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Reviews
Filmmusicsite.com editor score: 8/10
Review of Andreas Lindahl, submitted at 2008-01-20 21:25:40, score: 10/10
Considered by many to be one of James Horner's best and most entertaining scores, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan from 1982 was Horner's first big budget gig. Originally, the studio wanted to go with a synthesized score, mostly for budget related reasons, but director Nicholas Meyer managed to convince the suits that perhaps an orchestral score, with a strong swashbuckling sound, was a better idea, after all. "But let's hire a composer that won't cost us a fortune, ok?" Enter unknown composer James Horner, who got the chance of a lifetime, and nailed it. The score for Star Trek II was Horner's ticket to the film music Hall of Fame and one of the most important in his career.
Quite different from Jerry Goldsmith's score for the first Star Trek movie, apart from the subtle use of the Blaster Beam in some of the action cues, Star Trek II is one of the composer's most busy and energetic scores. Horner's 80's action music is more rough around the edges than his action music from the 90's and more recent efforts. And Star Trek II contains its fair share of unpolished, raw and brutal action music, bustling with ideas and effects first heard in scores such as Battle Beyond the Stars. Cues such as "Surprise Attack" and "Battle in the Mutara Nebula" are some of the most impressive and entertaining action cues Horner has ever written.
Compared to Goldsmith's main theme for the first film, Horner's dito isn't perhaps as memorable, although it does what it is supposed to do, creating a very nautical feeling and sound, and actually works better when it appears in the actual score, than in the "Main Title." Also worth noting is that Star Trek II includes the first ever appearance of Horner's now infamous, and incredibly overused, four note danger motif.
And be sure not to miss Horner's screen appearance, as an Enterprise crew member, in the actual film.
Read other recent reviews by Andreas Lindahl: The Rock, The Phantom of the Opera, Peter Pan
Tracks
1. Main Title (3:03)
2. Surprise Attack (5:06)
3. Spock (1:10)
4. Kirk's Explosive Reply (4:02)
5. Khan's Pets (4:18)
6. Enterprise Clears Moorings (3:22)
7. Battle in the Mutara Nebula (8:08)
8. Genesis Countdown (6:36)
9. Epilogue/End Title (8:40)
Total duration: 44 minutes
Suggestions
Soundtracks from the collection: Star Trek
         
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(9.00/10)
