Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the ultimately unused score for Timeline is its homage to the style of Goldsmith's early 1980's action writing. Both the motifs and their instrumentation remind mostly of works from this era, raising the tone of the composer's most straight forward, ballsy adventure music. The balance between orchestra and synthesizers is heavily weighted towards the organic, with none of the composer's rambling electronic rhythms assisting major material in Timeline. There are synthetic horn-like sounds that remind of the wobbling effects in Legend, however, and these sometimes carry the score's primary action motif. While it may not be particularly fluid or original, that motif does lend a strongly cohesive element to the score. Beginning with a consistent rising three note figure and then alternating between complimentary supplements, this idea has its genesis in The Wind and the Lion, though it will most likely, in its somewhat harsh synthetic and brass renderings, remind listeners of Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend. Heard first on the Varèse album in the latter half of "No Pain," this idea may initially seem too derivative for some Goldsmith collectors to appreciate in this context, but its employment is so thoroughly integrated into the entirety of the score that it is, at the very least, a functional tool to signify the action of the period. The composer's slight alterations to the motif after the opening three notes, as well as the vast difference in the tone of its performances throughout the score, assist in keeping it fresh. More appealing is Goldsmith's love theme for Timeline, a harmonically pleasing idea that merges progressions from Rudy and Star Trek: Insurrection and, in its bombastic, full ensemble applications, it begins to resemble First Knight. Heard on delicate piano and flute in the middle of "Move On," this idea highlights score's arguably most attractive duo of "Be Careful" (mislabeled by Varèse as "Setting Up") and "Light the Arrows." There are, as to be expected, techniques from Goldsmith's substandard action works of the 1990's heard here, but heightened intensity compensates. The piano and bass string arpeggio in "Light the Arrows" and "Prepare For Battle" builds a kind of tremendous momentum not often heard in such underachieving scores.

On the whole, Goldsmith's score is distinctly derived from his established styles from several eras of his career. As such, it's a satisfying listening experience in its consistency. But its somewhat tired action motif and understatement of the love theme restrain its effectiveness. It is a score that allures you with its almost perpetually roaring character rather than any truly magnificent highlights. It summarizes Goldsmith's career action sound without adding anything really unique to the equation, and in these regards, the lack of a more enhanced role for the composer's synthetic elements is a disappointment. It is also a score that any veteran Goldsmith collector should have on the shelves, but it appeals as a piece of nostalgia more than the highly entertaining form of action that Goldsmith's classics had become. Listeners also have to reconcile with the fact that the replacement score for Timeline is strong competition. Upon Goldsmith's departure, Donner then turned to Brian Tyler, a young composer for whom 2003 had been an outstanding year of discovery. His work for Paramount's The Hunted landed him this job, but in addition to his collection of thriller scores for lesser-known projects, Tyler hit the jackpot in 2003 with his best-selling score for the television science fiction series Children of Dune. With a fresh new sound of bombast, Tyler creatively wove a multitude of large thematic ideas into one explosive result for Children of Dune, and film music collectors who discovered the young composer with that score were likely be enthused by the same kind of output for Timeline. Along with all of the romantic elements of battle and passion available to him, Tyler was able to whip up a frenzy of ripping action material and a few electronic accents for the technological aspects of the story. Ironically, the finished result sounds remarkably similar in style to the basic foundation of Goldsmith's effort. There is tragedy, perhaps, in the fact that most average, mainstream movie-goers won't notice any difference between the two scores when heard in the context of the film. It's almost unfortunate that Tyler didn't interpolate Goldsmith's material in the same way that John Debney would extend the veteran's work in Looney Tunes, because there's a certain amount of futility in the reinvention heard in Tyler's music.

Outside of subtle electronic rhythmic devices in "Enter the Wormhole" and "Transcription Errors," the technological elements of the present locale of the story, as with Goldsmith, are largely underplayed. For the destination, Tyler follows Goldsmith again by avoiding the path that a composer experienced with the Middle Ages might have explored (like Basil Poledouris and his primitive rhythms and percussion), instead tackling the six hundred year gap by forcefully applying basic action material to the setting. In this environment of epic battle, Tyler succeeds in generating almost as much power as Goldsmith had. If you recall the more propulsive sections of Children of Dune, carried by lengthy sequences of snare ripping, timpani pounding, and harmonic blasts of the brass, then you may be able to appreciate an extension of that sound for Timeline. Tyler once again offers several themes, with three developed well and a fourth obscured within the layered depths of the considerable action material. A theme for determination, best capturing the adventuresome spirit of the journey, marks the cues "Battalion" and "Enter the Wormhole." A more awe-inspiring idea is offered for the grand vistas of battle, announced by heavy snare drums and an electronic choir in "Galvanize the Troops" and "Night Arrows." A tender love theme (superior to Goldsmith's, really) is provided by the strings and woodwinds in "Lady Claire and Marek" and "Eternal." The less cohesive theme, heard in the main titles, is perhaps muddled by its own enthusiastic performances, which is less of a complaint than a comment about the frantic level of activity in the score. Singular motifs, such as the announcement of the arrival of battle in "Night Arrows" that does its best interpretation of a James Horner score from the 1980's, are spaced throughout the work as well. Tyler's hyperactive music is interesting at the very least, though its major detriment comes with the employment of violins to produce a high dissonant effect that tarnishes several cues. Another drawback is the lack of consistent employment of the themes; at best, you'll hear each one fully only twice in the score. On album, Tyler's music doesn't come across as the most sophisticated of action scores, but it didn't have to be, and it put a flourishing end on an already impressive year for him. Ultimately, Goldsmith wins on consistency, but Tyler wins on singular highlights. Neither deserved this wretched film.   @Amazon.com: CD or Download