To me there's something slightly "off" about Steve Jablonsky's score for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. For awhile I couldn't put my finger on it but I think I've figured it out. More on that later though.
Jablonsky's score functions well in the film which is its primary - and arguably its only - job. It punctuates the film in all the ways we've come to expect from years of Zimmer training and, like the film, occasionally takes itself a little too seriously. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.
The old themes that reappear are clearly developed rather than merely cut-and-pasted onto the film. Nowhere is this more evident than in the theme for Optimus Prime. Not only is it much more elegiac (appropriately) this time around it is also elaborated upon and altered slightly to represent the history of the Primes. Lisbeth Scott once again is called upon to deliver her "vaguely ethnic wailing" for a Remote Control score. However it occasionally treads dangerously close to lines of questionable taste. I do miss the theme for the All Spark from the first film. I thought that it had transferred to Bumblebee during the downtown battle at the end of the first film but I guess not.*
As far as new themes are concerned I find the theme for The Fallen to be, well, a bit simplistic. I realise it doesn't have to be overly complex; all he has to do is be the really bad guy (though to be honest I never felt like the danger was that great with this character). I guess my issue with it is that it sounds like music leftover from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.
At first I wasn't wild about the album but it has since grown on me. There don't seem to be any real standout cues the way "Arrival to Earth" and "Scorponok" are on the first album/film. I don't think I'll ever find it the rollicking good time the first is, but it's still a lot of fun (which, I suppose, is unfair because the first album/film is an embarrassment of musical riches for film music lovers). It's a little uneven but there are several really nice moments on the album (I've recently come to particularly enjoy "Einstein's Wrong" and "Tomb of the Primes"). I do wish the album had been sequenced better. Most of the action cues seem to be situated on the back end of the disc and it doesn't make for quality ebb-and-flow. I think a simple matter of reordering could have made the disc better.
As far as the "off" element of the score, I think the problem is actually Hans Zimmer himself. In both the CD insert and the end of the credits in the film there's a big "thank you" to Hans. Although he is uncredited, Hans Zimmer apparently produced a large chunk of the score for the film, which is not difficult to surmise simply by listening to it. I think I know why. The score for the first Transformers is fantastic. The problem is it was for a Michael Bay film; it constantly lost out to over-the-top, amped-up sound effects. I think that Steve Jablonsky asked Zimmer to produce the score so that he wouldn't "overcompose". To be fair I think it's a perfectly legitimate concern. If you're scoring a Michael Bay film, half of your music probably won't be heard over the thunderous sound design so you may as well reign it in a bit. Perhaps Jablonsky didn't know exactly how to do that so he asked Hans for help**. I also think that Zimmer was able to bring some "darker" aspects to Jablonsky's score. These things being said, I miss all those tiny little details from the first score.
Overall I enjoyed the score and think it functioned well in the film. I just miss the abundance of thematic writing that characterizes the first score.
*In retrospect it seems plausible that this might have been Jablonsky's original intention. This would make sense since Bumblebee is the only one of the Autobots or the Decepticons that has direct contact with the All Spark (until Sam uses it to kill Megatron). Perhaps I'm giving the composer too much credit for possibly putting that much thought into it. I might be wrong but it seems that from listening to "Bumblebee" on the album (which is denoted as "different version in film") that it was more-or-less intended for use during the downtown battle when Mikaela drives the attached-to-a-tow-truck Bumblee through the streets so he can help his fellow Autobots. However, after consulting the film and listening also to the album that shall not be named this intention was never carried through. Perhaps, if this was the intent, its intelligence was lost on the director.
**Please note: I'm not denying the craftsmanship of Steve Jablonsky here, just saying that perhaps he didn't know how to write less and keep it functional and good. Hans, as we all know, has become a master of drawing on the smallest amount of material.
