Customer Reviews

Mission: Impossible (Music From The Original Motion Picture Score)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The 1996 film "Mission: Impossible" is, with the exception of a convoluted plot, far-and-away superior in every respect to it's 2000 sequel. This is due in no small part to Danny Elfman's contribution (compared to the drivel that Hans Zimmer wrote for M:I 2 - and I LIKE Zimmer!). This is one of the first scores in which one begins to hear Danny Elfman in his truly mature style. The entire score is built on a small amount of musical motives or cells from which Elfman develops a seemingly endless amount of musical material that makes this score interesting from both an "I-work-well-for-the-film-I-was-written" film perspective and a composition perspective (I'm a composer, of course I pay attention to these things, too!).

The CD is a first-rate listen and is full of wonderful orchestral/electronic colors (a hallmark of the Elfman technique). Every track is wonderful and the CD never gets old. It is dense and complex and isn't overly melodic. That's not necessarily Elfman's style, though. He'll take a cell of 4 or 5 notes and string them together in different ways to work out his material. Also, what I found so wonderful about both the score in the film and the album is Elfman's decision (probably not entirely his) to limit the usage of Lalo Schifrin's original theme. I think that this lent the film a sense of "we're not trying to rely too heavily on our predecessor" atmosphere and it paid off wonderfully. For much of the score Elfman chooses to rely on his own ideas and several cues where certain bits of music from "The Plot" from the original TV series show up (although not much). That being said there are several standouts on the album. "Sleeping Beauty" starts off with a nice nod to Schifrin's music for the TV series with clipped militaristic percussion. "Red Handed" is simultaneously moody and urgent with a wonderful version of Schifrin's theme interpolated nicely rather than just going for the jugular and quoting it directly (this score is more subtle than that). "Mole Hunt" is a tension-wrought suspense cue in which Hunt and Kittridge begin their game of cat-and-mouse. "Betrayal" is without a doubt the most haunting and beautiful cue on the album with orchestra, women's chorus, and an electric bass providing an insistent, repetitive pattern - a truly beautiful sound. "Train Time", "Menage a Trois", "Zoom A", and "Zoom B" constitute the energetic climax of the film with some great, if bombastic, action writing. "Zoom B" is where Elfman finally let's it all hang out with his version of the "Mission: Impossible Theme". Overall it captures perfectly the sense of the original series and the genre of the '60s spy-thriller in general.

I've had this CD in my collection ever since it came out shortly after the film and I still make time to listen to it on a regular basis. Every time I listen to it I just sit there and, when it's finished playing, wonder where the last 53 minutes went. It always leaves me wanting to hear more. It may take some time to develop a sense of just how complex and dense and wonderfully creative this score is. However, the time spent appreciating it will be time well spent. This score is truly a masterpiece of Elfman's oeuvre.

The ever dependable Danny Elfman took over scoring roles after Alan Silvestri's score was rejected by director Brian De Palma. Here, Elfman provides all the tools necessary for a great action/suspense score. Lalo Schifrin's famous Mission Impossible theme is present only 3 times in this score. It is presented in full in "Mission: Impossible Theme", subtly quoted in "Red Handed", and heard in full at the end of "Zoom B". Replacing the famous Mission Impossible theme is Elfman's own suspense/thriller theme that is used in several, if not almost every track. While not as good as Schifrin's theme, Elfman's theme is still good in that it captures the twists and turns of the film's plot. An interesting and unique thing about this score is that all of Elfman's creative orchestrations can be heard. The music is mainly percussive in nature with strings and brass. "Sleeping Beauty" opens the score with a thrilling percussion solo, which leads to Elfman's main theme. "Red Handed" contains flutes that sound like a cuckoo clock (listen to see what i'm talking about before you decide that i'm crazy). "Big Trouble" is a great action cue with chasing strings and plenty of percussion. Elfman saves the real action music till the end. "Train Time" is an explosive brass filled action cue with a 4 note motif played really loud. "Zoom B" is the best action cue by far with plenty of knockout action music that leads into an explosion of Elfman's main theme on brass, which then leads to Schifrin's legendary theme that closes off the album. All in all, a terrific score, which although largely underuses the legendary Mission Impossible theme, still stands as a solid original work. A solid recommendation.

