The score for
Thunder Force requires the kind of
wholesale superhero parody tone that the likes of John Debney,
Christopher Lennertz, or Theodore Shapiro would have tackled in the
past, but this assignment's crossover into the rock and metal realms
made Eisler even more comfortable in his role. Since McCarthy's
character is a big fan of metal music in the story, the composer infused
that style upon a standard orchestral and choral palette for a hybrid
score that works well enough for the occasion but doesn't truly tax your
brain. In soundtracks like this, you have to expect constant, sudden
shifts in tone and momentum, and Eisler's approach offers no exception.
Eisler used his connections to hire a number of guitarists,
percussionists, and others to form a band that performs the soundtrack's
affectionately annoying metal end credits song, "Thunder Force." Two of
those performers, guitarist Scott Ian of the band Anthrax and drummer
Dave Lombardo of the band Slayer, carry over their contributions to a
score that is otherwise largely symphonic. Eisler offers glimpses of
true orchestral prowess at times in
Thunder Force, though the
short cue lengths never allow this score to truly take flight. The
orchestrations are reasonably sharp but the recording is lackluster, the
guitar, percussion, and brass pushed too far forward in the mix and
other performers deemphasized, giving the impression that the score is
offensively inelegant in its major cues. The work starts stronger than
it finishes, too, with the last third rather tepid and underplaying the
climax. Still, Eisler graces
Thunder Force with an intelligent
set of themes, and these provide enough interest overall. The main idea
is revealed immediately with great amusement on noble trumpets and then
fuller brass in "Thunder Force Suite." It's reduced to light percussion
and strings in "The Stanton Building," briefly mingles with Lydia's
material in "6AM Day Two," and realizes full fanfare mode with guitars
in "Super Suits." Its statement in "Like Thunder" disappointingly builds
up to nothing. A nicely rendered jazz variant on the idea exists in "I
Like 'em Thick" and extends to "Boom." (Think about those two cue titles
together for a moment.)
The main theme's greatest symphonic and rock glory
bursts forth in "In the Public Eye" while faint references late in "Boss
Battle" are replaced by a lofty crescendo sending off the heroes at the
end of "Thunder Force Out." Lydia herself inspires most of the generic
rock and metal music in
Thunder Force, her irreverent tones heard
in "Lydia Goes Apeshit," "Training Begins," and "Seems Like Overkill,"
transitioning into action mode in "The Diner Attack." A friendship theme
for the two leads proceeds via a piano-led intro with strings in "Angel
Wings," is a bit underplayed in "The Special One," culminates in a
dramatic highlight of the score in "Thought This One Through," and
supplies some ambient pleasantness in the middle of "Thunder Force Out."
The villains' material intertwines for both Laser and The King, opening
"This Town's Gonna Get What It Deserves" with the score's best rendition
of the theme. It's slightly sinister but mostly ineffective and offering
no gravity at 2:40 into "Thunder Force Suite." By "Enter Laser," the
theme is expanded with rhythmic and rock flair, and "Social Visit"
presents it with woodwinds and xylophone to form the score's most
sincerely creepy moment. A quietly reserved rendition stews to close out
the identity in "It Feels Like I Need to Kill Them." Together, these
themes' development is fairly constant in the score, but don't expect
any of them outside of the main Thunder Force theme to leave an
impression, nor do they smartly engage with each other. Eisler doesn't
have the opportunity to truly flesh out the flashy main identity due to
the plot's haphazard pace, the opening suite confining the theme's best
appeal to just a minute in length. Major differences in volume from
track to track on the 56-minute album should have been addressed prior
to the presentation's final approval. That product features 32 cues and
the end credits song, revealing the fragmented nature of the score.
Overall, this parody music is more than competent for a B-rate film like
Thunder Force, but although the composition checks all the right
boxes, Eisler's execution leaves the listener wondering what's missing.
The best music in this genre is massively larger than life, and his
recording is too shallow and sparse to compete well with that
competition. Expect to roll your eyes more than once.
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