: (Andrew Lockington) The early 1970's
and late 1990's claim dominance over the ensemble cast disaster film
genre, and 2015's
is a vintage throwback to those
eras, emulating all their assets and faults predictably. The major fault
in this case, is the San Andreas, that ominous presence in California
life that always lurks beneath the surface. The timing of Brad Peyton's
film is advantageous because it had been a rather long time since there
was a major earthquake in California and, perhaps more importantly for
movie-goers, an equivalently lengthy period since Hollywood placed
wholesale destruction of cityscapes on camera for extended sequences.
Between the perverted glamour of these visuals of mass death and
undeniable affection for lead actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson,
actually managed to rattle decent reviews out of critics and
shake down audiences for sizeable box office gains. The plot is
irrelevant except to mention that Johnson's character is a rescue pilot
who traverses California to save his family in death-defying methods on
land, sea, and air. Most viewers see movies like
for
the eye candy scenes of immense destruction, and they are not
disappointed here. On the other end of the spectrum, you have actual
seismologists who have an entirely different, exasperated viewpoint on
just how ridiculous the plot of the movie is, but why let the scientists
get in the way of a good show of the Left Coast literally falling into
the ocean? Reuniting with both Peyton and Johnson from their roles in
the
franchise is Canadian
composer Andrew Lockington, always armed with long-lined themes of
distinction, orchestrating and conducting veteran Nicholas Dodd, and his
trusty black hat. Lockington has proven to be an exercise in frustration
for some fans because of his relatively sparse quantity of major
assignments, such music dating back to the great 2008 duo of
in the
2010's, the former among the best scores of the decade, but only obscure
works beyond that. Upon his hiring for
, Peyton turned
to Lockington to provide an epic disaster score, a fitting request given
that the composer, with the help of Dodd, has become a de facto
replacement for
's David Arnold in his musical
voice.
One thing you are basically guaranteed to hear from
Lockington in score like
San Andreas is an arguably unnecessary
but relieving tandem of intelligent instrumentation and complex
structures. To the say that his music for outrageous blockbuster action
scenes is more intellectually constructed than most of what emerges from
the clones of Hans Zimmer's Remote Control factory is not necessary;
more interesting is his capability to produce a workmanlike result
befitting of a similar Brian Tyler score but pepper it with more
engaging instrumental dynamism and themes that better express emotion.
Lockington has a knack for producing action music that straddles the
line between harmonic accessibility and dissonant challenges while
yielding a highly listenable result on album, and his insistence upon
constantly present counterpoint and thematic development makes his major
works a pleasure to hear (and review). The instrumental selection for
San Andreas starts with an orchestra featuring an emphasized
brass section, as expected. Add to that a children's choir anchored by a
boy soprano to touch upon the biblical proportions of the destruction in
the story. Piano solos offer the obligatory familial perspective. There
is the usual amount of electronics for Lockington, less than in
Percy
Jackson: Sea of Monsters but still an effective presence through
especially the suspense cues. Taiko and other drums offer resonance on
occasion. The most unusual element of the mix is Lockington's mutilation
of an old piano to generate a grinding, electronically manipulated tone
to represent the earthquakes; cynics could claim that an electric guitar
would have been just as sufficient at the task, and, granted, some
novice listeners won't be able to tell the difference anyway. Together,
these contributors combine very nicely in
San Andreas, the
orchestra remaining front and center at all times. There are times when
Lockington strays toward the masculine power anthem attitude that Tyler
has especially adopted from the vintage Zimmer playbook, but its usage
here is never overbearing in the bass region and nothing in this score
has any resemblance to the "over-produced" sound that you hear in most
competing scores during this era. The highlight cue of "Skydive" is the
best example of soaring thematic heroism combined with beefy
orchestration and magnificent resonance of a sort that didn't require
more than the natural force of the brass to succeed. There are times
when Lockington's electronic sounds are a tad intrusive (what is that
odd, dull tone in "The Kiss"?) but they do not really diminish the
whole.
The real pleasure in
San Andreas comes with the
merging of exciting action sequences and Lockington's usual tendency to
almost overthink his themes, the latter a definite plus for film music
enthusiasts. While
San Andreas contains one overarching theme for
the general state of affairs in the story, the composer adds several
secondary ideas that flourish to yield a complete narrative not unlike
the complexity of
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. The main
theme is an undeniable throwback to John Williams' long-lined identities
for the Irwin Allen disaster flicks of the early 1970's, elegantly
conveying humanity's struggle in multiple phrases of romantic struggle.
