Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Horner's "Zorro" Sequel Scores a Huge Success, October 26, 2005
Scoring a sequel film is something of a thankless task, especially when you wrote the original score and it was acclaimed as a solid effort. James Horner certainly did fine work with "The Mask of Zorro" and if anything he has surpassed himself with "The Legend of Zorro." True, he has taken advantage of numerous themes and motifs from the original, but he has also added a great deal of new material for this outstanding production. It should also be noted that writing effective music for a swashbuckler is dangerous duty given the legacy of Erich Wolfgang Korgold, Max Steiner, and Alfred Newman (who also worked with the Zorro mystic). Horner joins that esteemed company with his two Zorro scores. His music is perfectly suited to scenes with foil (or sabre). This is a lengthy (over 75 minutes) soundtrack that surprises in many places, and never drags a bit. An able production by Sony with adequate packaging.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Fun!, November 23, 2005
"The Legend of Zorro"
The movie comes at an unusual time, seven years after it's predecessor. Why one only has to wonder what took them so long to get around to it, it's provided us with a new James Horner score at the very least. The first score was one of his best action scores... fun, inventive, and with excellent themes. Everyone raved about Horner's creativity, how much different it was from the rest of his work. He's now returned for a sequel (he doesn't do many of those, he's only scored sequels for "An American Tail", "Cocoon", "48 Hrs" and "Star Trek") to "Zorro" and like his other sequel scores ("An American Tail 2" excepted), it's quite similar to the first one. The opening track, "Collecting the Ballots" begins with the same hard guitar strum as the first, and the notes of clapping that follow are identical to the original score as well... fortunately, it's not a complete repeat after that. The same themes are utilized throughout the score, there's no significant new ones (aside from a "false love theme", you'll understand when you see the movie), but Horner uses them in different enough ways to make this score interesting. The instrumentation is the same (clapping hands, stomping feet, tambourines, guitars, ethnic pipes, and blaring horns) but the rhythms and paces are different.
The overall feel of the score is slightly more playful than the original, but it never feels cartoonish. It's simply more fun and less threatening than the original score. Whether this is a pro or con I will leave up to you. The love theme is used more often than the main theme this time around, and it's featured in stunning arrangements several times, but the focus of this score is action music. The action is a lot of fun, and if you enjoyed the first score, you will likely enjoy this one as well. The album is refreshingly free of Horner's cliches while simultaneously sounding like a Horner score... mostly. The highlight track of the album, and there are a few to choose from, is probably "The Train". The longest cue, it's a nearly non-stop action piece that is superbly exciting and epic in structure. Near the end, though, it seems that Horner got so creative he actually jumps out of his own musical borders and seems to be channeling John Williams in "Revenge of the Sith" mode, without ever directly stealing from him. Fascinating. Another bonus is that we have no annoying pop song here, rather, we get an end credits suite (My Family is My Life) that goes back and forth between the main theme and the love theme in various forms. As you probably have noticed, Horner likes to end his scores on a quiet note... his end credits tend to finish the themes, and then fade off into oblivion with quiet, gentle, wandering strings or flutes. Not here. In a bold move not heard since the likes of "Star Trek" or "The Rocketeer" (some might include "Ransom"), Horner brings his score to a close with a mighty brass trill, finishing off his action adventure with a bang. Cool!
Okay, I'll stop raving and make my obligatory complaints. The score is only prevented from reaching a five-star level due to it's derivative nature. There are no new themes here of note, and a novice might have a hard time telling it from the original. But on it's own, it's excellent, and unlike John William's second "Harry Potter" score, this is a score that doesn't pale in comparison to the original. It may not have quite as many highlights as the original score, but it's a more consistently well-written and quality listen. Plus the end credits suite is far more satisfying than that silly song. I've heard better scores this year in "Kingdom of Heaven", "Hostage", "Star Wars", "The Greatest Game Ever Played", "Corpse Bride", "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", and others, but few of them have been as much pure orchestral fun as "The Legend of Zorro." Recommended.
Rating: ****
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful, A Total Continuity, November 22, 2005
A Kid's Review
What a great work. When i first listened to the soundtrack, i taught that i was mistaken. The first track begins with the same thrilling guitar and flamenco beats as "The Mask of Zorro" but James Horner went even further with this soundtrack, composing a score in total continuity with the previous Zorro. Same entertainment, same joy everytime you listen to it. A great score that somehow brings us 7 years ago, where "The Mask..." let us. The same themes are back with a new touch of the Maestro, unforgettable. His name is Horner. James,Horner. Thank You.
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