Customer Reviews

The Time Machine

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've found Klaus Badelt's score for "The Time Machine" to be one of the best I've heard. The music is a perfect match to a movie which I felt was not given justice by the critics. Professor Hartdegen's theme, which is predominated by the piano and sounds right at home in early 20th century New York, matches the rather bookish character perfectly. Badelt's use of the African style vocals, woodwinds, and percussion is inspiring and appropriate for the Eloi and their culture.

Of course the Morlocks, being the villains, get a pretty good theme themselves. While much of it is slow, heavy, and ominous, track 11, "Morlock Attack", is some of the most exciting music of any score I've heard. The use of vocals helps to emphasize the otherworldly nature of the underground dwellers. A quicker, brass version of Hartdegen's theme mixes with that of the Morlocks as he has an encounter with one of the more persistent members of their species.

By far some of the best music is that associated with the time machine and time travel itself, although to really appreciate it one has to see the film to understand exactly what's going on and why the music works so well. As the world around Hartdegen and his time machine changes at an incredible pace the music builds, finally reaching its most dramatic heights when the Professor's quaint New York of the early 1900's rises up into an early to mid-21st century metropolis.

"The Time Machine" proves that Badelt is more than capable of producing a memorable score which does more than simply accompany the special effects. The music is at times inspiring, exciting, sometimes eerie, and always befitting of the movie. Why haven't we heard from Badelt before?

One of the most common reactions to Klaus Badelt's superb score for the "The Time Machine" is "who is this composer" or "what else has he done?" Until now, Badelt was probably best known for his association with Hans Zimmer; he added some of the music for the score to "Gladiator," for instance. The music composed for"The Time Machine" should establish Badelt as a force in film scoring all his own. This is a rich and diverse score from the sombre tones of the first cuts, especially the love theme for Emma, to the dramatic theme for time travel, to the menace of the Morlocks and their master, and the vocals representing the Eloi. The thematic material here grows from several basic themes that expand and intertwine to form a complex musical tapestry. The score is a perfect fit for the film and stands on its own as a soundtrack recording. It is one of the most pleasant musical experiences of the year. The soundtrack is handsomely packaged, note some of the photographs from the film indicate scenes that were edited out of the national release. The recording is pretty complete, however, and provides a very satisfying listen. Film and scifi buffs will no doubt make comparisons to the wonderful 1959 version of "The Time Machine" by George Pal and its notable score by Russell Garcia (still available on CD). Much as Garcia's music is an important contribution to film score lore, especially "Filby's Theme," Klaus Badelt's work is more dynamic and works better as a soundtrack recording...but why quible? It is always exciting to see new and good film music from a new source...bravo!

When I saw the 2002 version of "The Time Machine" the day after it came out, I knew 5 minutes into it that I had to buy the soundtrack. When I left the theater, I rushed over to the local music store and couldn't find it. I asked the clerk where they were hiding it, and he told me it didn't come out until March 26th! I almost blew fire from my eyes, I was so mad! So I patiently wated until the 26th, then went out and bought it.

All of the songs are emotionally amazing and beautifully arragned. I had never heard of Klaus Badelt before, but now his name is etched into my memory for future scores. My favorite tracks are "Bleeker Street" because the emotion is so apparent in it, along with "I Don't Belong Here," which I have deemed the main theme because it recurrs so many times. "Eloi" is also good with the ethnic music, and "Godspeed" really captures it all together.

My advice is if you are an avid collector of movie soundtracks as I am, this CD should be part of your collection. Every song his wonderful to listen to, which is a rarety.

Personally, I believe that a movie is made of 3 parts:
1--The Story and who wrote it: 25% The story is always important because it's the skeleton of the film. A good story will attract viewers. And more people will go to see a movie written by the man who wrote the 6th Sense than a no namer who's unheard of.
2--The Actors and how well they act: 25% Acting is an art because it has to be believeable. If the actors can do that, more power to the movie. Also, more people will go to see a film staring Julia Roberts and Tom Cruise than a bunch of no namers, just the same for the story.
3--The Music and who scores it:50% The music is the most important part of a movie. It connects those bonds between the characters and the situations. Imagine watching a movie without music. It would be pretty boring, even if the writer is good, the story is good, and the acting is good, it will not have the same impact as the it would with the music. It connects everything.

With "The Time Machine," I loved the reworking of H.G. Wells' classic by his great-grandson, and Guy Pearce did a wonderful job, but Klaus Badelt really made the movie for me. This is a must buy.

This soundtrack demonstrates everything I look for when listening to film music: recognizable themes, variations in moods, and, most importantly, relevance to the film. I must admit that while the movie itself was mildly entertaining, I was enthralled by the music more than anything else.

In particular, the chorus of "tribal" voices is something that has been heard in such films as "The Lion King" by Hans Zimmer and The Ghost and the Darkness" by Jerry Goldsmith, but has never been so expertly done as by Klaus Badelt on this score. I was instantly reminded of the work of Karl Jenkins on his Adiemus albums. I highly recommend checking out the Adiemus albums if the exotic choir on "The TIme Machine" intrigued you at all.

