Customer Reviews

Soundtrack

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

The score to "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is a worthy entry into the series' pantheon of film music.

Notable Tracks: The "Raiders March" is as inspiring and rousing a piece of film music ever composed. "The Call of the Crystal" introduces one of the film's new motifs, a three-note string repetition that builds with a tenuous flute progression. This is an understated and atmospheric piece, obviously meant to build tension and suggest a great mystery. Is it a piece you will hum? No. But it has structure and a presence that is actually pretty diverse (when it shows up in later tracks) given its simplicity. Other notable pieces: "The Adventures of Mutt", "The Snake Pit" and "A Whirl Through Academe" are whimsical pieces reminiscent of the motorcycle music from "The Last Crusade." "Irinia's Theme" is a string-heavy romantic piece, with a down-tone to suggest evil! "The Spell of the Skull" repeats the "Map Room" theme from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (which raises an eyebrow and wonders if there is a direct connection to the Lost Ark of the Covenant happening in this new movie). One of the bigger surprises is "The Journey to Akator" which midway thru breaks into an indigenous arrangement of South American music (full-on tropical dance stuff). "Return" is a repeat of the "Crystal Skull" theme, this time sounding more cohesive and focused. The film's more traditional creepy-crawlies action music blends together mostly, sounding more incidental and less like concert music (these selections include "Grave Robbers", "Secret Doors and Scorpions" and "Ants!"). "The Jungle Chase" is structured almost identically to pieces from past Indiana Jones scores, and its quite rousing. "Hidden Treasure and The City of Gold" is another satisfying piece, suggesting a great discovery takes place by the track's end. "Temple Ruins and The Secret Revealed" has an excellent version of the Crystal Skull motif. At this point in the score, the Crystal Skull motif has evolved from a delicate suggestion into a big, classic Hollywood-style theme (a la Bernard Herrmann's work on Hitchcock's films). And then there's the "Finale" which starts with "Marion's Theme" from the "Raiders" score and then moves to the classic "Raider's March" to other motifs (Mutt's theme, Irinia's theme) and closing on the traditional Indy ending (with a little pop at the end).

In the end, this is a very enjoyable score. There's enough nostalgia to satisfy our memories of 20-plus years ago, and the new music blends in perfectly as well. It's really difficult to "rate" scores by John Williams as he does operate on a different level from other composers. And usually, people will rank his work against himself, which may be unfair. Bottom line: if you enjoy this type of music, get this score.

I listened intently when I saw the movie the other day for anything original that stood out like in the other 3 movies (i.e. the Marion love theme from Raiders; the slave mining theme and Indian village themes and Willie Scott love theme from Temple of Doom; the grail theme, father/son theme, etc.) but there was nothing that I heard specifically that stayed with me. I did hear a lot of familar music cues from the other movies (Marion theme and the grail theme--surprising used extensively towards the end of the movie). Just like the movie, I felt the score was rushed and Williams basically phoned this in. Of all his scores, this one was really lacking.

Many fans of the film music of John Williams all alike probably looked forward to his latest partnership with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas with hungry anticipation, and not a little worry about possible disappointment. After all, the maestro is getting on in age, and we might just see, or hear, simple retreads of themes from the earlier Indiana Jones films. Fear not, Indiana Jones is back and doing fine, and so is Maestro Williams. First of all it must be noted that "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is at least in part a tribute to the other films and to the 1950s and it works incredibly well on these levels. Williams' music follows suit. He resurrects earlier themes to be sure. The "Raider's March" is a must (with a nice final twist), and because of plot developments so is "Marion's Theme." The "Lost Ark Theme" actually becomes more of a mystery of discovery theme and works well here. New themes for Irina and the Commies also work, along with a creepy motif for the "ants." The action cues are typical Williams and as usual are great fun (note the integration of Brahms on campus), as are his Latin American motifs which proved a very pleasant surprise. But the unexpected is his music for the "Crystal Skull" which proves mesmerizing and practically perfect. By intention or not, there is a reminder of Miklos Rozsa's music for "Spellbound" but Williams takes it to another level. Overall, this was all well worth the wait. The score is perfect on the screen and as usual a tremendous soundtrack album. Outstanding production, and great packaging (no jewel-case which is a sensible touch) by Concord Records (this is another surprise given this labels usual focus).

..then you are probably better off, as Concord Records is releasing this score as well as the (newly expanded) scores from the first three Indiana Jones films in a Five Disk Box Set. However, if you have no intention of purchasing the Box Set (I would reconsider if I were you), or if you do not mind purchasing the same album twice, then you cannot really go wrong with this album. As I stated above, there are many who do not like this score ( as well as the film it accompanies), but it really is not bad, not bad at all (though it may take a number of listens for you to fully appreciate the album).

There's really two ways at looking at this.

The all too familiar Raiders March and Map Room cues are used to anchor this cd, but unfortunately there are no NEW cues to differentiate Crystal Skull from the original three movies. From one viewpoint it serves as a reminder of all the things that were good about the originals both as fun iconic films and the memorable music that accompanied each.

But as an original work, this cd fails almost across the board for me. I didn't want a nostalgia piece, I own the previous three scores - as with the new film, I wanted something updated and fresh but still part of the Indiana Jones universe and it does not succeed in that respect.

