And so the tenth input of the Star Trek film series has arrived on the big screen, for the fifth time accompanied by a Jerry Goldsmith score. Unfortunately, this fifth one fails to reach the same high level as the previous ones, making it Goldsmith’s weakest input to the series. Furthermore, the score offers some noticeable changes from the previous scores, first and foremost being exceptionally darker.
This stands clear from the very beginning (“Remus”), when the score opens quietly with a synthesiser and a trumpet, which later leads into the familiar Alexander Courage fanfare, although not in the ordinary soft arrangement, but a more powerful, right-on version. This then launches directly (and very suddenly) into the new theme of the score, a harsh theme for Captain Picard’s Romulan nemesis. This theme is more of a pure action theme than really a main theme, and it is featured in many different guises in the score, often performed by low brass.
And that is actually the problem with this score. The themes. Or, rather, the absence of themes. Other than this bombastic action theme there are no other new themes. The score is instead mainly based upon this single theme, and, positively enough, pieces of earlier Star Trek scores, like the main theme from Star Trek: First Contact, and some bars from the “Enterprise” cue from the Star Trek: The Motion Picture score. But for the most part there is only thundering, low action music. And while the backside of this score is the relatively weak main theme, the good part of this score is also related to the main theme – namely its action character. Because even if the theme is not very memorable as a standalone theme, it surely makes for some good action music! The cues are flowing with high strings and low brass, all the time driven by percussion (most notably snare drum) and synths. Instead of being all too loud, and hardly listenable, this is engaging, thematic action music, that never becomes boring. It is nice to feel that the action music is connected, revolving around a specific theme. If you are looking for good action music, and nothing more, Star Trek: Nemesis will not disappoint you.
Sometimes, though, the score gets out of hand, when Goldsmith unleashes too much of his synths, making it all sound like a computer game gone mad, or when he winds down the music to nothing but whispers. But these kind of “disturbances” luckily do not occur too often, and soon the ordinary fast pace and thrills has returned. When the main theme glistens in strings or brass, like in the end of “Odds and Ends” or in “Lateral Run”, the score is at its best, and features action music that is better than much of Goldsmith’s earlier works of that type.
But that is not enough for a great score. It’s enough for a GOOD score, but not for a GREAT score - hence the three stars. Even if the interludes to all this action with the theme from First Contact are welcome breaks (“My Right Arm”, “Repairs”), they offer little new material. The theme has been slightly altered, though, but it offers little more to the listening than just breaks. The first of these, “My Right Arm” is rather good though, with the First Contact theme performed by solo oboe. Furthermore, when the action music features the main theme, it is, as said, great, but between the performances of that the music is often rather dull and unfortunately uninteresting.
The score closes with an ordinary end credits suite, “A New Ending”, opening by a quote from Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” which then leads into the usual Goldsmith Star Trek end credits, framing a performance of the main theme, this time played like it has never been played before - displayed in a full-bodied sweeping statement. With that the score comes full circle, despite its lacking in other fields. In the end we get a score that is definitely worth hearing, but I would not recommend it to others than fans of either brassy, dark action music or of Jerry Goldsmith. A new score from a master, worth hearing, but nothing to search the globe for.