Customer Reviews

XXX [Original Motion Picture Score]

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

 

 

I saw XXX in the theaters. I didn't want to, but I did. Anyway, I actually enjoyed it. And I really did not expect the quality orchestration that was present in the movie. The music oozes an atmosphere of espionage. Without knowing where the music was from, the sounds alone conjure images of the hero(ine) stalking silently across a snowy courtyard unseen under cover of darkness. The violins that open the disc on "Prague Arrival" create a smooth sounding backdrop for the international spy in all of us. The music never imposes or bashes you over the head with its volume or intensity. My favorite piece has to be the very military sounding "Czech Cavalry." It is like a blissful combination of Hans Zimmer's The Rock (my favorite soundtrack of all time) and Harry Gregson-Williams's Metal Gear Solid 2 theme. The compositions create a mood of tension and urgency without being intimdating. I would recommend this score. After all, we can't all be spies...but with this score, we sure can feel like it.

Randy Edelman outdoes himself with this score to XXX. His characteristic writing style is present in almost every cue with lots of similarities to Hans Zimmer's writing style as in The Rock and possibly Backdraft. This is powerful and driving music with an attitude. For this score, Edelman uses much more percussion than his previous scores, giving the sound a militaristic and edgy feel. "Prague Arrival" features a violin solo that leads to a brass led motif. The theme for XXX is an 8 note horn motif that is similar to what you might hear in a Bond film. The score also contains lots of meaty brass and percussion punches in cues such as "Washington Searches For The Right Man", "In Xander's Zone", and "X Marks the Spot". The majority of the music is powerful action music with lots of mighty brass and powerful snare drums. "Motorcycle Assault" is a knockout action cue that blows you out of your seat, as well as several others. Some romantic music can be found in "Elena" and "A Kiss on the Rooftop" which contain a gentle piano theme. I wish there was more music than the 37 minutes that are on here, but I am still glad that this score got a release. Instead of the score finishing on a grand and booming finale, like you would expect, it instead fades out with the XXX theme played on piano in a quick techno like tempo. This is an action score that every fan of action music should own.

I'm sure I voice the opinion of many a soundtrack/score lover in expressing great joy when scores like this get released. All too often the "Music from and inspired by the movie..." so-called soundtracks get released, whilst leaving the real musical lifeblood unreleased.

Randy Edelman's score for xXx is just as pulsating, action-packed and just generally encompassing as the movie. Original use of french horn in the recurring theme first heard in the bridge jump particularly shows in "Washington searches...". Fans of the movie will also recognise the frequently heard chord progression 'slams' heard in a number of the tracks.

It is also good to see that it isn't all go. Gentler piano cues such as in "Elena" and "Your Eyes Give You Away" interrupt the action and create a nice sense of balance.

Overall this is an entertaining, fast-moving score that neatly summarises the movie musically. The key word here, I suppose, is fun. This isn't a score that takes itself seriously, and is unabashed in revealing its true purpose - that of entertainment.

This score is a must-have for fans of Orchestral action music, or for french horn players. The feature of the score is a breathtaking french horn solo, played in the movie while the hero jumps a sports car off a bridge in slow-motion. Randy Edelman even combines this with an electic guitar in one of the songs, to tremendous effect. The rest of the score is good, too.

The soundtrack for "XXX" is really good. Explosive action and seductive females abound. Randy Edelman doe an X-ellent job with the score for this X-Treme action blockbuster.

I'm always disappointed when I see a movie soundtrack made up of the rock music du jour -- especially for a movie like XXX. As I was watching the action, a part of my mind was taking in the score and loving every minute of it. When I went looking for the soundtrack, it wasn't for the rock. It was for the orchestral music. I had to look long and hard but I was ecstatic when I found it. Strong music for a strong movie.