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•	2021 La-La Land

•	2000 Decca

The resulting studio interference with Kamen's X-Men music thus afforded fans a score more in tune with the trashy Event Horizon than any recognizable superhero mould, with pieces of the score's former self peeking through in a few of the scenes. The lack of cohesion in the this music is most evident on its initial album, which was assembled in haphazard fashion as well. The score, while serviceable, remains among the weakest for any Marvel adaptation of the 2000's, and the available albums provide an even less remarkable listening experience in all cases. Had Joel McNeely not replaced Michael Kamen on The Avengers two years prior, Kamen might have produced this exact same result for that film. His score for X-Men straddles the line between electronic experimentation and traditional orchestral elements, with the latter struggling to remain assertive after the last-minute adjustments of continuous synthetic overlays. The difference between this music and Kamen's more recognized material for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Die Hard is the lack of truly recognizable themes and a heavier reliance on dissonant and unnerving environments. The main theme of the score, a nascent superhero identity with no prowess or enthusiasm, does emerge as the heroes step into their costumes and start fighting, but these moments are remarkably rare. The "Ambush," "The X-Jet," "Museum Fight," and "Final Showdown" cues offer the idea at its fullest, though it also informs "School Montage" and "Logan Kills Mystique." Kamen applies the idea's progressions warmer treatment in closing scenes. The narrative arc of this theme is practically non-existent in the work, leaving the score without a major identity outside of its drab, angry atmosphere. A secondary theme of connection between the Logan and Rogue characters is the score's only truly accessible melody, introduced in "Logan Drives" before expanding in "Jean Reads Logan's Mind" and shimmering in "Rogue Heals Logan." Kamen offers solemn but pretty development at length for the theme in "Logan and Rogue" and "Jean and Logan," the solo woodwind performances in these cues almost becoming lost in the darkness of the score's dominant character. Kamen's themes for the two elders of the tale, Magneto and Xavier (along with his Cerebro machine), are infrequently accessed. For Magneto, a challenging identity in "Death Camp" only recurs in "They Knew" and is a wasted opportunity. The otherworldly Xavier/Cerebro motif is best summarized in "Cerebro" and was awkwardly tracked in as the opening title music.

Outside of the unsatisfactory thematic presence in X-Men, the score has little to offer for listeners not enthused by substandard synthetically-dominated brooding. The majority of the score features bland orchestral tension in the minor key, served over a background layer of electronic whooshes and grinding effects. Most of the score is dark and sinister in tone, accentuating the futuristic, awe-inspiring concept with ominous meanderings of the string section. The action material is, like Event Horizon, consistently loud and aimless, offering bland rhythmic noise more often than intelligent plot progression. Instrumentally, "Death Camp" is a highlight in that uses its lengthy piano and string introduction to glorify a timpani-pounding crescendo of menacing force. The dramatic undertones of the persecution of the mutants is effectively conveyed in this weighty material, but missing is the ambition or conflict that results from that premise. The electronic accompaniment is best when tingling in the form of a light rhythm, sometimes along with a choir, for the fantasy atmosphere in "Mutant School" and "Cerebro." The original album experience in 2000 was rather senseless but did hide some of the score's greater detriments. Pieces of Kamen's thematic constructs in "Ambush" and "Logan and Rogue" represented the obvious highlights, though the latter bubbling cue represented an anti-climactic and unceremonious end to the listening experience. Fans of the score long sought bootlegs of the complete recordings that better exposed Kamen's intentions for X-Men, though those that acquired them may not have liked what they heard. In 2021, La-La Land Records offered a nicely produced, limited 2-CD set with the original versions of each cue on one CD and album or film-specific arrangements and reconstructions on the second. In expanded form, the X-Men score makes a little more sense but is no more attractive a listening experience. In fact, it's an extraordinarily tough and at times brutal collection of pointless action grinds and meaningless suspense and conversation cues without more than occasional fragments of thematic reference. The full presentation exposes and amplifies the work's weaknesses, the later versions of cues with additional synthetic layers almost insufferable. The product is an instance in which only the most ardent enthusiasts of the work will find more than passing intellectual interest. On album generally, the score requires patience and an acceptance of Kamen's extremely dark treatment of the concept. The sequel scores by John Ottman and John Powell over the remainder of the 2000's are both superior efforts that provide the concept with better themes and far more engaging action material.  **   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Michael Kamen reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.13 (in 15 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.23 (in 34,673 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.