Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
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CD Details
Composer: John WilliamsEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Soundtrack
CD Release Date: 2008-05-20
Music Label: Concord Music Group
Soundtracks:
- Raiders March
- Call of the Crystal
- The Adventures of Mutt
- Irina's Theme
- The Snake Pit
- The Spell of the Skull
- The Journey to Akator
- A Whirl Through Academe
- "Return"
- The Jungle Chase
- Orellana's Cradle
- Grave Robbers
- Hidden Treasure and the City of Gold
- Secret Doors and Scorpions
- Oxley's Dilemma
- Ants!
- Temple Ruins and the Secret Revealed
- The Departure
- Finale
Music reviews of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Music Review: Nostalgia saves Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Rating: 4 Stars
Who could ever forget watching Raiders Of The Lost Ark for the first time? May it be on TV or tape, DVD, or if you were one of the lucky people having seen it upon its initial release, the sheer fun and entertainment never wears off - and neither does John Williams timeless music. The Raiders March, the driving ostinato or the first few trumpet notes, are at least as famous as the Star Wars main titles.
And while the rest of the three original scores is generally not popular with the public, they still remain the epitome of adventure music.
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was produced in a different time and zeitgeist, and even though Spielberg's direction has changed, George Lucas is a shadow of his former self, and John Williams went through several phases since The Last Crusade was written, they produced a thoroughly entertaining adventure romp, which I doubt was intended to capture the magic of the originals.
Indeed, I can only second what Roger Ebert has to say about it: you cannot compare KotCS to any movie but the first three, since they dwell in a universe of their own.
Not only that, John Williams lives in a league of his own as well.
For KotCS, he wanted to capture some atmosphere of 30s sci-fi movies to match the intention of Steven Spielberg. This approach is clearly audible in "Call Of The Crystal", the theme for the Skull. The primary theme is indeed a reversed version of the Ark theme of the original Raiders movie. It is instantly recognisable, but lacks some punch and, most surprising for a Williams theme, does not encourage repeated listens. The secondary theme for the skull, an ominous and almost seducing oboe piece, is far more enticing.
"Irina's Theme" is exactly what the title says - a lush, sexy, almost erotic theme for Cate Blanchett's villain role. It is not a romantic theme in the way Marions theme or Willie's theme were, nor does it have their lasting effect on the mind, but it is a piece of music that can hold its ground in the grand Indy soundscape.
"Mutt's Theme" flows in the same tone of "Scherzo For Motorcycle and Orchestra" or at least tries to. And I have to say that I find it immensely welcome that John Williams is one of the few composers who actually dare to write a character theme like Mutt's without any intention of adding drama or gravitas. It is a careless, adventurous theme for a character of the same qualities.
The first half of the album is very strong, with all the concert pieces, and cues like "Snake Pit" which are just a joy to listen to.
In the second half, however, the listenability plummets dramatically. Once we get to the action and chase music towards the finale, Williams abandons nods to his early style completely and ventures into his most recent one. I am sorry but his modern action music is just not engaging, and also not very listenable. That his Crystal Skull theme is not very strong thematic material to work with does not help either.
The album closes with a fantastic 9 minute end credit suite that matches any of the first three easily - Williams twists the Raiders March towards the end ingeniusly.
In the end, the first 10 tracks of the album make for an extremely great listen. Unfortunately, these include three concert suites and a re--recording of the Raiders March, which are bound to entertain. The quality of these cues is never picked up again after that, until the very end with "Departure" and "Finale", since the ominous material and action writing in between suffers from "Williams 2000" aimlessness.
The inclusion of old Raiders material in "Journey To Akator", "The Spell Of The Skull" and "Finale" is quite irritating, and robs the score of potential highlights.
On the other hand, you can't help but feel extremely good hearing this again, newly recorded, in a new context.
Truth be told, you'd need several ratings for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; for an Indiana Jones score in the old fashion, it is far too unmemorable and modern to hold its ground to its predecessors. As a "standard" John Williams adventure score, it does superbly well.
And in comparison to other film scores, it stands head to shoulders above them anyway.
Description of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The original soundtrack recording to the highly anticipated fourth chapter in the Indiana Jones film series. Featuring an epic orchestral score composed and conducted by Oscar-winner John Williams, this is a soundtrack album that holds true to the timeless appeal of Indiana Jones, and the iconic musical themes that have endeared the character to millions of fans the world over.Pop CDs
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