Soldier


Colosseum (4005939598525)
Varèse Sarabande (0030206598520)
Movie | Released: 1998 | Film release: 1998 | Format: CD
 

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# Track   Duration
1.New Soldier Vs. Old Soldiers2:56
2.The Chain Fight2:29
3.Welcome To Hell2:44
4.Todd is Exiled3:05
5.Soldier Ships Arrive4:58
6.One Against Many4:11
7.The Final Battle6:20
8.Redemption2:10
 28:52
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Soldier - 08/10 - Review of Tom Daish, submitted at (English)
Joel McNeely has had the misfortune to compose some music for some quite notable failures this year, perhaps the most high profile being the shambles that was The Avengers. This Kurt Russell sci-fi action film was also a dismal failure and disappeared without trace extremely quickly. Fortunately, Varese rescued McNeely's score from the same fate and assembled a selection of highlights. To be honest this album sounds the least like a McNeely score I've ever heard, despite attempting to listen extremely carefully for McNeely-isms, there isn't really much. Of course being an action score, the most obvious source of comparison would be Jerry Goldsmith. I would suggest that this is perhaps the sort of action score Goldsmith should be producing every time, since he's more than capable, but with a list of recent duds including Executive Decision, US Marshals, Deep Rising and others it is refreshing that Goldsmith was given a break and let someone else compose some music for a cruddy third rate action flick. McNeely wouldn't be the obvious choice I must admit, his style is usually extremely buoyant whereas Soldier is hard edged in the extreme. It would be better compared with Aliens or perhaps the most brutal of Goldsmith's action scores.

What does separate McNeely's effort is in the unusual orchestration in which he has employed three groups of trumpets, one on either side and one set in a middle. These bounce off each other in several of the tracks, most notably in The Chain Fight. I admit that they threaten to become annoying, since the trumpets are playing in the higher register and are also muted, which gives a shrill sound. Although it's not something I've heard specifically, it's just the kind of unusual orchestral effect that Bernard Herrmann would employ. The use of the stereo image with the trumpets moving across the orchestra also threatens to irritate, but is tolerable.

There is no main theme as such, it is more an assemblage of motifs and orchestral effects which mean that it still has unity despite not exactly having anything that you can go away humming. One motif sounds much like Horner's Klingon theme from Star Trek 3, but makes more sense when you consider that it was also used in Horner's similarly brutal and loud Aliens score. This motif doesn't occur very often, but as it is usually played on booming horns or trombones it makes a refreshing counterpoint to the harsh trumpet effects. There are some subliminal synth effects, but they remain firmly in the background and the orchestra is always on top. Most of the cues have at least a little action in them, but most have a lot and it is always cohesive and extremely exciting, but never does the full orchestra drown the listener in over-orchestration nor in repeating synth passages. The final track does offer some relief (in the manner that any self-respecting Goldsmith action score) and after all the harshness of the previous thirty minutes, lets you unwind a little.

I must admit that my liking for this score varies a little with repeated listenings, but when in the right mood, it is an extremely loud and enjoyable effort. I know that some will be put off by the weird orchestral effects, but I'm just glad that some film composers are innovating (even if they are attempting to ape someone else, in this case Herrmann). Goldsmith fans will probably enjoy it, I guess you could say it's the best straight action score that Goldsmith never wrote in 1998 really. At thirty minutes, the length is about right, any more and you'd go deaf. The recording by Shawn Murphy is noticeably clear and the full force of the orchestra will annoy the neighbours if played loud enough.

Other releases of Soldier (1998):

Star Force Soldier (1998)
Soldier (1999)


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