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There are movie scores that become timeless classics because they have the ability to work both as a musical background that accompanies the activities on the screen and as a stand alone album with rich melodies/harmonies that can be enjoyed like a Wagnerian opera. John William's Star Wars, David Arnold's Stargate, and Basil Poledoiuris's Lonesome Dove are examples of these. Those that enjoy classical music and who may have never even seen the movie can pop those CDs in, close their eyes, and the music can take them anywhere. I wish all movie soundtracks could be like some of those but they aren't. In my opinion, it seems like many of the older film scores have a better chance of being successful on both of these fronts. But in actuality, movie scores are made primarily to supplement the activities on the screen. I can imagine when a composer is creating a score for a movie, they are thinking first and foremost about what would be best for the film...not track seven on the CD. Now I have to agree, I don't understand why some film composers don't seem to focus a lot on stand out themes within their music and I have to agree that this particular score doesn't really contain that much in that area in the traditional sense. As was stated by other reviewers, you do hear a segment of the original Robocop theme in track three "Title Card" and it sounds great. I wish too that Bromfman would have incorporated this more into other areas of the score. Maybe he only wanted to give an appreciative nod to Poledouris and do it is own way or it could be because of royalties and other legal/money issues.
So, what kind of score do we have here for this latest version of Robocop? It is indeed filled with more modern electronically produced sounds and effects. The composer's choice to use these do make a lot of sense...I mean after all, the movie is about a Robocop. There are a lot of pulsating electronic ticks and static like effects that are at work here and they effectively help to create a futuristic environment for the movie. There are themes in the score but, as I previously mentioned, they are not given to the listener in a traditional sense such as Poledouris's original score. Here, we find a more rhythmic theme that repeats itself throughout the score. It is not as recognizable because it does blend into the background of the other effects that are going on. This seems to be a common practice with many scores today especially those incorporating a lot of the more modern orchestral effects and instruments. The sound here created by Bromfman tends to be a lighter superhero sound. The orchestration, rhythm, and electronic ticks/pops are all airy and clean. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Paul Leonard-Morgan's "Dredd" soundtrack is another futuristic score that is more hard edge and dirty. It successfully creates a "I'm going to smash your face in" kind of sound to it. There is no doubt that Bromfman's score works for the film. It isn't a noisy soundtrack that only contains non-sensical action music. The score contains all of the emotional needs for the movie and there are certainly some stand out parts that are fun and exciting to listen to. I do wish it could of contained a really awesome stand out melodic theme that could of repeated itself throughout the score but for what we have...I am pleased. I've never heard of Pedro Bromfman before and if this is his first big gig, I think he has done a great job and I look forward to hearing more of his work and seeing him evolve as a score composer. I've enjoyed listening to this soundtrack and I hope other's will find it entertaining as well.
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