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Tyler has stepped into the middle of franchises several times in the past, sometimes recognizing existing themes (Rambo, Final Destination) while at other times only alluding to their demeanor or style and branching off in his own direction (Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem, The Fast and the Furious). In the case of Thor: The Dark World, Tyler makes two decisions about the direction the music should take; one of these decisions yielded solid results while the other is nonsensical and disappointing. First, however, the positive: Tyler must be commended for his ability to force the Remote Control sound back into the orchestral realm, no easy task. The irony of all the efforts of Hans Zimmer and his offshoots and ghostwriters is the fact that much of the sound yielded from their electronic manipulation of live recordings can actually be produced organically. Tyler has proven this capability before, including in Iron Man 3, a surprisingly decent symphonic venture, and shows in Thor: The Dark World that all the pounding bass-heavy muscularity of the average Remote Control-inspired score can really be generated using the proper application of brass and percussion. It's interesting to compare this Tyler music to the concurrent output of Steve Jablonsky for Ender's Game, the latter an exercise in tired stupidity and generic regurgitation. Both works rely upon incredibly simple and repetitive thematic constructs, overbearing muscularity, and mournful female vocals that are spoon-fed directly to the raging hormones of the listeners, but whereas Jablonsky offers no complexity of surrounding activity to the soundscape, Tyler takes those basic ingredients and layers them with effective counterpoint and organic performances. The percussion element seems to be an area of pride for Tyler, his own performances tending towards more ancient-sounding drums rather than snare or sampled alternatives. Most importantly, Tyler doesn't bother with distracting electronic manipulation of his recordings to achieve desired results. While the end of "Into Eternity" does seemingly have some unusual vocal emphasis, the rest of this score is the kind of almost nonstop bravado that could be performed live by an ensemble without the need for any overlays. Some listeners will despise the unyieldingly ballsy and repetitive tone of this work and reject it much like they did Iron Man 3, but kudos absolutely have to be given to Tyler for at least attempting to preserve some dying semblances of Jerry Goldsmith's mannerisms in an era when frightfully dumb action film music is being accepted by the mainstream.

Then there is the downside of this score: Tyler's inexplicable decision to abandon Doyle's themes from the first film. In his defense, Tyler has claimed that the different look and feel of Thor: The Dark World, along with its even greater fantasy emphasis, necessitated the increased size of the score's sound but also the elimination of Doyle's identity. This is nonsense, and Tyler should know that. He has been writing long enough now to realize that nearly any identity can be manipulated to serve a different purpose. What served Thor as a young man can still function for him as an adult, but in different, evolving ways. Anyone can listen to Doyle's various versions of his cue, "Thor Kills the Destroyer," and realize the potential for Tyler to run with it. Instead, Tyler decided to provide a new, very simple set of themes for the sequel, ones utilizing juvenile progressions that are masked by their extensive orchestrations. The main theme for Thor: The Dark World is worthy of some eye rolls, its anthemic performances blasting away countless times in full (often with choir) during the score. The tender portions featuring female vocals by two soloists are a lesser translation of this theme's same basic progressions, all of these aspects reminiscent of the main theme from Tyler's outstanding Children of Dune. The amount of beef may be greater in these renditions, but essentially half of Thor: The Dark World is constructed on ideas originally set forth in that popular 2003 television project, relating it to, of all things, Partition as well. While Tyler has insisted that there are several secondary themes at work in the 2013 score, it's difficult to really distinguish any of them outside of a sneaky string and harp motif for Thor's troublesome brother, Loki. That's because every idea in this work is blown so out of proportion that any nuances within the constructs are destined to be lost. Not all of this emphasis on simplicity is negative, however. At least Tyler knows how to hit the guilty pleasure points effectively, "Into Eternity" an outstanding fantasy cue. Likewise, his incorporation of the Captain America theme by Silvestri into "An Unlikely Alliance" is a nice touch. His recording of a new Marvel Studios logo fanfare is also a highlight, featuring a motif arguably better than anything in this score. The lack of Doyle's themes in Thor: The Dark World is a deal-breaker for some listeners, and Tyler's explanations on this matter are inadequate. But you have to appreciate what Tyler has done with this score and Iron Man 3 to wrestle the series back into the orchestral realm while instilling the masculinity that a composer like Silvestri cannot supply. Ultimately, that push for organic brawn edges out the deficiencies of the thematic constructs and allows for this score to receive a higher rating.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Brian Tyler reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.32 (in 32 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.1 (in 15,333 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 77:32