Customer Reviews

Judge Dredd: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The review you are about to read (at least I hope you do) is of the score by Alan Silvestri, not the songs that start off the soundtrack. The songs get a 0 rating and the score gets 5 stars. The score is full of power and orchestral might, Wagnerian style, courtesy of The Sinfonia of London's awesome brass section which delivers on every cue. The theme is a 5 note brass motif that is present throughout almost every track of score. The two best tracks are "Block War" and "Council Chaos" which contain bombastic fanfares and pulsating action music, with driving sixteenth note rhythms from the trumpet section on "Council Chaos". A powerful chorus helps deliver the mighty theme in "Judgment Day". The only cue that doesn't quite stand out like the others is "Angel Family" which contains eerie synth lines that refrain from the orchestral tour-de-force present in the other tracks. The percussion work is also something to mention as it is a great support to the brass and it is never overdone. When you get this soundtrack, which I really recommend, start it at track 6 and skip the first 5 (unless you like those particular songs of course). An explosive masterpiece that demands repeated playings.

The first half --rock tracks-- didn't do much for me. The second half, tracks 6-12, are Silvestri at his gloriously bombastic best. The Judge _lives_ in this music and it may be "Wagnerian" but is that a bad thing? I thought not.

A few minor comments on the Silvestri tracks:

-very wide dynamic range. If you want to catch the subtleties, and there are subtleties, you'll need to either listen with headphones or turn the volume _way_ up. It'll fill the room if you let it, and send shivers up your spine in the process. :)

-painfully brief. Just when you're getting into it, it's over. :(

Alan Silvestri is best known for the scores to the Predator films and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. But in Judge Dredd he authors his best score yet.

Skip over the insipid rock numbers that constitute the album's first five tracks and plunge straight into the musical world of Mega City. The Judge Dredd Main Theme opens with near-imperceptibility, then swells to the sudden shock of its introduction to the city. It captures both forboding, celebration, and fear.

Block War is musical bombast at its best, capturing the spirit of the last word in law enforcement.

Judgement Day is a superlative mix of terror and peace, capturing the wrongful conviction of Dredd and the terrifying reality of the Long Walk.

We Created You uses subtlety to capture Dredd's realization that he is not what he has always believed himself to be, ending with a stirring cue as he sees the Statue of Liberty.

Council Chaos is an adrenaline rush, soaring through the air as Dredd and Fergie fly the Lawmaster to escape Judge Griffin's Hunters.

Angel Family is the Predator theme redux, using the whines and soft shrieks used to such tremendous effect in the Predator films.

New World closes out the film and the score as Dredd, Judge Hershey, and Fergie find Rico's lab, creating a terrifying new world. Subtlety, chaos, and hope permeate this nine minute piece using a variety of note intervals and so forth, ending with the Dredd Theme signaling hope for the future.

Silvestri captures it all to magnificent effect.

"Judge Dredd"s infamy as one of Sylvester Stallone's worse flicks is not unheard of, however deep inside it's cinematic mess lies a fantastic score by the great Alan Silvestri, it's a very fine piece of work that frankly was deserving of a much better movie. Underrated for sure, not a masterpiece but definitely the best thing that ever came out of this movie

The main attraction here is Alan Silvestri's majestic score, but The Cure and Cocteau Twins make strong contributions as well, leaving White Zombie's unlistenable track the only debit.

Pretty decent overall, especially for a soundtrack- but Anthrax's "I am the law" off of the excellent Among the Living would have been a PERFECT fit... yeah yeah, I know these are record companies, so everything is always unduly difficult, but even so- the song is damn good, and would add the much needed punch that this disc lacks. It was written in 1986 and based on the comic book series- like the movie, of course.