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Giacchino |
War for the Planet of the Apes: (Michael Giacchino)
The prequel trilogy of
Planet of the Apes films concludes its
Caesar-inspired storyline with 2017's
War for the Planet of the
Apes, though it's unlikely Hollywood is finished with the famed
Pierre Boulle concept. The Simian Flu virus that has evolved the apes to
their newfound intelligence is now reverting humans to their destiny as
mute simpletons, and factions of humans are now fighting the apes and
each other as the fallout of the societal shift continues. The ape
leader, Caesar, continues his quest to find a new paradise for his clan,
but a group of renegade human soldiers tests his resolve for peace to
the very end. The critically and financially successful films are of
particular note for the visual rendering of the apes, and actor Andy
Serkis as Caesar in particular, and among the more interesting
mainstream reactions towards
War for the Planet of the Apes has
been sustained applause for Michael Giacchino's score. The composer
accompanied director Matt Reeves to the franchise with
Dawn of the
Planet of the Apes, taking the musical reigns from Patrick Doyle,
who had to this point composed the best music of the series in
Rise
of the Planet of the Apes. Unfortunately, Giacchino's music for the
second film did not reprise any more than hints of Doyle's identities,
and in its adherence to some of the weaker portions of the Giacchino
scores for
Land of the Lost and the television series, "Lost,"
the music for
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was underachieving
at best. The composer returns in better form for the third prequel
installment, taking the opportunity to build upon his childhood passion
for the concept's classic film series by merging hints of the original
1968 Jerry Goldsmith score's challenges with more conventionally
leitmotific, orchestral bravado. Giacchino offers some writing credit to
his 12-year-old son in his opening cue, akin to Basil Poledouris' owing
of some elements of
Conan the Barbarian to his young daughter at
the time. Coincidentally, parts of
War for the Planet of the
Apes, especially the end of "Planet of the Escapes," exhibit
parallels to Poledouris musical structures and tone, though most film
music fans may not notice such references over the more blatant nods to
Ennio Morricone in the composer and director's plight to make this film
into a Western homage.
Instrumentally,
War for the Planet of the Apes
begins with its most experimental personality at the forefront, the
first 16 minutes dedicated to establishing the primal otherworldly
ambience of the franchise's trademark suspense and disillusionment
portions through unpleasant dissonant textures. In fact, a listener
might feel compelled to toss aside the score based on the first two
lengthy cues, but Giacchino minimalizes such material in the remainder
of the score. From a technical standpoint, it's important to recognize
that the suspense sequences of the recording are offered a different
mix, the dissonant effects (especially the woodwinds and percussion)
applied with a far wetter sound than the usual Giacchino product. Some
intentional tip of the hat to Goldsmith's echo effects is probably made
here, but it needs emphasized that hearing anything other than an overly
dry ambience in a Giacchino score is extremely rare. Sadly, the more
conventional orchestral portions of
War for the Planet of the
Apes, including the numerous piano solos, resort back to a very
confined and dry sound. The composer continues to do his fantasy and
adventure-related music (and the associated films) a tremendous
disservice with such two-dimensionality. The combination of quirkiness
and awe in "Planet of the Escapes" requires much more depth, for
instance. That said, Giacchino handles the rest of this score's
execution extremely well, the exotic instrumentation and vocal
contributions usually supplied in outstanding balance with the standard
orchestral performers. He also expands upon his thematic narrative with
expert precision, too. The marquee returning theme from
Dawn of the
Planet of the Apes is the optimistic, conquering identity for Caesar
and his aspirations for peace and a homeland. Conveyed in concert-like
form in one large crescendo during "The Ecstasy of the Bold," this
Caesar theme doesn't experience its resolution until the pair of
"Migration" and "Paradise Found," in which the theme finds harmonic
resonance of a broad nature not entirely expected for this franchise.
The latter cue sends the film off on a satisfyingly magnificent, if not
slightly overwrought note. The most important aspect of this theme is
that it carries over Doyle's notion that Caesar's theme is one of
ascendance, therefore featuring a progression that continuously builds
its momentum through phrases of rising notes, a critical difference
between this and the other themes in the film.
The three secondary themes in
War for the Planet of
the Apes are all highly attractive in their own ways, but their most
impactful characteristic is the shared use of three descending phrases,
likely a mechanism by Giacchino to remind of the primordial similarity
between all the characters and species in the film. The first of these
themes is the most simple; three four-note, descending repetitions
denote Caesar's family and the sadness of his fate, heard elegantly in
"Exodus Wounds." Building from a solo piano (as per usual for Giacchino;
this technique is reprised from the previous score as well) to a full
ensemble and choral statement, the composer keenly suggests the theme
over Caesar's main ascendance theme. The idea returns at the end of
"Don't Luca Now" (piano), in the middle of "Planet of the Escapes"
(cello), and "More Red Than Alive" (piano and in full). Also on piano is
the secondary theme for the mute human, Nova, introduced in "The Posse
Polonaise" and following the same underlying progressions as the Caesar
family theme. This idea shuffles softly through "Don't Luca Now," "Apes
Together Strong," and "A Tide in the Affairs of Apes" before becoming
the basis for a surprisingly robust exploration for full ensemble in
"End Credits." Finally, Giacchino addresses the wild west-like portion
of the narrative with the blatant Morricone rip in his journeying theme.
Introduced at the end of "Exodus Wounds" and reprised in "The Posse
Polonaise," "The Bad Ape Bagatelle," "Don't Luca Now," and "End
Credits," this idea sounds somewhat out of place in its personality,
especially with the catchy vocals thrown into the equation. The
rendering of the theme would not have sounded out of place in
The
Hateful Eight. While this idea could be considered distracting by
some, especially by the time of its rather crooked rendition in "End
Credits," notice that its descending melodic line is something partway
between the two prior themes. On the whole, the variations on the four
themes allow Giacchino another score with a solid narrative flow. The
dichotomy between the opening two cues and the flowery initial ambience
and chime-banging conclusion to "Paradise Found" is quite something to
behold. On album, this score battles with Doyle's for the best in the
history of the concept, and for its breadth of development,
War for
the Planet of the Apes prevails. A superior 30-minute album could be
condensed from the long commercial product, one complete with the usual
idiotic track titles and hidden cue at the end. (That humor, though, did
entice Giacchino to wear an ape mask once at the sessions just as
Goldsmith had in the 1960's.) Despite its flaws, the score remains among
2017's most impressive surprises.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
Bias Check: |
For Michael Giacchino reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.46
(in 43 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.21
(in 23,467 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes a list of performers and notes from the composer and director.