Filmtracks: Speed 2: Cruise Control (Mark Mancina)

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Written 7/6/10

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Buy it... if you appreciated Mark Mancina's melodic sense for Speed but not its restricted, cheap-sounding rendering, in which case the sequel score takes the same propulsive, thematic demeanor and gives it resounding power with a larger ensemble.

Avoid it... if you expect either for the popular pair of themes from the previous score to dominate the sequel or for the dominant new themes and action material to be original in construct, perhaps an invalid criticism given the superior overachievement in instrumental application of these ideas throughout a film this awful.

Mancina

Speed 2: Cruise Control: (Mark Mancina) In the history of sequels, 1997's Speed 2: Cruise Control is often considered among the most ridiculed, a critical and fiscal flop that didn't recoup even half of its $110 million budget domestically (though it did turn a marginal profit after worldwide grosses). Even returning franchise star Sandra Bullock has been known to deride the film, and it is understandable that Keanu Reeves, her costar from its popular 1994 predecessor, Speed, refused to take a huge paycheck for resuming his roll as a Los Angeles SWAT officer pushed into duty as the lead protagonist against lunatics using technology to harass and commandeer large vehicles. Instead, Jason Patric simply took his place as another member of the same SWAT group and he has to vanquish a disgruntled Willem Dafoe aboard their hijacked cruise liner in order to propose marriage to Bullock's consistently sweet but hopelessly overmatched lead. Director Jan de Bont and a returning crew from Speed wasted no expense in their renting of a cruise ship and later ramming of a massive, false ship hull into an ocean-side village (both of the latter built to scale at a cost more than that of the entire first film in the franchise). Among the reasons for enduring laughter in regards to Speed 2: Cruise Control is its multitude of fallacies in the operations and technology of modern cruise liners, any one of which would have alone rendered the entire plot of this film impossible. Additionally, practically none of the destruction seen in the story's major action scenes is remotely plausible given the laws of physics. Still, the film is mindless entertainment, and at least composer Mark Mancina returned to expand upon his ideas from Speed. His music for the prior film is often credited with contributing to the definition of the "sound" of the 1990's blockbuster score, and his work with Hans Zimmer at the time often yielded not only unusual applications of percussion but also a keen sense of melodic development. The combination of muscular themes and the use of bus-related sound effects to replace a normal percussion section in Speed was a feature offset by a rather poor recording in which the orchestra was too small to handle the scope of the score and sampled augmentation caused a disappointingly cheap sound. For Speed 2: Cruise Control, Mancina would be allowed a much larger ensemble and the ability (despite the director's initial hesitation) to elaborate upon his ideas from the previous score and afford them, along with bold new melodic identities, much more complicated incarnations.

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Mancina was at the peak of his Hollywood scoring career at the time of Speed 2: Cruise Control, having recently completed Twister, Bad Boys, and Con Air, and he was a worthy alternative to Hans Zimmer for studios (his experiences on these pictures would eventually make him lose interest in continuing his pursuit of such assignments, complete with less-than-flattering comments about the industry). While the film may be a stinker, it could be argued that Mancina's score for Speed 2: Cruise Control, despite being dialed out or smothered behind sound effects in the finished edit of the film, is the best of all these works. He successfully beefed up the sound of the franchise's music and introduced four interesting new themes while remaining loyal to the pair of popular melodic ideas from Speed. The ensemble consisted of nearly 100 players, joined by eight steel drum musicians and other specialty percussionists to give the score both a tropical and African feeling. Gone is the flat sound of sampled players, replaced by a vivacious, dynamic recording that puts the previous score to shame. These elements function to perfection, though some may believe that the incessant rhythms of African percussion (connected to a sub-element in the plot) are out of place in this context. That said, the rambling drum rhythms often provide important propulsion to the action scenes, maintaining a good sense of movement for long cues that will explore several themes over those same rhythms. Electronic enhancements tastefully boost the bass region without dominating the soundscape, and most of the set action cues feature a purely organic sound. Mancina's handling of the orchestral sections is quite satisfying, building upon some of the more complicated usage in Twister and passing around thematic and counterpoint duties with outstanding skill. Woodwinds are de-emphasized, perhaps not surprisingly, but the balance between string and brass performances of the themes is very engaging. The absolutely massive brass section has balls of steel in thematic performances such as those late in "Last Lifeboat" that literally do sonic battle between bloated trumpet and French horn sections. For Dafoe's villain, Mancina uses deep strings and a variety of light percussion to create ominous momentum specifically for that character. A series of ticking sounds creates a techno-savvy rhythm for the early scenes of the villain's preparations for the assault. On top of that, Mancina uses a combination of eerie synthetic groaning and blowing sounds for the technology of the ship's bowels and higher pitched, other-worldly, glassy tones for the creepy, leech-related side of the character. Nothing radical, but it's effective.

