Customer Reviews

Starship Troopers: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

For those unaware, Basil Poledouris, composer of 'Starship Troopers' as well as many other films, passed away about two weeks ago. Somehow, this fact slipped by me, and I just heard the awful news today. Over on YouTube, there are a few tributes to the composer, which feature scenes from the films he composed along side his enchanting music, and I just couldn't help but weep a few minutes into watching them.

I'm 23 now, and 'Starship Troopers' was one of the very few scores to excite me beyond reason as a teen. I recall sitting in the theater, as the the young soldiers bravely dropped from spaceships to the bug planet Klendathu, and I don't think before, nor since, have I ever felt so riveted by a scene and its music. Not only is every single technical aspect of that five minute scene of the most pristine quality (in my opinion, director Paul Verheoven's most phenomenally orchestrated sequence ever to grace the screen), but at least half of the goosebumps on my body at that moment were a consequence of Basil Poledouris' unashamedly heroic, majestic music; rarely had I heard such a glorious musical portrayal of the proud, honorable sentiments of Human conviction, patriotism, and grandeur. It was a moment I'll always remember.

Now that I think of it, 'Starship Troopers' was probably the very first score album I actually purchased myself, having given two or three before as a youngin' when requested for gifts (James Horner's 'Braveheart' and Hans Zimmer's 'Crimson Tide' if I remember correctly). I was 13 at the time. Because of this, a great deal of sentimentality runs through my veins for the score. In the decade since, I've come to view Verhoeven's film in a different light, which makes Poledouris' score somehow that much more brilliant. All of the triumphant "hurrah" moments I was so moved with at one point are in fact a huge element of the film's mind-boggling (but justified) cynicism, and its subversive tone boiling beneath the service. The way I see it, Poledouris' score, as well as many other factors, disguise this with the sheer, unadulterated emotion that comes from our natural instincts as Humans to submit to the wonderful (but dangerous) emotions of pride and glory amongst such circumstances (what better than a united Human war against aliens?). And yet, when detaching from your own powerful but limited emotions, one is able to view the film on a more objective level, and the result, to me, is a grotesque display of our species' arrogance and naivety; the brilliance shines through because it's so difficult to avoid feeling exultant at our ingrained instincts, but the result of such uncontrolled, selfish dispositions are ultimately contrary to the intellectual and, more importantly, good, moral beings we potentially are. Regardless of where this debatable neurotic tendency gestates (fear?), it is incredibly powerful and gratifying in the best and worst ways... That power, even "with" the knowledge of its inherent, potentially ailing consequences, is so very powerful and so awesomely gratifying; as such is Poledouris' wonderful, bombastic music.

I don't mean to be so long-winded, but I think that in this respect Poledouris' score, like the film, is genius on an intellectual level. That being said, I'm much more appreciative of that aspect of the whole project when I view the film; the music, when listened to separately -- I just let myself go with those gooey, affecting moments of heroism. I, honestly, can't think of a better score within the past decade that displays these sentiments. One thing which Poledouris is so amazing at is not only writing forceful themes and motifs, but literally -- commanding -- an orchestra, like so, so few modern film composers are able to do. His orchestrations are stellar, chaotic yet orderly, harmonious but still exuding rawness. And, they're HUGE; epic in scope, and LOUD, without ever letting this sheer volume diminish the intricacy or complexity of the music. This is so demonstrated in this album; at 30 minutes, it's short, but it's so very concise, and the overall effect in limiting its time is an unrelenting, consistent taste of orchestral power. So gloriously yummy.

Now, perhaps, it is not as good as, oh, Basil's "Conan the Barbian", but that score, one must remember, is one of the very best ever written for a film, so you can't really give 'Starship Troopers' a hard time for that. To me, it's still one of Poledouris' very best scores (that's saying something), and one of the better scores of the late 90's, if not the entire decade. The action is so riveting, so splendidly written, I'm not sure how anyone would fail to be moved by it. God bless this man, hopefully residing in Heaven, doing what he does best for the infinite souls who rest there (only us grand Humans, of course; arachnids? Humbug.