Almost distracting in a good way with this theme is its tendency to
evoke melodramatic connections to both Claude-Michel Schönberg's
fan-favorite "I Dreamed a Dream" from
Les Misérables and
the main theme from Richard Harvey's exquisite
Animal Farm,
especially in the stylish twists Lockington uses at each end of his
secondary phrase. The final three notes of the second phrase are altered
by the composer to suit the needs of the film by taking the last two and
shifting them between minor and major key use. It's a simple but nice
touch. You hear a brief reference to this theme at the outset of the
score, but its fullest incarnation arguably comes in "San Andreas End
Credits." Expect several very attractive renditions of this idea
throughout the score, sometimes boiled down, as in "Extinction," to the
solo boy's voice. The purpose of the secondary themes is not always
clear, but their existence is much welcomed. The "Resuscitation" cue
near the end of the film summarizes them well (with almost vintage James
Horner/
Apollo 13 choral applications), concluding with what might
be considered a theme for San Francisco (also heard valiantly a the end
of the "San Francisco" cue) that owes significantly to Michael Kamen's
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Then you have the alternating,
Zimmer-like theme from choir at the outset of "Resuscitation" that was
the basis of the remarkable "Skydive." Amongst these ideas (in "The
Kiss," most notably) is probably family theme that dates back to
"Divorce Papers." There is also a sinewy motif that meanders around key,
heard best perhaps in "I'll Bring Her Back," that seems to represent the
threat of the earthquakes. As usual for Lockington, these ideas
alternate in rapid succession and sometimes mingle in ways that cause
them to generate more of an overall impression rather than singular,
easily identifiable ideas for the average movie-goer to recognize.
In some of Lockington's scores, especially those in the
Journey franchise, you have to exercise a fair amount of patience
to get to the bulk of his score's highlights in the middle and later
sections, and
San Andreas exhibits this trait as well. It will be
tempting for the composer's enthusiasts to blast through the first
fifteen minutes of this score in search of
Journey-worthy melodic
grace and simply not find it. That's because the suspense and action
sequences in
San Andreas are more pervasive and push the fantasy
element that Lockington is better known for to the back burner for long
sequences. That doesn't mean that the first half of
San Andreas
lacks merit; it's simply not as overwhelmingly entertaining. Don't be
surprised if you initially judge the work as average based on its
initial third. Amongst the action, however, you have cues like "San
Francisco" and "Skydive" that are simply winners in every regard, and by
"Extinction," the album really flourishes with the thematic development
and fantasy tones you've grown to love from Lockington. He uses the boy
soprano as the replacement for the modern female tone in
Journey
2 and
Percy Jackson, and the results are just as mesmerizing;
the composer's applications of solo voice are among his greatest
strengths. Those of you seeking Lockington's own unique mannerisms will
be pleased to hear a number of them, especially near the end. These
include his hanging conclusion technique in the final seconds of
"Resuscitation" (after a remarkably militaristic rendition of the
secondary theme for San Francisco that, along with its longer
performance to close "San Andreas End Credits," will convince you that
David Arnold was behind the composition) and the whining, rising string
pitch to open "San Andreas End Credits." Both carry over obviously from
Journey 2. Overall, there is an abundance of intelligence in the
music
San Andreas, not what you'd expect for a film of such a
silly, unscientific nature. Crystal clear lines in the recording are
tremendous assets, Lockington's roaring thematic sequences never
obscuring even the flutes in counterpoint duties. His ability to explore
satisfying chords throughout the ensemble remains another of his calling
cards. Some listeners will need to appreciate the final fifteen minutes
of the score first before going back to better recognize the various
elements at work in the previous sequences. The product ends with an
eerie, quasi-religious cover of "California Dreamin'" as heard in the
film's trailers and emulating Madonna's "Like a Prayer" in tone while
infusing some ghostly lament. Lockington's score may be tiring in its
relentless action mode but it is solid throughout, raising hype for his
likely involvement with
Journey 3: From the Earth to the Moon.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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