Customer Reviews

Twilight Saga: Eclipse the Score

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Twilight movies have each been unique films, each one having a different director. The scores for the movie are similar, each having a different composer. But while the directors of the franchise have at least paid some respect to the others' work, the three composers have each given their own take on the music of Twilight and haven't done much to create stylistic consistency.

Carter Burwell's score incorporated pop music elements and was effective in that it catered to Twilight's core audience even if the music was sometimes structurally weak. Alexandre Desplat created a more traditional, classical score that was influenced by the recurring "Romeo and Juliet" motif in the film. He just about completely ignored Burwell's music, and while his own material was thematically strong, it was often borderline nebulous and it didn't do much for me in the actual film, particularly in scenes that were supposed to be emotionally dramatic.

Now, Shore has ignored both of these composers' thematic material but has effectively combined their approaches, making a score that can be pop-ish and rock-ish at times (like the piano theme in "Compromise/Bella's Theme" and the electric guitar in "Victoria") but also provides some much-needed straight orchestra writing (the romantic music in "First Kiss" or the action cue "Riley").

Noteworthy is that Shore manages to do two things that Burwell and Desplat never managed: 1) make music that actually effectively conveys vampires and werewolves and 2) create themes for some of the side characters. Those two elements were lacking in the first two Twilight scores.

Shore goes from dark, pounding action music to carefree character writing without missing a beat. In the film, the score is able to subtly enhance the moods on screen (although there are no standout musical sequences), and it makes for a decent listening experience on album, although it probably won't reach the heights of your "25 most played" list.

Overall, Burwell's score might satisfy some Twilight fans the most and Desplat probably has the most refined score but Shore's balanced approach is effective and his mastery of his craft is evident. One could only wonder what would have happened if any one of these competent composers had been able to handle the franchise at large, rather than just single entries.

I was very surprised to see the rating for this soundtrack. I thought for sure that this disc, everyone would agree that it was the best out of the three. So, intrigued, I clicked on a one star review, and then read the rest. And I noticed a theme throughout all of them. They seemed to go back to New Moon's score and talk about one thing, the title track "New Moon."
Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE that song. It's haunting, memorable, and blends the strings brilliantly. But really, that's the only song on that disc that I truly enjoy listening to.
The Eclipse Score, on the other hand, has an entire list of songs that I will continually listen to. In the more romantic songs, "First Kiss," which to me blends strings and horns wonderfully, and "Imprinting," seems to have this innocence to the music that's hard to describe.
In the more dramatic songs, "Riley," and "Victoria," top that list. An honorable mention goes to "The Battle," because I love the drum pattern in that one.
So let those who want their one song theme, have their one song. I, on the other hand, love the entire disc of Eclipse.

Howard Shore did a superior job with the score for Eclipse. He capsulated the feelings of sorrow, joy, love, death, and fear throughout the songs incorporating music from the soundtrack as well. This soundtrack is, in my opinion, as good as the Twilight score. The music flows smoothly and there is no jump in style as there was in New Moon's score. Truly a wonderful cd to listen to for ambience, traveling, or just in the background. Wonderful!

We all know Howard Shore is a genius! He simply reminds us again of his genius in this score of eclipse. His multi-layering and crecendos are pure magic. My favorite one, though, is the final song - the way he leads us to the vocal part of the song is so inspiring. I would recommend it to everyone who loves the Twilight Saga.

Beautiful music, never disappointing when it comes to the selection of music for the Twilight Saga's. I totally recommend this CD and all other CD's pertaining to this world wide phenomenon! Just AWESOME.

Loved it! Listen to it in the car on my commute to work. So do my kids who listen to it alot at home, too. Worth the money to us.Especially the last song on the cd (Horward Shore). Wish he would have done more than just that one song but he was responsible for the whole score track I understand, in putting it together. Nice job, Howard!

I have purchased every soundtrack that accompanies each of the Twilight Saga movies. I have never purchased the score for any movie, until now. The Mountain Peak scene was riveting, mainly due to the music. The camera angles, the visual background, everything was perfectly timed thus creating a sense of anticipation and purpose. In the past there has always been a piece from the score on the soundtrack. I wish they had selected the Mountain Peak for the soundtrack. It really is a great piece.

While I personally found Desplat's "New Moon" far more emotional and beautiful... I have to hand it to Howard Shore. He's done a masterful job telling a story with this score. Fans of the loud and thematic "LoTR" scores will likely be confused when they tune into the dark and minimalist rumblings of this music... but they will be immersed. That's what this piece of music is about. Complete immersion.

Technically, I really appreciated Shore's use of exotic percussion, subtle synth accents and timid strings. The whole soundtrack is just extremely pensive and edgy. Love it!

As you listen you can see the actors performing the various scenes. More of a classical nature than the soundtrack.

I enjoy the music. I also love the Series. I love the instrumental music. I also love the songs in the movie.