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Gregson-
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Shrek the Third: (Harry Gregson-Williams) With over
half a billion in worldwide earnings,
Shrek 2 confirmed the
appeal of the original Dreamworks smash hit, and rumors point to a
fourth
Shrek film and even, remarkably, a musical version on
stage. Unfortunately for the franchise,
Shrek the Third was met
with considerably less critical praise than the previous installments,
with most comments about the film revolving around its lack of fresh
ideas. But that didn't stop the film from grossing $300 million in its
first 6 weeks of release, so perhaps we should expect a few more
adventures on screen (and stage) for everyone's favorite ogre. That ogre
is presented with more weighty life decisions in
Shrek the Third,
as he attempts to determine whether or not to become the king of Far,
Far Away. The same groups of primary characters (and their voices) from
the previous installments are joined by two Monty Python veterans and
the usual variety of famous animated characters from Disney concepts.
Also returning is composer Harry Gregson-Williams, who took over the
music writing duties for the franchise after collaborating with John
Powell for the original
Shrek. His score for the sequel is widely
considered an improvement over the first score, with the fragmented
nature of the first effort condensed into a sequel that was quite lovely
at times. The consistency of the music for films like the
Shrek
ones is often the primary concern, for with stories that jump so wildly
from scene to scene, rarely do the scores have an opportunity to develop
beyond their necessary roles as slapstick accompaniment.
Gregson-Williams managed to accomplish a fine balance between comedy and
awe in
Shrek 2, retaining the themes of the franchise and
inserting half a dozen more highly organized motifs. By comparison,
Shrek the Third seems less developed, with few satisfyingly
large-scale references to previous themes and even fewer new ideas that
receive due treatment. Because the film features lengthier sequences of
conversation between Shrek and Fiona, the score mirrors that reflective
tone. With less action and more parodies,
Shrek the Third plays
like yesterday's hot item.
In his favor, Gregson-Williams does incorporate his
previous themes into
Shrek the Third, but those ideas, along with
new ones for this installment, seem rushed and underdeveloped (with
exception, perhaps, to the music for the Frog King). Don't expect
lengthy thematic statements in this score, and those that you do receive
are often obscured by their own parody rhythms and instrumentation.
Whereas
Shrek 2 was a consistent stand-alone listening
experience,
Shrek the Third is more difficult to enjoy because of
its wilder moments and lack of sustained action or drama cues. The first
minute of "The Royal Treatment" takes one such familiar theme and alters
it to faux classical mode with one of the score's more intriguing
moments, both in its pretentious recorder-like opening and its later,
full-blown ensemble rendition. In "Fatherly Dreams," Shreks visions of
the future offer hints of the adventure theme in an attractive parody
rhythm before going bizarre (and unlistenable) in the synthetic realm.
Perhaps no cue is better suited to represent the changing personalities
of
Shrek the Third than this one. Later in the score, several
other singular moments provide random laughs. A honky tonk-style piano
for "The Hook Attack" leads to a faux barroom brawl sequence with a
momentous orchestral crescendo at the end. For "Merlin,"
Gregson-Williams starts off with a distracting theremine effect that
carries through much of the cue. As the film returns to the concept of
the ninja princess for its Disney heroines, Gregson-Williams gives them
thirty seconds of hip rock rhythms, complete with dated synth orchestra
hits. His "King Arthur" cue strays closer to Hans Zimmer's sound for the
character than Jerry Goldsmith's, featuring some of the score's more
cohesive choral moments. In this, as well as "Fatherly Dreams" and
"(Almost) Alone at Last," Gregson-Williams reprises the bold adventure
theme most widely associated with the dragon, and this theme continues
to be distractingly similar to Trevor Rabin's
Deep Blue Sea title
theme (especially in its execution in the final cue). Other passing
references to fragments of fairy tale themes seem abundant in
Shrek
the Third, further hammering a wedge into its split personality. It
has its moments, but it's definitely a step back from
Shrek 2.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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| Bias Check: |
For Harry Gregson-Williams reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3
(in 40 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 2.98
(in 55,210 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
|
The insert includes extensive movie stills, but has no extra information about the
score or film. This album, coincidentally, has the exact same running time (40:35) as the
score album for Shrek 2.
