With every great composer in hollywood, there are many underutilized ones. The best example of these is Bruce Broughton, an extroardinarily diverse composer who definitely knows how to piece together a broad score while sticking to the themes he created. With the 1998 film Lost In Space, he pulled off a space adventure score that definitely is as good as any Broughton fan could hope. When the film was released two albums followed it. One was a typical studio album, full of typical songs and only a small portion of score. The second was a score album containing most, if not all, of Broughton's work. Surprisingly, some of the music in the score album differed from the music used in the songs album. (this could be due to the fact Bruce had to re-write much of his score when numerous scenes were altered) Otherwise, it still sounds great.
The score opens up with "Prologue", an airy piece that feels more like it could fit in the background. Surprisingly, this track doesn't appear in the film itself. Finally, Broughton introduces two of his themes in "Preparing for Space". He creates the main theme, a gentle melody with hints of western in it. He also introduces Smith's theme, a fairly dark motif that reflects the character in which it is based off of. In "The Launch", Broughton reprises Smith's theme briefly and gradually builds up the score with a new variation of the main theme. It really will give the listener a feeling like they are launching into space along with the Robinson family. "Robot Attack" and "Into THe Sun" really shows how well Broughton can create action/tension without indulging into darker material. He manages to re-use all of his themes and incorporate newer themes into it all. Following the action is actually the longest cue in the score. Running at 10 minutes is "Spiders". The first half is done to work as more of a background melody, much like prologue. Creepy chords take up the background and create a great sense of uneasiness. Suddenly, the score bursts back into the action while building on with more brass sections that work as Bruce Broughton's own light touch. The track is finally completed with a slight return to the main theme.
While the score itself isn't grouped into sections, it sure feels like it. Starting in "A New World", Broughton introduces a third theme. The strange use of a choral element while incorporating small melodies proves to be very effective. "Guiding Stars" marks a return to the main theme as a lighter, touching cue. The following four cues also revisit Smith's theme and the odd motif used in "A New World." "Spider Smith" also revisits Smith's theme, however, it is twisted until it feels genuinely creepy and messed up. "Facing The Monster" re-builds the entire score by incorporating all of the themes together for one long cue. "Attempted Escape" and "The Time Portal" revisit the main theme once again. Controversially, the next track "Through The Planet" is nothing like the version featured on song album. "Through The Planet" feels way too copy/paste for my tastes. While incorporating a few themes, the track suddenly switches to an action cue which is exactly like the one featured in "Robot Attack". The transition isn't well done and the entire cue suffers. Fortunately, "Back To Hyperspace" redeems the score with a new motif that builds up and basically finishes the album. Surprisingly, there are still two tracks left on the album. The first, "Fanfare For Will", is a short cue that adds nothing to the score. To be honest, I don't even think it was in the film. The second track is "Lost in Space". It is basically an expanded version of the "Thru The Planet" cue that was featured on the song album.
With his film credentials being very good, it is a shame that Bruce Broughton hasn't had any major projects that his talent deserves. Fortunately, he has numerous scores that reflect just how much of a genius he really is. The entire score album is worth buying if you want to hear a trued and true space adventure score. While some parts could be better I am highly impressed with Bruce's work and hope to see him revisit the Lost in Space universe. One more thing, for those of you fans of John William's theme to the old series, you will be sorely disappointed to see that it doesn't re-appear in this score. Apollo 44 has, however, created their own version and have featured it on the songs album. Anyone who wants that theme can check out that album instead.