The themes in Speed 2: Cruise Control are extensively developed and often mingle without inhibition. They exchange interludes freely, swapping between portions of each in short succession to mark very specific meanings within a larger scene. The pace of these progressive references can sometimes, in fact, move too quickly to really follow with certainty on album without careful study. Both the longer, Zimmer-like minor-key theme from the main titles of Speed and the pair of staccato six-note phrases that comprise that score's action theme return, heard immediately in "Motorcycle Chase" (after a controversial mutilation of Alfred Newman's logo music). Both ideas are inserted in fragments throughout all of the sequel, though the longer main theme is mostly relegated to shorter, partial reminders. Mancina crafts four new major themes for Speed 2: Cruise Control, as well as a new action motif that joins the popular, existing staccato theme. Of the four major themes, one represents the film as a whole while another bookends the tale as a love theme for the two leads. More interesting, arguably, are the two darker themes for the villain, one of which slithering in descent for his devious actions while the other serving as a larger representation of tragedy for the ship as a whole (after all, think of all those vacations ruined!). The first and last major theme you hear in the score is the one of easy-going romance, explored throughout the entireties of "Alex and Annie/Carribean Cruise" and "Cruising." Ironically, while a bit of a throwaway theme in the larger context of the film, this is the most refreshing idea in the entire score, despite its application within the stereotypical Jamaican band that you'd hear on the decks of a Caribbean cruise ship. The steel drums, electric bass, and unique reggae keyboarding (a combination that Mancina flirted with in Bad Boys) will define the theme for most listeners, though it's the other contributions that make this idea so alluring. From the low key guitar performances in "Alex and Annie" to the varied orchestral accompaniment in "Cruising," the composer keeps the theme fresh despite its endless repetitions for seven minutes of this score. The interlude phrase of this theme is particularly lovely, highlighted by the glowing trumpet and sax performances in the latter cue. In many regards, the light jazz, rock, and reggae combination in these two sizable cues will be worth the price of the album alone, especially for those who like pop-influenced film music that brightens any room without sounding as dated as vintage Dave Grusin material. This theme is largely absent from the bulk of the middle of the score, with the notable exception of a short, important reference on warm strings and solo horn near the start of "Reunion."

The primary theme for Speed 2: Cruise Control takes a while to state itself with certainty, but once it does, it imprints quite well on the memory. It doesn't step forth until "Last Lifeboat," in which Mancina allows it to dominate for several minutes (mostly in the latter half of the cue). It eventually accelerates from an anthem of stature into a standard heroic fanfare by its cymbal-crashing emphasis in "Final Chase" and "Underwater Rescue," the latter restoring some decency to the idea with some counterpoint. The multiple horn statements of the theme in "Last Lifeboat" make that cue a standout, however, using the idea's secondary phrase several times as well. The downside of this theme is its somewhat shameless references to other well-known themes at the time. The primary sequence in the theme opens with a pair of rising three-note phrases that clearly emulate Brad Fiedel's famous theme for The Terminator, while the interlude takes an entire phrase from Mancina's own main theme from Twister. Part of this circumstance results from the composer's desire to construct simple, extremely memorable themes. The same applies to the two villain's themes, though luckily their progressions, while basic, elude immediate comparisons to other scores. Usually paired in some way with the title theme is the one for tragedy, heard in full after six minutes of "Overboard" (extremely impressive lower brass here) and frequently lending its gravity to "Last Lifeboat." As a generic disaster theme, this idea is quite fruitful and would best most primary identities for lesser suspense films. Finally, the most frequently referenced new theme in Speed 2: Cruise Control is the descending figure on deep strings for Dafoe's villain. This sneaky, devilish theme is very effective in "Engine Room" and is heard, along with the character's usual percussive effects, all the way through his ridiculous death at the end of "Underwater Rescue." Together, these themes are both the greatest strength and weakness of the score. They all hit the right guilty pleasure buttons and aren't spectacularly original in construct. But Mancina applies them so well that you likely won't care. Some of the action and suspense material in the latter half of the score becomes a bit generic, too, but even in these tracks, you'll be hard pressed to find anything too offensive. Short passages of dissonance are restrained, leaving an interesting and highly engaging listening experience. The score, not surprisingly, wasn't released in any form at the time of the film's debut and demise. But, in 2010, La-La Land Records gave it an overdue, limited release of 3,000 copies, perhaps their finest offering of a previously unreleased score. Mancina and his fans may still favor Speed, but this album of the sequel score is an immensely satisfying hidden gem, a solid 4-star product with a handful of 5-star tracks. **** @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Mark Mancina reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.27 (in 15 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.11 (in 10,875 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

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