This is without a doubt Mark Mancina's best score, and worth every second if your attention it will get on repeated listens. Here's why:
He creates a beautiful, memorable theme that perfectly fit the film. You'll find it running through your head after a while. More and more these days themes are eschewed in favor of dynamic arrangements in scores. This is often the case with Media Ventures composers (Zimmer, Rona, etc.). Not so here.
The score is varied in both it's moods, and arrangements. This was an underrated, emotional film that went through a lot of changes in it's story and characters. The challenging score fits that perfectly. It's sometimes complex, sometimes simple, often touching, and the emotions it conjures up are strong. Mancina also used a variety of instruments to fit the film's exotic nature. From flutes, pipes, gamelons and other Eastern instruments, to standard orchestration, all seamlessly.
As one other reviewer noted, this score should have been nominated for an Oscar. I can only imagine it's due to his lack of high profile, because this score easily rivals the best work of Mancina's more heralded MV stablemate, Hans Zimmer. I'm not a raving fan of MV, or even Mancina, but this wonderful score is worth of all the praise it gets.