Everyone has been asking about the song "I have not been to paradise" by Zoe Poledouris. It should have been on the CD since it WAS in the film. But what I want to know about are the parts of the score that are missing. The piece titled "Carmen's Test Flight" was a wonderful track that is very difficult to find. There was a 2-disk COMPLETE SCORE produced but it was only a limited promotional item.....therefore, good luck trying to hunt one down. If you were lucky you could have downloaded some of the missing pieces from public sharing websites before "you know what" happened. Too bad......finding a copy of the Complete Score is like trying to find a copy of Alan Silvestri's "Predator"! I do have a track listing from the 2CD Expanded score:

1. Intro and Fed Net March (1:56)
2. Bugs Strike Back (0:36)
3. Kids and Bugs (0:17)
4. Ricos Perceptual Powers (0:42)
5. Carmen's Departure (0:55)
6. Losing Carmen (1:02)
7. Carmen's Test Flight (1:38)
8. Medic (0:25)
9. Wargame Victory (0:48)
10. In Space (1:03)
11. Punishment and Asteroid Grazing (4:50)
12. It's War (2:24)
13. Klendathu Drop (5:19)
14. Klendathu Massacre (0:58)
15. The Roughnecks (0:52)
16. Tango Urilla (3:51)
17. Hopper Canyon (2:44)
18. A Lone Survivor (1:28)
19. Incoming (2:56)
20. Bugs & #33 (2:20)
21. Ed-209 to the Rescue (4:46) *This is probably not from Robocop.
22. The Bug Threat (0:23)
23. Dizzy's Funeral (1:19)
24. Time for Counterstrike (3:05)
25. Destruction of Roger Young (3:27)
26. Who's with Me? (2:24)
27. Brainbug (3:57)
28. We're Still Alive (0:42)
29. They Will Win & #33 (4:01)
30. End Credits (10:04)

This CD is the bomb. When I saw "Starship Troopers" in the theater, I knew I had to have this CD. I've listened to it in my car endlessly. As far as listening to action music goes, probably "The Rock" soundtrack is comparable (though "Starship Troopers" is a little better). I liked the "Glory" soundtrack (during the movie; I'm not enthusiastic about listening to it on its own merits), but the themes on this CD are similar. Plus it captures the futuristic feel of the movie without losing its military aura.

This CD is too short. The movie contained some wonderful music, but only 36 minutes of it are found here. Even though I liked the selections on the CD (excluding the Zoe Poledouris song at the end), there was too much music missing for it to be anything other than disappointing. ANY movie soundtrack CD that is less than 60 minutes long is a ripoff.

I knew even since I saw this movie that I was going to get the Soundtrack, but when I heard the samples I went crazy looking for it. When I eventually got it (it took so freaking long because all of the stores were sold out... no wonder why). The song "I have not been to paradise" is a variation of the song "I have not been to Oxford Town" by David Bowie, I'm not sure why they didn't release this one (I think it's better then "Into it", but they are both good) but this would be a real chart buster...if anybody can get this song or knows how to contact Zoe Poledouris please e-mail me! I would recommend this album for anybody, and your almost certain to like this soundtrack even if you didn't like this movie.

I loved the movie and I loved the music to Starship Troopers. I think it is well thought out and it fully expresses the mood of the movie. As I watch the movie, the music even adds more excitment to it.

I'm great fan of Basil and this is one of his best scores if not THE best. Very powerful action music. My favourite tracks are Klendathu Drop, Punishment/Asteroid Grazing and Tango Urila. The only thing I don't like is that it is short one (just over 30mins). But anyway it is a must have.

Where did it go? Her version of that song was haunting and memorable. In my opinion, the best piece of music in the entire film. Peculiar that it was never released in full!

A pretty nifty soundtrack with 2 or 3 classic songs. Basil Poledouris brings a true sense of honor to this often violent and desperate sounding music. Much like his "Robocop" tunes, the music is very brassy and unrelenting; it makes you picture blood and glory at the same time. Definitely a worthwhile purchase if if you like fast-paced, action-oriented music.

"Starship Troopers" was an exciting science fiction film with a satirical edge which I found profoundly unsettling. Should I be rooting on the human Troopers or fearing their seemingly fascist culture? The film was full of stunning visuals as the Troopers traveled to deep space in their war against a race of giant alien insects.

For a story on such an ambitious scale, you need a big, bold score, and Basil Poledouris delivers. Those who fell in love with his classic scores for "Conan the Barbarian" and other films will not be disappointed by his brilliant work on "Troopers." Poledouris' score is rousing in all the right places, but also complements the satirical thrust of the script.

The disc starts off with the "Fed Net March," a bombastic piece in which Poledouris seems to be subtly mocking the "Big Brother"-ish mass media of this future earth. This leads into "Klendathu Drop," a stirring piece which incorporates a military march. Poledouris effectively employs relentlessly pounding percussion on such action pieces as "Bugs!!". But it's not all hit-you-over-the-head action music; "Punishment / Asteroid Grazing" has some passages of ethereal beauty, and "Dizzy's Funeral" is an appropriately mournful composition. As a bonus, the final track, "Into It," is a pop song written and performed by Zoe Poledouris.

Basil Poledouris' score for "Starship Troopers" wonderfully captures the excitement and menace of combat in deep space, while subtly acknowledging the edgy undercurrents of the story. Once more, Poledouris proves that he is one of the best film score composers of our time.