Tropic Thunder (Tropic Thunder)

With 2008's truck-load of top-notch, highly acclaimed films came a surprisingly well made action comedy named Tropic Thunder. The film not only brought an all-star cast (including a balding, foul-mouthed, breakdancing Tom Cruise) but also brought a score that served as one large parady of action/war film scores. Helming this was Theodore Shapiro, a composer I will admit I hadn't heard of before, so this was an interesting listen.

When I say "action score parody" I am not joking. Shapiro opens the score with "You're My Brother" which pokes fun at the melancholy sequences of war films which involve heavy vocals and an even heavier score. The track is funnily emotional and builds up on the drama. With "Four Leaf's Plan" we are introduced to a darker theme that plays subtlety with slightly forced ambience. "Lead Farmer" is, impressively, the highlight of the album. Many score fans may not be happy with Shapiro's use of a heavy rock metal style action theme but it surprisingly works well. Unfortunately, this is probably one of the only interesting action cues on the album. The following three tracks use similar styles and even introduce some ethnic motifs that play with the surroundings but cause the cues to drag on. Shapiro immediately returns to some darker, ambience style cues as he follows up with the two "Panda" cues as well as "Golden Triangle" and "Night At The Theater". "Don't Judge Me" leans more towards the action of the album and yanks out even more heavy guitar style beats that carry it along. The following seven tracks can be grouped into one category as each builds onto the action themes and puts it full blast. "Real Tears" is almost a carbon copy of "You're My Brother" as it builds on the drama. Unlike the first cue, however, this builds on more heroic and action motifs that serve as a true finish to the score. Funnily enough, Shapiro goes even farther in the score to parody award show themes and movie trailers. "Simpe Jack" is lighthearted little cue that is meant to invoke a feeling of warmth and happiness. "Satan's Alley" is a more dramatic cue that plays on emotions. "Cue Bill Conti" represents that sweeping, Oscars melody that you would actually expect to hear while performers walked on-stage.

Considering this to be my first Theodore Shapiro score, I was pleasantly surprised with it. It really servves it's purpose of a action score parody and definitely knows to throw in some fun cliches. That being said, I do have some complaints. First, Shapiro tends to drift off with some cues that sound more like noise than music. There is no true theme either, leading to some confusion. The CD's running time (40 minutes worth) feels far too short to have any true appeal, which might ultimately turn some people off of it. Otherwise, Theodore Shapiro does a great job with parodying action scores whilde keeping more than enough variety to please any listener. I will make sure to check out more of his works in the future.