Monster Mutt Composed by Chris Walden
Promotional Release (2010)
Rating:
7/10
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“As stereotypical as
this score is, I can't really put my finger on why this album
doesn't feel more pedestrian to me. It would have been easy for this
music to fall back into a colorless background, but it doesn't.”
Cartoonish Warm Fuzzies
Review by Helen San
MONSTER MUTT is an independent, straight-to-DVD, slapstick family comedy
about a giant dog. Max is a family pet who was kidnapped and turned into a
monster dog as a weapons experiment by a nefarious laboratory. The French
translation of the title, "Honey, I Blew Up the Dog," says it all. The
only thing is, as an indie project, they didn't have a large special
effects budget. The giant dog is played by a guy in a dog suit. In this
day and age, that is quite a throwback. Perhaps "vintage" is another way
to describe this film.
Without the CGI that we are all spoiled on, the music has to really help
sell the story. And indeed, it does. CHRIS WALDEN is a German composer who
has worked mostly in German TV movies and series. He is a relatively
unknown composer in a relatively unknown movie. My expectations, to be
honest, were not very high. I quickly found MONSTER MUTT to be delightful
and inviting.
MONSTER MUTT is a straightforward, orchestral score of the family comedy
genre. I immediately thought of countless JOHN DEBNEY or DAVID NEWMAN
comedies that now blend into each other in my head. To be sure, MONSTER
MUTT is simple, with fewer instruments and layers than DEBNEY ever had.
But the result feels clean and uncluttered. It says what it means, and it
means what it says. If you read the track titles while listening to the
music, you know exactly what is happening. You don't even need to watch
the movie.
Main Titles (1) opens with a propulsive, ominous rhythm (no doubt
foreshadowing the "mad science" experiment) that quickly dissolves into
the main theme of playful piccolo, marimba, and triangles, with short
phrases of old-fashioned cartoon. It sets the tone for the movie and
leaves the audience with no doubt that this is not just a comedy, but a
comedy for kids.
A good many tracks in this score are cartoonish. You can hear the
slapstick and the tip-toeing, such as in Boy with Ice Cream (9), Broom
Fight (15), or Max Breaks Out (17). Maybe the music is a bit
xylophone-heavy, but it is appropriate for this type of film.
Mixed in with the cartoon is some seriously artful suspense as well, heard
in Max's Transformation (4), Noise from the Backyard (6), or Surprise
Visit in the Lab (8). A pleasant gem hidden amongst the suspense cues is
Fire Rescue (20), a dramatic action track that includes the synthesized
rhythms that I am partial to. Full of brooding nail-biting and heroic
theater, it packages a more grown-up depth and a nice contrast to the
aforementioned cartoon.
Looking for Max (2), which is later reprised (23), is a sweet, heartfelt
piano theme that is amongst the best on the album. I liked the quieter,
dramatic cues best, such as Dad Brought Pizza (5), Water (13), and Monster
Puppy (22). It is the kind of music that endears you to the characters,
even if you have only heard them and never seen them.
As stereotypical as this score is, I can't really put my finger on why
this album doesn't feel more pedestrian to me. It would have been easy for
this music to fall back into a colorless background, but it doesn't. None
of the tracks get less than three stars from me. The score seems carefully
crafted, as if there is no superfluous or wasted note. There are repeated
themes, but they do not feel repetitive. I can hear a lot of feeling and
energy, which reminds me of the emotion portrayed by romantic masters such
as Rachel Portman or Rolfe Kent. I am actually tempted to think of MONSTER
MUTT as a "PORTMAN/KENT-on-a-budget" or "DEBNEY-lite." Here is another
instance of wishing we could see what the composer can do with a bigger
budget or bigger screen.
MONSTER MUTT is a surprisingly likeable score that captures all the
different genres in a kid flick—and then some. It was an unexpected
pleasure to listen to, especially because it was so predictable. Because
there are no resounding themes, this may not be as enjoyable to new
soundtrack fans. But to old score nuts like me, it is nice to hear
something that has been done 10,000 times before, but is still poetic in
its own way.
