Elhai and a superb recording and editing of the mix, there are sounds from the orchestra in this score that some will have never heard before. On the surface, Reign of Fire is a showcase for menacing percussion and extremely low brass. The tubas and trombones remind the listener of the formidable circumstances in nearly every cue, sometimes meandering in pitch to turn a sensation of awe into one of outright dread. The constant percussive clanging and banging is a representation of the technology and weaponry involved, sometimes merging with the samples of Shearmur's electronic soundscape. The synthetic aspect is also key; with the exception of the outward and slightly less nightmarish loops in "Archangels," the droning and thumping of the manipulated electronic sounds contributes significantly to the oppressive attitude of the music. Beyond these expected elements, however, comes a touch of intrigue in the string section. Violins are often utilized in a stabbing capacity, taking normal shrieking figures and slurring them slightly as if to mimic the rubbing of metal swords against each other. High woodwinds sometimes join them. Occasional choral effects offer gravity, but are largely inconsequential. For those seeking thematic satisfaction, there is very little in Reign of Fire. As the "Prologue" establishes, this score is going to be an arduous journey with motifs scarce. When the Americans come into the story, however, Shearmur does treat the film to a ballsy, though still somewhat obscured anthem. Resembling a cross between Hans Zimmer's family theme in Backdraft and James Newton Howard's later Harvey Dent theme in The Dark Knight, this idea is adjoined by a forceful, militaristic snare that begins in "Marauders" and finally blossoms into the theme in "Meet Van Zan" (it is reprised in lesser forms in "Dawn Burial"). As almost to recognize the futility of McConaughey's character, however, the theme is smothered by the dissonance representing the wasted landscape thereafter. That is, with the exception of the finale, "Rebirth," which finally softens the idea to lyrical norms for a Hollywood resolution and even sends off the audience with one harmonically bold (albeit short) statement at the very end. This theme's small handful of performances will not redirect you from what is predominantly an ambient experience on album, though. At over 50 minutes, that product (lacking song placements in the film) is simply too long for most listeners not interested in appreciating its technical prowess. There is only so much groaning, nasty instrumental texture that a guy can take before throwing an axe at his stereo.
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 50:30
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
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