Unbreakable (Film Score) [Soundtrack]

James Newton Howard (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 21, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Hollywood Records
• ASIN: B000051Y2K
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,164 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new beginning for James Netwon Howard, October 28, 2004

By 

Strategos "The Guardian of Time" (In Space above Planet Earth) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Unbreakable (Film Score) (Audio CD)

The first time I noticed a musical score by James Newton Howard was his excellent orchestration for The Fugitive. He seemed to be able to capture the dark, scary, gritty feel of a big city at night perfectly with his music. You got the feeling like the whole world was out to get you. Unbreakable though, seemed to usher in a whole new echelon for him...

You might best describe the musical score for this excellent film by saying that it is (like the film it is taken from) half real and half imagination. The main theme, Visions, feels half like a dark superhero theme and half like some of the good music for the fugitive, where the cold reality is waiting to grab you.

The themes of the villain Elijah and Audrey similarly have a strong pull. Elijah's themes feel halfway between a sad story of a person living on the dark side of life, and half the creepy machinations of a potential monster. The love themes and hero themes (which you hear at the end of Visions and The Orange Man, as well as in Carrying Audrey) to me suggest the feeling of seeing something surreal happen right in front of you (as if you saw an ordinary person save someone's life in a feat of superhuman strength before your very eyes).

I have always felt that the best movie music is composed when the person creating it has a good movie to inspire them. In this case it seems even moreso. The film is remarkably silent much of the time, so when there is music it needs to be powerful indeed. And it is. When I listened to the score for the first time, a Blindsided made my heart skip a beat, and I could swear the some of the hero themes were making me teary-eyed.

Unlike many soundtracks released in the United States today, this one appears to be complete, and free of remixes, altered tracks, and needless repitition. I could listen to this one from beginning to end without stopping and not be bored for an instant. I can't say that about many soundtracks (in fact, the only one I can think of besides this is the orginal Star Wars soundtrack). This just might be James Newton Howard's best score ever. It definitely broke new ground for him and paved the way for future great works like his score for Peter Pan. There's some strong music, some moving music, and some breath-takingly beautiful music here. It's my favorite score by James Newton Howard, and definitely a required purchase for fans of his music (or fans of classic movie scores in general).

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING!!, January 20, 2002

By 

Michael Crane (Orland Park, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unbreakable (Film Score) (Audio CD)

Next to "Memento" and "Fight Club", "Unbreakable" is one of my favorite movies. One of the main reasons why I loved the movie so much was because of the eerie and haunting music score. It was very hard to find, but I have finally purchased the soundtrack, and I don't regret it one bit.

Very much like the "Memento" soundtrack, I have listened to this CD many times. I really enjoy listening to it; and I usually don't care about music scores on movies. This is one of those really unique soundtracks that really allows you to relive the movie as you listen to each haunting track. The best one is the theme of the movie, which also happens to be the one where Bruce Willis is at the train station. There are no songs by actual bands, just the music composed by James Newton Howard, who proves to be an excellent composer.

If you love the music to the movie, get this soundtrack as soon as possible! It's very hard to find, so chances are that you'll have to order it from somewhere. Next to "Memento," this is one of the best soundtracks to a movie ever made. Get it while you still can, and relive "Unbreakable" through its eerie and beautiful music. A must-have if you love the movie.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars James Newton Howard has done it again!, February 17, 2001

By 

"meenderman" (Eden Prairie, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unbreakable (Film Score) (Audio CD)

I received this CD two days ago, and much to the annoyance of my roommates, I have not been able to stop listening to it. Quite often I'll get stuck on a particular CD I have just purchased (Moby's "Play," David Gray's "White Ladder," and Radiohead's "Kid A" come to mind) and end up listening to it constantly for days and weeks to come--but rarely is my choice for repeated listenings ever a musical score. Now, I like to think of myself as an amateur collector of scores, but rarely do I ever listen to them with my roommates--usually my scores are reserved for either homework, relaxing or when they're out around campus. However, Howard's score for "Unbreakable" is amazing. It has so many different elements; the big-beat infused "Visions"--the rousing and recurring theme found later throughout the score (which is worth the money alone, in my opinion), the orchestra-driven theme surrounding Elijah and his fragility, and David's growing understanding and acceptance of his abilities--namely during "The Orange Man" and "Carrying Audrey". Bring these elements together, and you have Howard's best work to date. I used to think "Snow Falling On Cedars" was his best (although they are extremely different, both are poignantly emotional), and even "Dinosaur" and his first effort with M. Night Shyamalan bare mention. But it is for this score that I feel Howard deserves the most kudos. It takes a powerful effort--especially when it's a score--to overcome my preferrences for more mainstream music. "Unbreakable" is addictive, and I only look forward with even more anticipation for the video release of the exceptional film--don't let the comic-book inspired plot deter you from viewing Shyamalan's sophomore effort. At least then you'll be able to listen to Howard's gorgeous accompanying score.

[Note to buyers: Listening to this score will require you to turn up your volume on your stereo, for the quieter tracks are pretty low, but this makes "Visions" and "Unbreakable" all the more powerful. I know this probably isn't all that interesting--or all that essential, for that matter--but it might be something to take into consideration.]