Customer Reviews

The Rock: Original Motion Picture Score

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In my opinion, Hans Zimmer is a versatile composer who can conjure up incredible music for many different types of films. He demonstrates his talent in the action movie "The Rock". I was very impressed with the soundtrack of the movie and constantly listen to it over and over again. It's one of those soundtracks in which you'll never get bored of. The whole CD runs approximately 1 hour and 20 seconds and has 8 tracks.

Hummel Gets the Rockets (6:26): This is probably my favorite track on the whole CD. It starts off with soft strings and builds into a crescendo during the beginning credits of the movie, as radio dispatches of Hummel's doomed men are played back. The music dies down and reaches a sad tone as Hummel goes to tell his wife that he is about to do something that he couldn't do while she was alive. The music takes an upward turn with a loud introduction with brass and heavy percussion as Hummel's men breach the U.S weapons depot. This is my favorite part of the song and it has a driving beat with The Rock's theme tune.

Rock House Jail (10:13): The beginning explodes with loud percussion and brass and dives into the movie's theme tune. This lasts for about 2 minutes and then subsides into a roller coaster of volume and tune that rise and fall in an incredibly fluent way. In the movie, this music is played when Hummel's men seize Alcatraz and set up their HQ. It is also when Goodspeed and Mason get onto the island fortress with the Navy SEALS.

Jade (1:58): This song takes an unusual turn and composes mainly of the beautiful sounds of a flute. This is played while Mason greets his daughter at the Apollo memorial and spends a few quiet moments with her.

In the Tunnels (8:40): This track starts off with strong percussion and brass. The Rock theme plays through for about a minute and then switches to the strings. A crescendo comes up as the SEALs enter the washroom and are ambushed by Hummel's men. The track skips over to when Mason and Goodspeed are firebombed and plays fast strings that rise and then quickly subside. The track then moves over when Sergeant Hendricks and several men go into the tunnel system to hunt down Mason and Goodspeed. Again, fast strings are played along with a nice touch of the electric guitar.

Mason's Walk - First Launch (9:33): This track follows are more calm approach with the strings. It starts off when Mason surrenders to Hummel's men to try to prevent the hostage from being executed. He buys Goodspeed time to try and neutralize the remaining rockets. The track then goes into the part when Hummel orders the first VX rocket to be launched. A nice blend of fast-paced percussion and strings paint the atmosphere of death hanging over the city and being diverted by Hummel who is not ready to kill thousands of people.

Rocket Away (14:12): This is the longest track on the CD and varies greatly in tune and volume. It starts off quiet and builds into the strings accompanied by a trumpet solo. At about 6 minutes into the song, The Rock theme enters and sounds really cool. In the movie, Mason is picking off Hummel's deranged men one by one and tries to give Goodspeed time, who is stuck atop the lighthouse. The track moves onto when Captain Fry and Goodspeed are trying to kill each other in a desperate struggle. The music slows down and gives a sense of terrific suspense as Goodspeed rises to his feet and attempts to light his flares to stop the F-18s from plastering the islands with incendiary bombs. The track moves later into a beautiful section with the flute, similar to "Jade", as Mason pulls Goodspeed out of the water.

Fort Walton Kansas (1:37): Being the shortest track on the CD, this song is very unusual. It has that Midwest feel with the strings but has a flat sound to it. In the movie, Goodspeed and his wife drive away with Mason's microfilm.

The Chase (7:36): I can't understand why this track was put at the end. In the movie, this music is played when Mason steals a Humvee and wrecks San Fran. Fast strings and brass keep the feeling of a thrilling car chase through the urban areas of the city. The ending builds into a rising crescendo that abruptly ends the song.

In all, this is a soundtrack that is not to be missed or overlooked. I absolutely love it and am glad that I bought it. To me, this CD was well worth my money and I highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed. If you like this CD, I recommend Pirates of the Caribbean and Gladiator. I hope this review helped!

Lots of hyphenated names are present in this smashing soundtrack. Hans Zimmer, Nick Glennie-Smith,and Harry Gregson-Williams do a phenomenal job in composing the music for this movie. It is hard to tell which composer came up with what cue. Hans Zimmer came up with the main theme and some other main cues used in the film. Track 1, which is the best track and also basically the main title, opens quietly stating a main cue, came up with by Hans Zimmer. Following that is the main theme both orchestral and synthesized with some choir. I love the trumpet solo used in this track. After that, it speeds up a tad and gets a little more into the action side. I love the low brass or synthesized music here, I can't tell which is being used. The end has the trumpet solo again, which is really good. Track 2 starts off with the loud music used to end the last track,followed by a new theme. This track is basically track 1 continued. The exact same stuff heard in track 1 is on track 2, just arranged a bit differently. Track 3 is a very soft, pretty theme for Jade, the daughter of Sean Connery's character in the movie. Flutes play the theme which make it innocent and beautiful. Great track. Track 4 is back to the same music heard in the first 2 tracks. Only this time, the percussion is a key factor in the scoring. There is more percussion sound in this one than any other track. A new theme is stated, followed by the main title. Over-synthesized percussion almost ruined this track. Also, the electric guitar is used for the first time in this track to accompany the theme. A trumpet solo is used at the end to finish out the track. This one rocks! Track 5 starts out with a different arrangement of the theme,followed by Jade's theme also arranged differently. A brief trumpet solo is heard quietly over the synthesized chords. Kind of a slow moving track for the first part. Big surprise, about half way through, it speeds up a bit and increases volume. Kind of a boring track compared to the others until the end where it builds to its climax. Track 6 can't find a theme at first, but does speed up your heartbeat about 2 minutes into the track. Great music heard here, especially the trumpet solo stating the theme again. Basic track 1 and 2 sounds heard here. This track is very long, but explosive cuz of the rockets. Get it! Not too loud, or harsh. Nicely done! Track 7 is a completely different sound on this soundtrack. It's as if the 3 composers were abducted and taken over by someone else to write this one. Still a very nice melody played by the guitar. Track 8 is a fast paced track similar to to the other fast paced ones in the soundtrack. Different versions of the theme are used. Driving percussion is a key factor in this one just like in track 4. Too much of it is used once again, but the electric guitar saves it. Action packed and adrenaline pumping! Overall, this CD is a must have especially if you like fast paced, heart pumping soundtracks. Why this CD is long (60 min.) is because the same themes are played over and over again in each track. The good thing about that is that each time they are arranged differently. Outstanding CD! Good job guys!

