Customer Reviews

Red Planet (2000 Film)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Strangely enough, I'd actually picked up the "Red Planet" soundtrack years before renting the movie (after seeing the movie, I still prefer the soundtrack as a standalone). The reason for buying a soundtrack to a movie I'd never seen can be summed up in two words: Emma Shapplin (née Crystèle Joliton).

Ms. Shapplin is a French chanteuse who specializes in Gothic operas with Renaissance Italian lyrics (buy her fantastic debut "Carmine Meo" to experience her for yourself). On "Red Planet" she lends her angelic soprano to three tracks: "Inferno," "The Fifth Heaven," and "Canto XXX," all cleverly taken from Dante's "Inferno" (another song on the soundtrack, "Dante's Eternal Flame," pays tribute to the author as well). These three songs are the high point of "Red Planet" and the reason I gave the soundtrack four stars (I did not care for the Peter Gabriel song and remix). Emma's songs are not present in the film, instead orchestral versions are used (some of which, sadly, are not included on the soundtrack).

The other songs are an eclectic mix from Sting ("A Thousand Years" from "Brand New Day"), Peter Gabriel ("The Tower That Ate People" and remix), Strange Cargo's "Montok Point," Melissa Kaplan ("Dante's Eternal Flame"), and Graeme Revell's score ("Mars Red Planet," "Alone," and "Crash Landing," which doesn't really seem to fit with the musical mood). Revell uses lush layering of synths, and space-type sounds (fragile bells/windchimes on "Inferno," layered choirs and mysterious background noises on "Canto XXX," the world beat choirs on "Alone" and "Fifth Heaven," delicate piano, lush strings) to create a mysterious, occasionally tense soundscape. "Crash Landing" resorts to an atonal cacophony of sound that was most unpleasant to my ears, but the rest of Revell's score compliments the film's tense, mysterious atmosphere perfectly.

My two main complaints with the soundtrack are length (with a noticeable lack of onscreen score and only twelve songs, two being remixes) and sequencing. Overall, "Red Planet" is a unique listening experience that fans of electronic/Emma Shapplin should enjoy and a nice accompaniment to the film.

When I fist looked at the Red Planet soundtrack, I thought that Graeme Revell, the composer, only got four tracks on the CD, which did not surprise me because other movies he's done (The Crow, Spawn, Strange Days) either have seperate score CDs or little music of his at all. But I got the soundtrack because I'm also a Sting/Police fan. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that he had also written the three songs with vocals by Emma Shapplin. Upon listening to the music, I fell in love immediately to Emma's angelic voice with Revell's soothing, techno music. Of the three songs my favorite is "Canto XXX" which is perfect in every way. Revell's music in this soundtrack remains lush and beautiful like his other great soundtrack, The Saint. He keeps his music tensed with emotion and full of grace and rhythm. One of the movie's main themes, present in "Canto XXX," can also be heard in the first thirty seconds of "Alone." If this theme sounds familiar, it is because it is also in Strange Days. In fact, the only song done by Revell on that soundtrack is basically "Alone" with lyrics. My only complaint with Revell's music is that of the four songs with Shapplin and Kaplan only "The Fifth Heaven" is actually in the movie. Ironic, really, because usually it's instrumental music that's left off the soundtrack, not the movie. Plus, there are at least five to ten more minutes of music from the movie that could have fit onto this soundtrack. "MontokPoint" fits wonderfully into the mood of this album, but also is not in the movie. The Sting song is soft and smooth and a favorite of mine. I like the remix of the Police song, which sounds like a futuristic version of the song with gives the movie more dimension. The Peter Gabriel songs are loud and garbled and really does not fit this soundtrack that well. The soundtrack ends with Carrie-Ann Moss' message to her crew on Mars. It's short, haunting and a great way to end an almost perfect soundtrack.

What a shame that the movie "Red Planet" has performed so poorly with clueless movie critics & also at the U.S. box office. This is an excellent sci-fi adventure film that deserves MUCH better, and I hope & pray that the home video market will be a lot kinder to it.One of the great things about "Red Planet" is it's striking soundtrack, with music composed by Graeme Revell. I first became aware of Revell's work on another of my favorite films, "Strange Days," and I must say, this guy is GOOD. His music for "Red Planet" is simply incredible, and thankfully, we get a big seven tracks from Revell on this soundtrack album. On four of them, there are superb vocal contributions by Italian songstress Emma Shapplin and singer Melissa Kaplan, whose operatic voices compliment Revell's compositions beautifully. Revell also gets some spotlight time to himself, as on the simple but stunning "Alone," and the adrenaline-pumping "Crash Landing." I hope this man one day wins an Oscar recognising his film-scoring chops, because he certainly deserves one.However, Revell is in very good company on the "Red Planet" soundtrack. Peter Gabriel makes a very powerful contribution with a pair of slammin' remixes of "The Tower That Ate People," a song from his import-only album, "OVO." William Orbit's Strange Cargo are also represented with the spacey, hypnotic "MontokPoint," and last but not least, Sting is onboard with the lovely "A Thousand Years," a song borrowed from his "Brand New Day" album which really does fit perfectly with the mood of the film, and a very catchy remix by Different Gear of Sting's old classic with The Police, "When The World Is Running Down." From start to finish, this soundtrack album GRABS you.The "Red Planet" movie soundtrack is a terrific CD that is definitely worth adding to your collection. It's music will make you sit up and take notice. Hopefully, it will also get you to see "Red Planet" itself if you haven't done so already! To heck with the critics---it's a very strong adventure film, and this first-rate soundtrack album is one of the reasons why.