31 comments:
You don't have to hesitate, you can just come right out and say it if you want - the album is really a bit of a letdown. Firstly - it's so damned SHORT! What the fuck...did re-use fees go up that fucking much in two years?!?! The first one was a full 16 minutes longer! Secondly - almost every cue on the album feels abreviated. Not all that unusual (especially for a MV/RC composer), but it's jarringly obvious on this album that cues were cropped before they were actually OVER! I really like the NEST cue (though I agree with what you said to me the other day - not sure why the guys at RC couldn't have handled all the electronics and guitars themselves), but the entire scene should've been on the album. It was REALLY fucking annoying that the track ended right before Optimus jumps out of the plane!!!
And I certainly understand the confusion with which theme is which. Going back and listening to the first one myself, I noticed a lot of, well what shall we call it, cross-character theme swapping (?)! You get my meaning? A lot of themes, seemingly for other characters or ideas, popping up at weird times - kind of like in Empire when Yoda's theme suddenly pops up during the Bespin escape...never have understood what the fuck that was all about!!!
Something else (well, two things actually) noticibly absent from both the film and the score CD - first, as you mentioned to me the other day, the "Scorponok" theme/motif - although really, I think there's a strong argument that the theme there could just as easily represent "battling in the desert". In which case, it's absence from the sequel is even more perplexing. Second is the Decepticon theme. Maybe I just missed it...but I don't recall hearing it anywhere in the sequel.
And while we're on the subject - since The Fallen is supposed to be the original Decepticon, would it/should it not have followed that the music for that character be derived from the Decepticon material from the first film?! I agree, there isn't much to the Fallen theme, but in the end it's still sufficiently eerie and creepy - albeit somewhat derivative...of another movie! Anyone else notice they (I say they because I question how much "influence" Hans had in the writing process) kinda already tried the "noise as a character theme" approach - last year with The Dark Knight?!
Regardless of what Jablonsky intended to do with the All Spark/Bumblebee/Autobot themes, it's fairly obvious (likely as a result of Bay's insistence) what Bumblebee's actual theme is - you can hear it in Revenge about 15 or 20 minutes from the end. It comes out rather blaringly when Bee saves Sam and his parents from the Decepticon in the desert village - happens right as he basically "lays the smack down" on the other robot. Now having said that, I couldn't hum it to you right now if you put a gun to my head - but I will say that I do remember hearing it in the first movie.
Overall, I'm not disappointed with the music in the slightest - just the presentation.
Word Verification: gramana - bananas made from grandmas...eww!
OK, so in a slight retraction of one of my comments above - I suppose, possibly, conceivably, maybe one could argue the case that the "Einstein's Wrong" cue was derived from the Decepticon theme from the first movie.
I think it's a stretch - but if one were to make such a statement, I could see the validity of it.
Danny Elfman has discussed in interviews how sometimes his themes end up "in the wrong place" when he's scoring a film. He figures it's a subconcious decision so he just goes with it.
"Where did everybody go?!?!"
"Maybe it was something we said!!!"
word verification: dueligi - Mario and Luigi's lesser known and slightly combative older brother.
And to your point about reuse fees; I would assume they haven't gone up. The AFM is in bad shape as it is and can't afford to make things more difficult for their constituency. Then again, that's what unions do.
So, after being berated into commenting, here are my very, very, uninformed comments.
I have only seen both films only once, and not listened to either score albums. I didn't walk out of the theatre last week thinking much about the music, even with Zimmer's help, it was still hard to sort out from all the, in the world of Mikey the Pikey, Giant Fucking Robots blowing things up every 20 minutes (and for the last 45 minutes solid). If anything, the coolest aural feature of the film is the sound of the actual transforming.
It's hard for me to evaluate the music since I haven't listened to it on its own (and my one and only viewing of the first film was at a friend's place on a television without seperate speakers...not ideal conditions). The Herr's comments, though, on Zimmer's involvement do make me want to examine both scores and film's on a closer level...multiple viewings might be required.
And on a personal note, may I just ask just what was Megan Fox's character role in the second film? Really, did she even have to be there? As hot as she is, she became more of a distraction as I constantly asked myself what logical reason she had for being there. Seriously.