I bought this score just after Christmas '03 and it honestly hasn't left the CD player in 4 months.

Unlike others, I actually really enjoyed the film, and the music only made the experience all the better. Klaus Badelt is truly a remarkable musician and composer, and he shines in his first opportunity to score a film on his own. Naturally, when you've been working with a composer like Hans Zimmer for a fair amount of time, you can expect a few tricks and methods to rub off, and such is the case here. The music has that very warm synth/orchestral feel that only Media Ventures seems to be able to acheive and you can hear some similarities to previous MV work (particularly Nick Glennie-Smith's work on Highlander Endgame) but don't let that destract you from the excellent quality of the music on offer here.

The CD opens with a beautiful piece driven mainly by a piano line that reminds me somehow of 'Tubular Bells' from The Exorcist. The second and third tracks introduce the somewhat doomed love theme and give the direction for the next 3 pieces. These three themes are repeated in various guises until we come to track 8 - 'Eloi'. Here Badelt has constructed a very tribal rhythm and incorporated what must be some type of African choral arrangement to give the Eloi that tribal, almost stone age feel wrapped up in the future of the year 800 000. It's a very, very uplifting piece.

'Morlock Attack' is a thunderous action cue that fuses fierce tribal drums with the main theme and the beginnings of what turns out to be the Morlocks theme. As far as the rest of the score goes, this is very intense. After that, we are lead into the world of the Morlocks and their Master with a series of pieces consisting mainly of soft strings underneath some atmospheric collages. Every now and then, there's an orchestral flourish and some nicer moments, but generally it's very moody and dark, like the caves the Morlocks dwell in. The final piece 'God Speed', does what all good end titles do and brings together the main themes from the disc in a 7 minute pieces that ends with a variation on 'Eloi', leaving the listener on a high point.

This is definately a powerful, full-sounding score and is a credit to Badelt.

Klaus Badelt's score to "The Time Machine" is one of those instances where I ended up liking the music better than the actual film (great special effects, but I wanted more story)and the score really helped the movie with it's striking theme, rich choral passages and piano. There are hints of Hans Zimmer's style in the score, so if you're a fan of any of his earlier work, you will like this score. Overall, this is a very enjoyable album complete with gentle love themes, pulsating choirs and rhythms and even a little bit of horror movie music. I'm looking forward to hearing more music from Klaus...

Never have I raced around so much to buy a soundtrack so much and now I know why. Each track brings classical themes that remind us of Emma, the Victorian age, the future, the Morlocks, but it's the Eloi #8 that sends me the shivers every time. The eerie and haunting vocals repeat again in "The Stone Language" and the final "Godspeed" - some soundtracks distance you from a movie if you're not watching it - this pulls you right back in. It's very distracting - in a fine way! You can see every scene played out before your eyes. A little longer and could this have been a Opus? A classical and operatic treasure! 10 stars!

I had never heard of Klaus Badelt until Gladiator came along. He provided some of the additional music in the film, along with others. This is his first major motion picture to score and it is an absolute thrill. The music is full of adventure, excitement, and themes that appear all over the place. The first theme is present in "Professor Alexander Hartdegen" and "I Don't Belong Here", among others. It is very similar to Jerry Goldsmith's score for The Edge, the first track. The second theme is found in "The Time Machine" and "Time Travel" among others. It reminds me of James Horner's work for The Rocketeer and other scores he did in the early 90s. The third theme is present in "Eloi" and "Stone Language". It doesn't remind me of anything. The first theme is a full orchestral smash complete with soaring strings and adventurous brass. It really stands out in "I Don't Belong Here" as it soars to the heavens with orchestral might. The second theme is a falling theme for strings and brass. The third theme is an African tribal theme complete with chorus and orchestra. It is the same kind of thing Hans Zimmer used in The Lion King, but it doesn't sound exactly like it. The rest of the music contains variations of these 3 themes along with some action music as well. "Morlocks Attack" is a huge action cue with a lot of electronic sounds present along with the driving orchestra. The first theme comes across in this track in a driving, pulsating fashion. The score is over 50 minutes long, which gives plenty of great music to satisfy the listener, and with music as good as this, you want even more. An awesome soundtrack and i'm looking forward to Klaus Badelt's music for years to come.

"The Time Machine" is one of my favorite movies. I've watched it many times and loved it each time. I also consider myself a conosouir of movie soundracks, and I collect them obsessively. I've always known that "The Time Machine" soundrack was excellent, but I never got around to buying it until now. When I listen to it, I get so many chills! I absolutely love this soundrack. Klaus Badelt is a musical genius!

This soundtrack, while appropriate for the film, also has a rich, smooth, haunting melody that is great to sit back and relax with. I very much enjoy listening to this soundtrack...