The Forbidden Kingdom by David Buckley

The Forbidden Kingdom Composed by David Buckley Promo Release (2008) Rating: 8/10 *Not yet available for purchase   China Begins (329 kb) Tea House Fight (359 kb) China Ends (359 kb)

The Keys to the Kingdom
Review by Christopher Coleman

For martial-art film fans, THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM has been a dream come true. Even beyond their prime, Jet Li and Jackie Chan are still tops in the business. For this Lions Gate release, the two play iconic roles: a monk and a drunk respectively. They become the co-masters of a young, displaced Bostonian, Jason Tripitakas. Not only is Jason in the wrong place, but he's in the wrong time...and universe. The young, kung-fu-film-fanatic, has come to possess a golden-staff, that legend says, was once owned by the mythic Monkey King. Before being deceived and imprisoned by the sinister Jade Warlord, the Monkey King hurled his staff from his world into ours - awaiting the time when "the chosen one" would find and return the staff to him; thereby setting him free. Jason begins his quest with the prized staff in hand and along the way is joined by the monk, the drunk, and a young girl bent on vengeance against the same Jade Warlord who murdered her family. THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM doesn't quite live up to some of Asia's top Wuxia films but is easily the best effort I've seen come a Hollywood studio in a very long time.  It is a well-rounded film that doesn't take itself too seriously which allows for a wider palette of emotions than normally expected for such a film.  To keep pace with frenetic action sequences, fantastic settings, romantic flirtations, and sporadic humor, newcomer-composer, David Buckely was hired to pen the score.

David Buckley has come a long ways from his days as a choir-boy in the United Kingdom. Traveling a road that lead through Cambridge University, as both student and later professor, Buckley longed for more than the composing of high-brow, post-modern pieces could deliver. Writing scores for many television documentaries and British commercials, he eventually connected back with an old acquaintance, composer HARRY GREGSON-WILLIAMS. That working relationship lead to THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM for Buckley as composer with Gregson-Williams as the score's producer. Serendipitously, it was a rejected piece of music, from another project, that was a key  in opening the door to THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM - a piece that eventually became a part of this score.

THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM contains satisfying helpings of both Eastern and Western styles and instrumentation. It is always a treat when a composer gets this particular blend right and such is the case here. This score is founded upon a 7-note main theme, which is used to represent each of the four heroes of the story. Upon closer listening, it becomes clear that there is some variation of this hero-theme in nearly every track. Some occurrences are subtle, covertly tucked away amidst more aggressive instruments, so it's use is hardly overbearing or tiresome. Instead, Buckley's clever employment keeps the listener, if only subconsciously, entertainingly engaged with the story and characters from start to finish. One hardly notices this hero-theme as the erhu performs it at the onset of track 1 "The Dream." In fact, this motif provides the backbone for the action sequence at the conclusion of the track, as well.  Additionally, we hear the motif reverently plucked on the guzheng in "Temple Fight" (5). As we progress through the story, the hero-theme becomes fuller and performed with greater depth until we reach the pinnacle-performance at the conclusion of track 17 "China Ends."

While the heroes are each represented by the main theme, there are more thematic treasures to be found in THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM.  Jason, as the central figure, has a secondary theme (somewhat akin to the core of BATMAN BEGINS) that accompanies his more determined, moments of action. It's heard as early as track 3 "Boston, China Town" and finally in "China Ends" (17). The tragic character of Sparrow is represented by two additional motifs. The most identifiable is a beautifully bittersweet melody, which is of a tone that composer Tan Dun mastered in the film HERO. Doubling as the romantic-line of the score, Sparrow's theme is found most brilliantly in track 13, "Boy Becomes Man" and track 16 "Her Destiny was Written." This mythical interpretation of the land of China is given it's own eloquent theme; heard prominently at both the beginning and end of the score. In much the way that Tan Dun gave life to the Green Destiny (sword) in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, David Buckley does for the magic staff of the Monkey King. A yearning, simple motif played on erhu is heard throughout the score but most clearly at the onset of "The Dream" (1) and in "Legend of the Staff" (6).

The villains of the story are represented in equally entertaining fashion. The Jade Warlord is dually represented by an ominous ascending progression (see "Bride Fight" (15)) and a seductively innocent theme we hear as Jason finally reaches the Warlord's palace in "Boy Becomes Man" (13). Finally, one of the biggest surprises in this score comes as Buckley pays homage to Ennio Morricone in his brief statement for the Witch Bride - performed on the electric guitar (see "Tyranny of War" (9)).  This would make the second such nod to Morricone in recent memory, as Hans Zimmer and company did so in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END.

Considering the budgetary constraints on THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, both the director, Rob Minkoff, and composer David Buckley have done an epic job. It would be oversimplifying things to call THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM a simple mashup of TAN DUN and HARRY GREGSON-WILLIAMS, but such a statement would admittedly have at least a modicum of truth to it. Let it be known though, that there is much more to appreciate than such a description implies. What is required for full-appreciation of the composer's handiwork is much more than a single viewing of the film or even one or two casual listens of the soundtrack. Composer David Buckley brings his own considerable talent to the project, infusing more diversity than most Tan Dun score's offer and a degree of vibrancy that Gregson-Williams seldomly chooses to touch. There have been a number of notable movie critics and fans alike who have been pleasantly surprised by THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM. I count myself among them, as well as among those who call this an early, pleasant surprise of 2008.  With this effort, David Buckley has surely found the keys to the kingdom and will hopefully be a fixture in the film music world for many years to come.

*At the time of the authoring of this review, negotiations for an official release are nearing completion. Stay tuned for more information on a release date.

Rating: 8/10

Track	Track Title	Track Time	Rating
1	The Dream	1:42	****
2	The Peach Banquet	1:45	****
3	China Begins	4:11	****
4	Boston, China Town	3:06	***
5	Temple Fight	5:34	***
6	The Legend of the Staff	1:58	****
7	Two Tigers	2:49	****
8	Tea House Fight	5:07	*****
9	The Tryanny of War	5:23	****
10	Don't Forget to Breath	0:52	****
11	Peach Blossom Battle	3:36	****
12	Drunken Master Wounded	3:39	***
13	Boy Becomes Man	5:05	*****
14	Heroes Enter	2:37	****
14	Bride Fight	3:00	***
14	Her Destiny Was Written	4:12	*****
14	China Ends	2:45	*****
14	Kung Fu Legends	1:35	****
	Total Running Time (approx)	59 minutes