Word verification: Gancesh - the Hindu god of gangstas, thieves, and pimps.
You are quite right that the sound design is pretty amazing. I guess one of the things I hadn't articulated well enough to this point is that the first score and film seem to occupy the same "mythic space" whereas the sequel score seems much more detached.
I didn't honestly think reuse fees had gone up. I was just postulating as to a possible logical reason as to why they'd give us such a short frickin' album. I mean really - WHY?!?! It isn't as though there wasn't a plethora of material to cull from. Was 16 more minutes that much more to ask?!?!
As for Megan Fox - to reiterate what I said in my little (*snickers*) review, she's the "human" eye candy. Her sole purpose in both movies is to give us (males between 11 and 203) a non-robotic reason to have a boner for two+ hours! Why else would she be moist all the time?! I have to give Mike Bay credit for one thing regarding Megan Fox (aside from finding her to begin with) - he made her gain 10 pounds for Revenge of the Fallen. Something relatively unheard of in Hollywood. Guess he figured a couple extra curves giggled better when doing all that running and screaming. So...KUDOWS to you Bay-man!!!
One thing I miss in the transformation sound design for ROTF is the original cartoon sound. They made it a point to include it a few times in the first one - I don't recall hearing it in this second movie.
I still haven’t heard the score to the sequel, so I can’t contribute much at this juncture.
As far as the first Transformers score goes…
It replaces Armageddon in my book, which is a SUPREME compliment coming from me.
I’ve always said that Transformers is basically “The Island with themes.” What I mean by that is that Jablonsky’s pristine “glossiness” of the mixing and production is strikingly similar, but The Island was devoid of melodic material (deliberately so, mind you). Transformers, on the other hand, has enough solid melodies for two Zimmer scores, and every single one of them is fantastic—even the almost guilty pleasure that is Scorponok (let’s face it… it’s two shades away from the awful, awful dance mix from Mortal Kombat… but somehow it’s fucking brilliant). So Transformers is a smorgasbord of sonic delights, almost like getting a prostate massage by way of your ears.
I look forward to hearing the score to Revenge of the Fallen, but from what I can remember from hearing it in the movie theater, I don’t see where all the disappointment is coming from. I guess I’ll know when I see what’s missing on the CD…
And yes, the “Scorponok” theme is really not “Scorponok’s theme” but the battle-in-the-desert / kick-some-robot-ass theme. Which does make it all the more perplexing that it is absent, I agree…
Two things:
One - That should have read "jiggled" above rather than "giggled"..."sorry 'bout tha'"!
Two - It occurs to me that the theme I'm associating with Optimus Prime is the "Autobots" theme from the first movie. In my mind, the "actual" Optimus theme is just something of a passing motif. Granted it's been beefed up quite a bit for ROTF, likely to convey a bit more grandieur for the history of the Primes, but I still don't really think of it as Optimus' theme.
The "Autobots" theme is his theme - or at least, rather intentionally or not (by Jablonsky), he adopted it for the new movie. It plays every time he comes on screen, particularly when he's about to kick some ass. So that theme, as far as I'm concerned, is his theme!
I FOUND IT!!! I found Bumblebee's theme on the first disc!
It's on the "You're A Soldier Now" track, starting at about 3:05! I knew I wasn't crazy for thinking it was in the first movie.
It's important to remember, just as with "Scorponok," that the track titles are track titles, not leitmotif labels. They just often happen to be one-word, rather than "Scorponok Goes to the Market."
Kind of like how "Penis" is actually the Pubes theme, but the scene is about the debut of Penis, thus titled "Penis." And let's not forget the Balls theme, which actually has two variations. But the track title "Ball Pubes" is actually not a theme at all but an action sequence, if anything, related to the Vagina theme. It all makes sense in context, of course.