With its unique cobmination of electronic scores, operatic vocals, and pop music, this album is perhaps one of the best and most inspiring soundtracks any modern music lover could ask for:

-"The Tower That Ate People" by Peter Gabriel. The synthesized guitar and lyrics are a bit disjointed, but it's still a great track.

-"The Inferno" by Emma Shapplin. One of the opera songs with mild background beats. It's melody is not really great in any way. But it's not bad.

-"A Thousand Years" by Sting. Soft love song with synthetic instruments. It's vocals carries a dramatic power otherwise absent in the rest of the song. It's really great.

-"Mars Red Planet" by Graeme Revell. A dramatic rise of chorals and instruments. It's cool.

-"The Fifth Heaven" by Graeme Revell. Kind of similar to the last track, only with operatic vocals. It's awesome.

-"MontokPoint" by Strange Cargo. Upbeat techno song with a few downbeat breakdowns. Sounds like something from a car commercial. Still a good track.

-"Canto XXX" by Emma Shapplin. Awesome opera track with dramatic instruments and light drum beats. It's completely inspiring.

-"Alone" by Graeme Revell. Soft instrumental track with piano.

-"Dante's Eternal Flame" by Graeme Revell and Melissa Kaplan. Seems to have a more Middle-Eastern influence. But it's just as great as the other tracks.

-"Crash Landing" by G. Revell. More chaotic techno beats, true to the track's title. It's like a roller coaster.

-"The Tower That Ate People (Remix)" by Peter Gabriel. This reprise sounds largely similar to the first track. Still just as good.

-"When the World Is Running Down (you Can't Go Wrong" by Different Gear Vs. the Police. Upbeat dance track. It's a bit out of place with the other tracks, but is still a great track.

Few musicians emerge onto the scene with such grace and background as Gaeme. Out of unusual places spring unusual people, and in Red Planet he demonstrates that unusual music has the same genesis. I dare to say that Red Planet is one of the best soundtracks to date for its unusual combination of styles. Although classical intonations for Sci-fi flicks are not unheard of (can you say 'Also sprach Zarathustra' from 2001:ASO?) Graeme managed to bring it to new heights with Emma Shapplin's voice and 17 century Italian lyrics underscoring space. He used a similar approach for the mini-series Dune and the underrated Pitch Black, although on a lesser budget. Other musicians have set their own marks in scores that they will forever be remembered for (John Williams `Star Wars' and `Indiana Jones', Eric Sierra `Le Gran Bleu' to name a few), and it is Red Planet that gives Graeme his place in music heaven.

IMHO the track that stands clearly above all the others is 'The Inferno', a classic-neoelectronic combination of time and space, heightened to near extasy by Emma's strikingly clear voice, something even unapproachable to S. Brightman. This score is heard as the lone star ship leaved Mars in its wake and transcendences over into deep space on its way back to earth, and its Graeme, not Kilmer, who holds most of these scenes, and its Emma, not Moss, who captivates us with infinite beauty. Gaeme has given us something to listen to every day, as well as introduced a vocalist (Emma) to the world that hopefully we will still hear much of (this said I recommend also Emma's own non-soundtrack singles, such as `Discovering Yourself').

I haven't seen the film, and don't know who Emma Shapplin is: I only bought this due to my interest in GR's work (and getting it for $1.99 on Amazon didn't hurt). I was not disappointed, as he has written 7 tracks on this CD -- one of them co-written and co-performed by Melissa Kaplan (probably the best track). His work here proves his talent, especially his ability to convey a sense of the otherworldly, which I assume is the point here considering the theme of the film. As a bonus, I was introduced to Strange Cargo. [I'm not about to run out to the store and buy their albums, but their song on this CD was quirky.]
I hope that GR can keep it up for years to come. If you are interested in his audiosculptures, check out his CD "Zamia Lehmanni" from 1986, when he was in his prime [in the Industrial band SPK].
I am recommending Red Planet because it is a CD that you will likely still enjoy a year or more after purchase. Also, it simply doesn't sound like generic soundtrack muzak.
The one thing that bothers me is that it totals less than 1 hour.

This is a must-get CD if you like Emma Shapplin music. Sting did one song and it's a wonderful song! The album is a mix of rock, opera, and somewhat new age. It's worth a buy.

Amazing composition by Graeme Revell and stunning vocal performance by Emma Shapplin. Very dreamy and organic. Operatic and trancy. Just beautiful!!!!

I originally sought this record for the alternate versions of Peter Gabriel's The Tower That Ate People (btw, it originally appeared on OVO The Millenium Show, a terrific record). Very happy with those remixes & also very excited about the quality of each & every other track ... Emma Shapplin, Graeme Revell, etc. A super disk.

When i go to theatres to watch "Red Planet", i liked the movie, but so then i heard the score, and i loved it, so i runned to my neareast music store, to buy it, and i loved it, I specially loved all the Emma Shapplin's songs, and the Graeme Revell's score, it's greeat,and it never gerts boring, but there is a song that i don't remember, the "Tower that Ate People" remix.