This score is great. Danny Elfman makes ingenious use of Lalo Schifrin's original theme as well as the music from "The Plot." With regards to the latter, it's a short motif that Elfman expanded into a very sharp and exciting motif in tracks 1, 3, 9, 11, and 15. The percussion cadence that opens the score is great. Throughout the score, Elfman really gets into a groove, making liberal use of electronic percussion as part of his musical palette. I especially enjoyed the tension filled caper music in track 3. There are some pretty dark and edgy moments in the score, particularly tracks 4, 6, and 10. Track 6 is great for the way Elfman builds up the tension and conveys Ethan Hunt's growing anger and resolve to act. Track 10 is outstanding, with a haunting choir and a throbbing electronic bass line.. very chilling. Elfman also gives some hints of romance in tracks 5 and 16. Track 15 has a very Bernard Herrmann-like opening... a thunderous brass motif that gives way to some really slick suspense writing and a clever use of the MI theme. Finally, the last two tracks are pure Elfman "bombastic action music mode." Overall this is a great score that has everything an Elfman fan can enjoy.

Who would have thought that Danny Elfman and Mission: Impossible would be an excellent mix? It's always nice to hear Elfman creating many diverse compositions. Here, instead of typical Christmas choir-filled music, we get some thrilling spy music. Not only do you get the usual Mission: Impossible theme here on this CD, you also get some Elfman's more unique compositions. From the depressing "Betrayal" to the intense "Big Trouble," to the Slavic-like "Love Theme?," this is good stuff right here. Probably the most energetic pieces here are "Zoom A" and "Zoom B." These are featured in the last ten minutes of the film, and these are downright wild. Another particular track is "Mole Hunt." The tension that builds up until the end can basically give anyone goosebumps. And finally, we get "Betrayal". This is one sad but powerful orchestral/choral piece that really fits in one particular scene in the movie. I do wish these tracks were put in order and not put all over the place, but this is still a great soundtrack from a master of film music, Danny Elfman. This gets an A from me.

I listen to this album almost every day. It takes you back through the very cool movie and is very suspenseful. There isn't a bad track on there. A great addition to anyone's library. Oh, and there is a lot more than just the Theme song.

I can't say enough about this soundtrack; sure, the Mission : Impossible theme only exists in 2 tracks of this 18 track, 52 minute CD, but the lack of it is fully compensated by everything else. This film score is an entertaining blend of excitement and craftiness, complete with a primary mood (in perfect sync with the movie) pursued in every track. I rate this as one of my favorites. As someone who's not very familiar with the original TV series, I enjoyed every minute of this soundtrack. The instrumental music is astounding - you''ll certainly be as impressed as I was.

The movie itself was confusing, but Danny Elfman provided a great score for the film. This was merely a prelude to the best "Mission: Impossible" movie yet (don't even get me started on "Mission: Impossible III"), and the even better score, provided by the wonderful Mr. Hans Zimmer. "This mission, should you choose to accept it..."

mission impossible is a awesome soundtrack a classic the best of the best danny elfman is a god buy it you wont be sorry

This CD has probably when of the most intense action sequences I've ever heard before. The nostalgic feel of the music is present and very much fits the film. Some of the slower peices are very haunting and majestic and are a must for any amateur scorers library. Some of the instruments used (such as the strum sound of piano strings) are used throughout the film and they add a simple textures to it which expresses subtle mishaps in the story. The military feel of the scores is also apparent and because of its modern/nostalgic genre, you'd wanna crank' it up and hear it LOUD! The complexity of the scores is mind boggling and the themes he creates are very fun to listen to and is great if you just like to get goose-bumps and create chicken skin. No other composer would have done it better. (Maybe with the exception of Lalo Schifrin himself) EXCELLENT!

This is a soundtrack I play frequently. It is excellent, complex music with a lot of feeling.