This blog is becoming an interesting study in the way people perceive themes... like how I was in the car with the Amazing Brando coming back from Drag Me To Hell, and Scorponok was blaring in my car, and at the climactic release (hehe), he started humming along. I said that I was surprised that he remembered that theme from only watching the movie, and he replied something along the lines of, "How can I forget? It's like the main theme of the entire movie!"
I think the important thing to remember here is...wait...you paid actual money to see Drag Me to Hell????
[Head explodes.]
DUDE! Sam Raimi's first horror film in almost twenty years - who wouldn't pay to see that?!?!
(Sheepishly raises hand...)
You know I hate horror movies.
If you don't count For Love of the Game that is!
"What the hell is that?!"
"Oh that?! That's my THEME MUSIC...every good hero should have some!"
Focus, pikey. Transformers.
This thread was headed second star to the right and straight on 'til morning as soon as you said "Penis"!
You know, if Disney had anything to say about it, Transformers would have a CGI robot penis in the background a la Aladdin, blending in with the non-penis robots.
Everybody FOCUS!!!
So I'm reading a book right now called "Listening to Fellini" (stay tuned for my review of it), and in it, the author talks about the B&W Fellini/Rota films and music and music editing. The book isn't as much about Rota's music as it is about how Fellini edited the music into the films. Relavent to this discussion (sans penii) is that the so called "themes," and how while some music could be associated with a specific character, more often than not Fellini/Rota would have the theme build up a a meaning more associated with a certain aspect of the character that they wanted brought out. Or that was, indeed, a major aspect of the film itself.
A really interesting chapter is the one discussing the English-language version of 'La Strada.' The version released in the states, with redubbed English dialogue, also completely re-edited the soundtrack, and in many cases completely destroyed the careful editing that Fellini/Rota had done.
Word Verification: Wratesti - I know there is a penis joke in there somewhere...but I can't think of it.
Thank you, Mr. Harris for putting us back on task.
Along similar lines (regarding music editing and usage) I had been thinking about the differences between the two scores.
In the first film, most of the cues feel like they were composed to be scene specific. Obviously this is generally how film music is supposed to be. Through this process an intelligent composer can create a score that follows the architectural development of the film itself.
Many of the cues in the second film, however, feel much more generic so that they can be assigned to any number of places in the film (which goes back to my point about Jablonsky knowing what he had to work within). Additionally, through the magic of digital editing, one can alter the pitch and tempo of a passage and simply drop the appropriate theme into "Generic Action Cue" and, voila!, you have your cue.
However, a composer is at the whim of the director and any given piece can wind up in any given place so long as that's what the director wants.
I've also come across some comments by others online which have stated that this score is rather similar in tone to his Gears of War 2 score. I guess I'll have to find a copy of that, too, for comparison's sake.
The "Scorponok/desert-ass-kicking" motif doesn't seem to be the soldiers' theme, because the soldiers already seem to have a motif, from the extended score, which stood out in my mind when I first saw the first film as being a little too Trevor Rabin, primarily used in Armageddon. So the theme from Scorponok is probably best described as serving the tone of the scene rather than a leitmotif. It's less about narrating who's on screen than it is about how the characters and the audience are supposed to feel (as music should be).
I think it also makes a cameo in ROTF, though it may be tracked in from the first film.
Well, by my count we have 17 of 27 previous comments that actually pertain in some manner to the original post with only one screwball tangent.
word verification: trodiniv
Trodiniv, or, The Epic Tragedy of the Warrior Bard.
(Aren't all great epic tragedies in Russian?)
I actually tried to keep things on track, and then somehow Michael gets credit for focus. Does telling people to focus count as being a relevant comment?
Considering I haven't even heard the fucking score, I did my best.
Actually, I did count your comment about focus. Just so you know.
BTW - on the subject of sequel scores...
...John Debney was just announced late yesterday as the composer for Iron Man 2.
I guess that's a step up?!
Well...if nothing else it'll actually have a fucking THEME this time right?!?!
John Debney means nothing. He can't be predicted. It just means, "We have music in this movie."
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