While the trademark Williams ability is here, it just seems like potential unfulfilled. A new Indy Jones movie soundtrack should have been a benchmark work, not solely a reminder of what once was great.

I thoroughly enjoyed this soundtrack. It has the classic sound of Indiana Jones and is a lot of fun to listen to. John Williams is brilliant in reviving one of our favorite heroes. I am so glad I decided to buy it. A beautiful soundtrack to add to your collection.

Another great John Williams movie score. You will enjoy it whether you have seen the movie or not. It will bring back all the good times of the movie if you have seen it.

Composer John Williams does an elegant job revisiting his classic "Indiana Jones" themes from the original trilogy, along with some well-written new music for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". It was a most wonderful surprise hearing "Marion's Theme" from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" again. But I was quite impressed with the surreal "Call of the Crystal" with its almost otherworldly three note motif and "Irina's Theme", which is yet another superb example of "sinister" film music along the lines of a softer, but no less menacing "Imperial March" from the original "Star Wars" trilogy. While I won't rate this fine score as among John Williams' very best (e. g. "Schindler's List" and "Angela's Ashes" among others), it is still among his finest, and one worth listening to again and again.

I can't believe I am finally listening to this album! After treasuring the first three for decades, it is thrilling to hear Maestro Williams back at it again. Yes, his sound and style have evolved over the last 19 years - this album does not have the same orchestral soundscape as the original trilogy...just as the film does not have the same exact visual style as the original trilogy. It sounds very similar to his latest action/blockbuster efforts (Some Star Wars Episode II, some Minority Report, some Harry Potter & POA...There's even some eery use of the electronic/synth voice from Witches of Eastwick!) If you approach this album with the same nostalgia as the original films, you will enjoy it. It's great music from John Williams - that alone puts a smile on my face!

Who could ever forget watching Raiders Of The Lost Ark for the first time? May it be on TV or tape, DVD, or if you were one of the lucky people having seen it upon its initial release, the sheer fun and entertainment never wears off - and neither does John Williams timeless music. The Raiders March, the driving ostinato or the first few trumpet notes, are at least as famous as the Star Wars main titles.
And while the rest of the three original scores is generally not popular with the public, they still remain the epitome of adventure music.

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was produced in a different time and zeitgeist, and even though Spielberg's direction has changed, George Lucas is a shadow of his former self, and John Williams went through several phases since The Last Crusade was written, they produced a thoroughly entertaining adventure romp, which I doubt was intended to capture the magic of the originals.
Indeed, I can only second what Roger Ebert has to say about it: you cannot compare KotCS to any movie but the first three, since they dwell in a universe of their own.

Not only that, John Williams lives in a league of his own as well.
For KotCS, he wanted to capture some atmosphere of 30s sci-fi movies to match the intention of Steven Spielberg. This approach is clearly audible in "Call Of The Crystal", the theme for the Skull. The primary theme is indeed a reversed version of the Ark theme of the original Raiders movie. It is instantly recognisable, but lacks some punch and, most surprising for a Williams theme, does not encourage repeated listens. The secondary theme for the skull, an ominous and almost seducing oboe piece, is far more enticing.
"Irina's Theme" is exactly what the title says - a lush, sexy, almost erotic theme for Cate Blanchett's villain role. It is not a romantic theme in the way Marions theme or Willie's theme were, nor does it have their lasting effect on the mind, but it is a piece of music that can hold its ground in the grand Indy soundscape.
"Mutt's Theme" flows in the same tone of "Scherzo For Motorcycle and Orchestra" or at least tries to. And I have to say that I find it immensely welcome that John Williams is one of the few composers who actually dare to write a character theme like Mutt's without any intention of adding drama or gravitas. It is a careless, adventurous theme for a character of the same qualities.

The first half of the album is very strong, with all the concert pieces, and cues like "Snake Pit" which are just a joy to listen to.
In the second half, however, the listenability plummets dramatically. Once we get to the action and chase music towards the finale, Williams abandons nods to his early style completely and ventures into his most recent one. I am sorry but his modern action music is just not engaging, and also not very listenable. That his Crystal Skull theme is not very strong thematic material to work with does not help either.
The album closes with a fantastic 9 minute end credit suite that matches any of the first three easily - Williams twists the Raiders March towards the end ingeniusly.

In the end, the first 10 tracks of the album make for an extremely great listen. Unfortunately, these include three concert suites and a re--recording of the Raiders March, which are bound to entertain. The quality of these cues is never picked up again after that, until the very end with "Departure" and "Finale", since the ominous material and action writing in between suffers from "Williams 2000" aimlessness.

The inclusion of old Raiders material in "Journey To Akator", "The Spell Of The Skull" and "Finale" is quite irritating, and robs the score of potential highlights.
On the other hand, you can't help but feel extremely good hearing this again, newly recorded, in a new context.

Truth be told, you'd need several ratings for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; for an Indiana Jones score in the old fashion, it is far too unmemorable and modern to hold its ground to its predecessors. As a "standard" John Williams adventure score, it does superbly well.
And in comparison to other film scores, it stands head to shoulders above them anyway.