The Island [SOUNDTRACK]

Steve Jablonsky (Composer)

Product Details

• Composer: Steve Jablonsky
• Audio CD (July 26, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Milan Records
• ASIN: B0009X766E
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,034 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
After supplying something known as "additional music" to many films since the late 1990s, Steve Jablonsky seems to have become the go-to composer for director-producer Michael Bay. Jablonsky's score for Bay's sci-fi thriller The Island shows the influence of its producer, Hans Zimmer. "The Island Awaits You" sets up the mood, which is oddly muted for a movie directed by explosion-master Bay. Even a track titled "Mass Vehicular Carnage" is merely ominously low-key, oddly sounding like something by dank trip-hopper Tricky. Elsewhere, the electronic number "Starkweather" successfully creates a feeling of oppressive tension before integrating elements of the main theme. Unfortunately, in his effort to avoid big ka-booms, Jablonsky can be overly subdued; while nothing is jarring, nothing makes much of an impression either. Actually, there is one jarring thing on this CD, and it's the Prom Kings' nu metal/funk hybrid "Blow," tacked on at the end like an afterthought. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jablonsky variations on a theme by Jablonsky, July 26, 2005

By	Andres Segovia - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Steve Jablonsky worked on quite a few works with Hans Zimmer but only with the "additional music." Now Jablonsky is flying solo. He's worked on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Steamboy and The Amittyville Horror. With The Island, we get to hear Jablonsky's abilities on action scoring.

The Island score starts off with some good guitar music accompanied by some brass roars with a male chorus every now and then intensifying every time it appears. After a minute or so the music becomes uneasy as Ewan McGregor's character has a nightmare about drowning. The theme is carried over across the album used tastefully never overwrought like, say, James Horner.

Two tracks that I did not enjoy were "Mass Vehicular Carnage" and "Blow." "Mass Vehicular Carnage" didn't sound like score material, its more of a hip-hop song because it contained lyrics. "Blow" is not found anywhere in the movie and its not even part of the score. Its probably one of those "inspired by" rock songs.

The score is good action percussion. There are some romantic moments in the album where Steve uses his guitar motif softly (e.g. This Tongue Thing is Amazing). "My Name Is Lincoln" brings all the themes of the album together very nicely with a lyricless chorus.

Michael Bay usually hires someone from the Media Ventures' gang to score his films. Steve Jablonsky met the challenge and, in my opinion, succeeded. I recommend this score if you're into the electronic Media Venture works.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunningly good Score!, November 9, 2006

By	Scott Hill (Redondo Beach, Ca USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a hauntingly good score to a pretty darned good film, which for whatever whim of the masses was less than well received. I you like taiko drums, fast paced and wonderfully executed "world beat" music, this is definitely the score for you, I've played it again and again and it only gets better with each listening.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent. Great Music, Mixed and Compiled into Great Tracks, August 4, 2005

By	Louis Kosn (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This is a great score. I loved the music during the movie and bought the CD immediately afterward. There are a lot of small pieces throughout the movie, not enough to make whole tracks by themselves. I thought the score was well-compiled and mixed to make unique individual pieces that can stand alone. As one person wrote, the track titled "The Craziest Mess I've Ever Seen" doesn't match the music used in the film during the main chase scene, but I think it was expanded and edited to include short action sequence cues from other parts of the movie. Again, I think this is nice work compiling and mixing to get all the music from the movie into workable tracks.

This music is slightly more electronic than any of Hans Zimmer's recent works. For those familiar with Hans Zimmer's scores to Crimson Tide, The Lion King, Mission Impossible 2, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, and The Last Samurai, none of these are more electronic than the music in The Island.

The two tracks titled "Mass Vehicular Carnage" and "Blow" should have been left out. They aren't score music; they are songs probably played in the background (almost inaudibly) at some point in the movie.

The music is varied throughout the score, the themes aren't overused -- and again, I think this is due to careful mixing and editing. The soundtrack to Requiem for a Dream fails because it is a collection of every short snippet of music in the film, made into individual tracks. I also recently bought Trevor Rabin's score to Armageddon. There are a couple great pieces and a couple great themes, but The Island score is far better. This is great music!