Klaus Badelt - Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl
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Music Reviews of Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl
Music Review: Slightly Flawed, but Decent Enough
Rating: 4 Stars
Overall, I feel that this is a decent CD, with a few flaws. Several of the main themes borrow or are inspired by themes from "The Rock" or "Gladiator". Generally, I dislike unoriginal music, but it does not seem to be a big problem for this CD. The music is unique enough that a good ear will be able to tell the difference in the themes.
Another disappointment for me is that the music does not sound as "full" as it did in the theater. (Perhaps this will be the motivation to invest in a surround-sound system) I feel that this loss in fullness is due to the reliance on synthetics. I also feel that the soundtrack would have benefited from a full orchestra, with minimal synthetic involvment.
I was also disappointed with the length of the soundtrack. Most movie soundtracks are around an hour; this CD is approx. 45 minutes long.
The music uses the movie's humor to its advantage; there are several cues that play up the grandeur of a scene (the best example is Jack Sparrow's entrance), and I feel enhance the enjoyment of said scene. Using the Jack Sparrow's entrance example, I doubt that scene would be as funny if there was no music or music that did not exude the excitement/granduer/nobility that the current music does.
While flawed, the CD is enjoyable enough to buy. Obviously not on the same playing field as "Lord of the Rings" or other similar greats, the soundtrack is a diamond in the rough that deserves a look.
Music Review: Decent Score, wish it was as good as the movie.
Rating: 2 Stars
Although the music truly encompassed the movie, it doesn't sit well as a stand-alone soundtrack. The whole disc sounds as though it was pieced together quickly, as though the producers were afraid to invest money into the soundtrack in case the movie failed. Typically soundtracks are released before or the week of a movie release, correct? I feel that the best soundtracks are designed to follow the progress of the movie it is from (i.e. "Fellowship of the Ring"), but "Pirates" I am not so sure. I give credit to Klaus Badelt, but having Hans Zimmer involved ("Overproduced"??) made it sound like almost everything else Zimmer has done. Heard "The Rock," "Gladiator," or "Crimson Tide?" Then you've already heard "Pirates" but with different notes. The solo cello work is excellent, but when the action picks up, like Zimmer scores, everything goes from soft strings to extremely loud with bombastic horns. Everytime the music got loud in the theater, I kept waiting for Maximus to ride in with his Roman cavalry and wipe out any pirates nearby. The dynamics are there, but not the originality. I truly wonder what part of this score was Badelt's, or was it "overproduced" by Zimmer. It is a shame though, great movie, I was looking forward to a fantastic score. Go spend your money on Howard Shore, John Williams, or Basil Poledouris; you'll get more enjoyment from it.Music Review: Great content but short and not well mixed
Rating: 3 Stars
Overall I liked this soundtrack as it contains the musical highlights of the film. However, the production aspects of the CDROM are lacking. First, it appears the individual tracks were made from one best-of type of arrangement. This arrangement doesn't follow the story-line from the movie, so it seems almost arbitrary in nature, even though the composer/arranger might have written it that way originally. Secondly, the dynamic range of the music is so great that it isn't possible to listen to it at one volume level in most venues. Parts of the music are inaudible unless the volume is turned way up and then the sections of fortissimo are bound to disturb the neighbors three doors down, unless one is listening alone in a sound proof room. In fact the climactic moments cause distortion on my ipod nano headphones, even when at a volume level of only 75%. While it may be technologically feasible to produce a range of this level, I question the benefit it has to humans. Maybe if I let my dog use my ipod or play this soundtrack underwater for a whale, they'll be able to fully appreciate the full spectrum of the experience. Finally, the album is too short. For a full length feature film you would think they could have put together more for us but maybe there was a lot of looping in the movie that would have made much of the content on the CD redundant.
It's a good buy though, given its faults, for any fan of the series.
Music Review: Not your usual soundtrack
Rating: 5 Stars
Admittedly, this is the first time I've heard of Klaus Bedalt, and therefore was a little unsure on what the music would be lilke.Listening to the tracks, I was suitably impressed. Not only has he captured the spirit of the movie, he has also steered clear of the stereotypical sounds associated with pirate movies in general (eg, pipe music, etc).
A little too short for my liking, the music takes you instantly back to the movie, highlighting the scenes they came from with distinct sounds. For example, in track 2, 'The Medallion Calls', there is definately a military undertone which takes you back to the the English-governed port and all its formality.
Track 5 'Swords Crossed', you can nearly experience the daring sword-fight between Jack and Will. And in track 7, 'Barbosa is Hungry', there is a dark undertone, illuminated once by the haunting call of a flute and accompanied by a humble male chorus. You can nearly experience the panic Elizabeth felt when confronted by the skeletal crew, and yet later on feel the wind in your hair as your ship cruises towards the horizon.
Littered throughout the CD is the constant theme which embraces the swashbuckling nature of the film, altered at times to accent the mood and setting brought about by the scene from whence it was set.
A thoroughly good listen, and an excellent soundtrack that will keep you constantly humming the main theme for days
Music Review: Don't be silly, this is awful!
Rating: 1 Stars
Come on, people--A film can only be carried so far on 'star' power before we eventually have to come to grips with the fact that it really was an AWFUL MOVIE, and the soundtrack was even worse. Klaus Badelt himself only worked on the thing for thirty days, and it shows! There's nothing 17th-century about it whatsoever--Everything is completely synthesized and cheaply (and hurriedly) made, with no orchestral backing and no thematic pirate elements at all, which all amounts to a soundtrack completely out of place for the genre of the movie it's supposed to be supporting. There's not even any original melody in the music--It's all just cues from The Rock, Gladiator, and Disney World's own silly pirate ride! Anyone who owns the soundtracks from Zimmer's other movies should easily be able to tell where they've just been cut and sewn together to form this grating mess of synthesized drums and cellos. I honestly can't fathom why Amazon.com's readers are giving it such good reviews, except maybe that they just want to support Johnny Depp--but Filmtracks.com gave it one star out of five (their average user rating is 2.75 stars) and after comparing it with John Debney's magnificent score for Cutthroat Island, often considered the greatest soundtrack in the history of film, I completely agree with the professionals. To the bottom with this wreck!