Customer Reviews

The Matrix: Original Motion Picture Score

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Don Davis's score to "The Matrix" is fantastic -- a modern, challenging, exciting work that's reminiscent of the work of Elliot Goldenthal ("Demolition Man" and "Interview With A Vampire" come to mind), and John Adams ("Harmonielehre," especially the horn clusters.) If you're not afraid of some modern orchestral dissonance, then it's a dynamite listen.

(FYI... Yes, the CD is short, but bear in mind that the 30-minute length is caused largely by the high score re-use rates charged by the American Federation of Musicians. For film scores recorded in the U.S. by union orchestras, you have to buy music in 15-minute blocks, and pay each member of the orchestra a specific rate, per block of music. For big, U.S.-recorded scores, it adds up quickly, and unless the score is "Titanic" or "Star Wars," it's difficult for record companies to recoup their costs, since there aren't that many hard-core film music collectors in the world. Just be thankful that the CD is a nice representation of the score as heard in the film. If you couple it with Tracks 2, 4, 6 and 13 from "The Matrix" song album, and the Enigma track used in the trailer, you have a solid representation of the music from the film.)

Love it or hate it, Don Davis' rousing score for the 1999 megahit "The Matrix" definitely makes a statement, as well as raises the standard by which other scores in this genre will henceforth be judged. Utilizing the so-called "minimalist" technique, Davis has created a nearly perfect musical landscape for the film, managing to run the full gamut from all-out action music to soft, almost haunting, passages, his seeming fondness for the occasional use of blaring, dischordant instruments providing a fitting musical expression of the strange and nightmarish realities of the Matrix. The only real complaint I have about the score album is its length (30 minutes of music from a 2-hour movie?), plus the fact that several of the better cues are conspicuously absent. Indeed, the overall presentation of this CD suggests that it was a largely obligatory release, which is unfortunate considering what a remarkable score this is. Hopefully Warner Bros. will consider a more comprehensive release in the future. Bottom line: if you can get this CD at a price befitting its 30-minute length, it'll make a solid - if somewhat incomplete - addition to your collection.

This is a great CD Score.. Ignore all the other idiots that purchased the wrong cd, and wrote a bad rating because of their mistake. This is a very intense CD containing GREAT tracks. The composer did a splended job at creating the music masterpiece that was part of the thrill of The Matrix! I would recommend to anyone!

Great movie, great soundtrack, and great score - too bad this album is only 30 minutes long! A little overpriced for the amount of music.

I'll try to describe what each track consists of relative to the film, so that readers can judge for themselves how interested they are in this CD. The original score is very instrumental, and when human voices are included, they aren't singing in words; if the song you're interested in has lyrics, check the 'Music from the Matrix' CD rather than this one.

The tracks are provided in the order in which they occur in the film.

"Main Title/Trinity Infinity" - The opening title sequence and pursuit, beginning where the WB logo fades in. The initial telephone dialing FX are omitted (pity, that).

The song Neo's listening to during the fade-in on his first scene, Dissolved Girl, isn't part of the original score, so it's buried somewhere on the other CD.

"Unable to Speak" - Covers the first "Mr. Anderson" interrogation sequence.

"The Power Plant" - This begins exactly at the point where Neo wakes up in the Power Plant, and ends with the Nebuchadnezzar pickup. The music from the preceding scene - the flute-dominated, 'steeple-chasing' sequence as the team races against the effect of the red pill, with the cool mirror effect - is not included here.

"Welcome to the Real World" - Begins where "The Power Plant" left off. This quiet track features strings and a vocal solo, and ends at the point where Neo's treatment is complete and he first touches the spinal jack.

"The Hotel Ambush" - In the film, this begins with a brief drum solo at the point where Mouse is checking out the Woman in Red poster, waiting for the rest of the team to return. It continues through the walls, and into the ensuing battle.

"Exit Mr. Hat" - Picks up where "The Hotel Ambush" left off, covering the ensuing close encounter with Agent Smith.

"A Virus" - Covers the Morpheus interrogation sequence, beginning with Agent Smith's personal revelation on the nature of humanity, and continuing through the lots-of-guns scene.

"Bullet-time" - Does NOT include the lobby scene's music or that of the elevator afterward, but begins with the chopper pilot's announcement of the attack and ends with the scene giving the track its name.

"Ontological Shock" - Corresponds to the sequence beginning with the breaking of chains, and ending with the shattering of mirror-glass.

"Anything Is Possible" - The climactic confrontation, ending as Neo hangs up at the end of the final phone call. (The end title sequence immediately following is NOT part of the original score; check 'Wake Up' on the 'Music from the Matrix' CD.) Lots of soaring vocals and brass with staccato flute overlay at the high points of the scene.

I'd buy if it was longer. I'd buy it if it had the music from the scene were Neo and Morpheus fight - part of that music is on the soundtrack, but its missing the most exciting part of the scene.

The soundtrack is fun, and the score is nice. This is a nice little representation of the score that brings the movie feel to you. Its enjoyable, yet not quite the bang that I was looking for.

The tracks on this album are treading and depicturing the movie to such an extent that it enables you to actually see and live the scenes from the Matrix getting a better and deeper understanding of the ideas and problems that this movie poses.Inspirational

I find it hard to believe that many of the tracks on the CD are shorter, or different from the ones in the movie. And that there are only about 35 minutes of music on the CD. And the fact that not all of the best music from the score is included, such as the ethnic percussion intro to the karate training scene. However, what little music is included on this CD is good, but if you really liked the music, the best thing to do would be to get the DVD and record from the music only track available in the bonus features.

Very good score. A little short, but still worth listening to. The "twilight of the gods" music that everyone refers to for the main theatrical trailer for the Matrix is the song The Eyes of Truth on Enigma's The Cross of Changes album.

More of a sound-world than a tune-filled score, the soundtrack pulses and swarms like a living character. And a not always nice character! It's a real departure for fans of STAR WARS who might want a cheery march. This score is a layer of ambience for a twisted, busy metropolis that has folded in on itself. Aw heck, just take a listen to the samples.

There are a number of people complaining about the half-hour length and the fact that Varese did not spend the money to put more music on the CD. Heaven knows if there will ever be a more extensive CD, but one can listen to an isolated score (with the composer talking between tracks about how he scored the movie) in THE MATRIX DVD.

Considering the brazen marketing of this movie (One of the Oscar winners yelled out from the Academy Awards podium to check THE MATRIX Web site), one lives in hope that along with THE MATRIX 2 and THE MATRIX 3, a complete CD of the score will appear.