This was THE album I listened to during my first year at art school, any time I had a project due in 18 hours that needed to get done well and done fast, which was frequently. It's big and fast and pounding and it gets the job done. However, it also has a lovely little theme ("Jade") which, years later, still pops into my head on occasion.

Yes, I suppose Hans Zimmer has done better work on better films -- you'll notice a marked similarity in Gladiator and in Pirates of the Caribbean (scored by Zimmer's protege Klaus Badelt, but "overproduced" by Zimmer). But I for one liked The Rock a lot, for what it was, and the music -- which I listen to more often than the music from either of the two other movies above -- has done an excellent job of staying with me long after I saw the movie. If you want music to finish projects by, this album is it.

First of all, Hans Zimmer is a musical genius!
I highly recommend owning this CD, as this score is truly one of a kind. When this music is cranked up, it tends to create its own environment in the room; the energy of the music is incredibly powerful, yet extremely pleasing to the ear. My only advice is that one must have very high quality speakers with a powerful subwoofer to fully appreciate the music on this disc. The subtleties in the music, especially in the bass and percussion, will make the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up, but will not likely be heard without quality speakers and the extra low-impact of a subwoofer.
The sound energy produced while playing this CD is overwhelming, but still extremely pleasing to listen to.
I can't recommend this soundtrack enough!!!

I don't have too much to say about this CD--actually I do, but I wrote a really long review and my computer froze, so this time I'm going to keep it short and snappy. 'The Rock' soundtrack is by far the best film score I have ever heard, and that includes the ones I own. All this coming from a John Williams fan whom I still believe is the best film composer. He's got 'Jaws', 'Star Wars' and 'Indiana Jones', but still, despite all this major hits, 'The Rock' destroys them all. It kills the shark, dominates Vader, and leaves the pitiful archeologist crying because he didn't get the Holy Grail. (Now don't get me wrong; I love all of these movies: I own them all, too, but I am saying this so maybe you will get the idea of how good 'The Rock' really is.)

The music is so fast paced that you want to actually get up and join in on the action scenes...for pretend, of course. Some of the tracks are slow--all both of them!--but other than that, the music is so fast that it's, well, incredible. Now don't be alarmed by looking at the main page for this CD. Yes, it has only eight tracks, but what amazon.com doesn't show you is the length. Two are below two minutes long, but the rest are either eight, nine, twelve or fourteen minutes long. However, all of these tracks have that repetitive theme from the movie. But the way it is changed throughout makes it all okay in the end.

So despite the lack of tracks, this CD is over one hour long. And let me tell you this: if you're a collector of film scores, and you don't have this CD, you're not what you think you are. Because to be a collector of the classics, you have to own this CD first...so stop reading my review and click the button to buy this great album. Will you have any regrets? No, as long as you like good music.

I can't say enough about this soundtrack. The music makes you feel as if you are watching the movie all over again. I have had this CD for about a year and have never gotten tired of it. And I do listen to it a lot also. It has slow themes and fast themes to make anyone happy. I am very much into buying scores for movies. Out of all composers, Hans Zimmer is my favorite. Out of all of his scores, The Rock is my favorite. I can't think of any other score that excites me as much and as often as this one does.

The Rock is a fun movie score. Filled with the frantic pace of the movie, the main themes rock through the listener creating an enjoyable listening experience. Zimmer along with his two proteges Glennie-Smith & Williams have gone on to write more acclaimed scores, but this score for The Rock is totally enjoyable and well worth your money.

"The Rock" soundtrack is excellent! The movie is one of my absolute favorites and the CD does it justice! I would highly recommend it to anyone. I would also reccomend "The Last of the Mohicans" soundtrack. The music is similar to that of "The Rock" and unbeatable. If you do not have either of these CDs, GET THEM!

This is definitely one of the best soundtrack albums I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. The movie was great, and the soundtrack is also! I get chills down my spine during some songs, when the outstanding themes are woven in, and I can almost watch the movie in my head as I listen! Even if you don't know the movie or the music that well, you'll be humming or whistling along with the outstanding music after hearing the first few tracks. The melodies are wonderful; I was humming them the entire day after I got the CD! And don't be fooled by the small number of tracks on the disc; the total playing time is over 60 minutes, with only two tracks under 3 minutes. I strongly recommend this CD to anyone who liked the movie that the music is from, and also to any fan of action/adventure movie music! You won't regret it!

I wish that they had included more score from the movie. That's is why the "The Rock" complete score exist, which runs approx. 85 minutes. So get it you find it.It's a white package and it features 24 tracks.The tracks don't have names. They're just listed as track 1, track 2. etc....