Star Trek Composed by Michael Giacchino
Varese Sarabande Records (2009)
Rating:
6/10
Soundclips provided below by Amazon.mp3
On the one hand,
Michael Giacchino's score is undoubtedly entertaining to listen to
and displays his talents well enough, but on the other hand I can't
shake the sense that it's a lot of bold style without too much
substance.
Boldly Going...Nowhere New
Review by Marius Masalar
As the release date of the new Star Trek film loomed, I'll admit that I
was uneasy. Despite having mastermind J.J. Abrams at the helm, "Trekkies"
were faced with the prospect of a film that would not only tinker with the
history, but precede the narratives of the other ten films as well. A
prequel. A re-launch of the franchise. The last time something like this
happened to an established sci-fi universe of similar magnitude, we ended
up with Jar-Jar Binks.
Despite these worries, the film was very successful with critics due in
large part to the amazing chemistry and sharp performances of the cast.
Interestingly enough, Abrams himself is not a bona fide "Trekkie"; rather,
he is a more casual fan who worked with writers Roberto Orci and Alex
Kurtzman ("Trekkies" themselves) to create a more balanced film that could
be appreciated by a fresh audience too. As was expected, Abrams brought on
his right-hand man of music, Michael Giacchino, to provide the musical
score for Star Trek's rebirth.
Somewhere amid the exquisite visuals, charismatic cast, and questionable
science, there is a plot to be found. Albeit a shifty one with much time
traveling and a strangely angsty villain. In a break with Trek tradition
though, the antagonist is not, and indeed has nothing whatsoever to do
with, the Klingons. It doesn't really matter though, because there are
plenty of opportunities to see interesting planets, strange-looking
aliens, and even stranger starships including a Romulan vessel that
looks like a psychotic egg beater on a bad hair day. The Enterprise looks
wonderful in her spiffy "revised" depiction though. Happily, there is
actual substance behind the impressive visuals, it isn't just idle fluff.
The film is surprisingly character-driven, which is what made previous
films like The Wrath of Khan so enjoyable.
Musically, I am conflicted. On the one hand, Michael Giacchino's score is
undoubtedly entertaining to listen to and displays his talents well
enough, but on the other hand I can't shake the sense that it's a lot of
bold style without too much substance. Although, considering the direction
that film music has taken since Jerry Goldsmith sat down to score the
original Star Trek film, it would be unfair to judge Giacchino's score
against that one. Or indeed against most of the ones that came after it. I
recall a time not too long ago when film scores used to have more of an
individual identity, which is what I think Giacchino's effort here lacks.
Gone are the multi-thematic powerhouse scores, or the uniquely textured
ones. What we have left is a bold, mono-thematic showcase that is
serviceable and large in scale, but lacking in individuality. On the
bright side, it tries really hard and the effort pays off admirably within
the context of the film...it's just that divorcing the two no longer
produces the sophisticated and deeply satisfying listening experience of
its predecessors.
To be fair, one could actually pick out three basic motifs in the score.
The first, a bold fanfare that is introduced with the first track, "Star
Trek" (1), is an uncomplicated but rousing theme that gets plenty of
airtime throughout the score. It's very tempting to accuse the score of
being too centered on this theme, in fact, but the problem is only really
evident when listening to the album the film itself seems a lot more
balanced in its distribution of the motif. "Nailin' The Kelvin" (2), one
of the score's most captivating action tracks, is sadly under-mixed in the
film. It's energetic and reprises the above-mentioned theme in a slightly
modified form to fit the brisk tempo, as well as introducing Nemo's
menacing motif and a rhythmic figure that returns in later action tracks.
The second theme appears in "Labor of Love" (3) and serves as the
necessary emotional backdrop to a the introductory scene of the film. Its
soft nature belies the frantic and intense action that is happening on
screen, and the juxtaposition lends weight to the sequence. The first
theme jumps right back in "Hella Bar Talk" (4), lest we'd forgotten it
already or something. This particular cue is very well placed on the
soundtrack album though because it leads from the quiet and emotional tone
of the previous track into the mischievous and wildly entertaining
"Enterprising Young Men" (5), which is easily a highlight of the score.
Beginning with a building rhythmic figure in the strings (with a nod to
the original Star Trek synth figure gently floating on top), the cue
quickly escalates into a dramatic reprise of you guessed it the main
theme. What's most alluring about this track, besides the monumental
thematic statements, is the underlying sense of rebellious mischief that
so perfectly applies to Chris Pine's portrayal of the young Kirk. It ends
interestingly with nine orchestral hits that decrease in intensity so that
it almost feels like you're falling down a flight of stairs. In a good
way.
The third theme, which we heard briefly in the second track, makes an
appearance in "Nero Sighted" (6), where it is more fully developed and has
some more room to breathe. The strings perform a strangely loose-sounding
figure before a harp swirl brings Nemo back in the low brass. The rest of
the track dances on the line between tense but quiet underscoring and
frenetic action. "Nice to Meld You" (7) does anyone else love
Giacchino's track titles, by the way? continues the tension with a
steady build in complexity from a basic string ostinato. Sharp cymbal rim
shots accent the beats while the quasi-dissonant harmonic shifts give the
otherworldly feel needed to accompany the scene in the film, which
involves Spock, as the title suggests. "Run And Shoot Offense" (8) is a
fairly unremarkable action cue, but it's at least consistent with the tone
of the rest and leads nicely into the superior "Does It Still McFly" (9),
an excellent and emotionally weighty track with a quick reminder of the
main theme.
"Nero Death Experience" (10) is where Giacchino really starts to let loose
with the action scoring. A sizable choir joins the orchestra more
prominently, and the brass are simply grand. "Nero Fiddles, Narada Burns"
(11) brings the main theme back yet again and keeps the choir in the
forefront. At this point it's beginning to get tiring, but "Back From
Black" (12) returns us to the main theme (albeit with the trumpets
providing some counterpoint over top) following a squeaky string crescendo
at the start. After all that action and repetition of the main theme,
"That New Car Smell" (13) threw me for a serious loop on the album. First
of all, it's very soothing and quiet. And second of all, it features an
absolutely gorgeous solo on an Erhu (a type of Chinese violin-like
instrument). The presence of the Erhu in a Star Trek score was completely
unexpected, and yet somehow completely fitting for the Vulcans it
represents. Alas, it's over before you know it and it brings us to the
film's conclusion with the offer of a massive main theme reprisal.
And now things really get fun. After a very quick (and very familiar)
track to accompany the iconic and franchise-defining speech, "To Boldly
Go" (14), we come to the "End Credits" (15). If you enjoyed Alexander
Courage's original theme for the series and Giacchino's new themes, then
you are in for nine of the coolest minutes of your life. Giacchino pulls
out all the stops and gives us a glimpse of what this score could have
been, if only this same energy had been applied to the rest of the music
too. The ensemble performs brilliantly and one comes to really understand
Giacchino's choice of harmonic progression for his theme, after hearing it
superimposed over Courage's original in this track. Also, while it's
understandable that the tracks accompanying actual film footage would have
some quick transitions between sections and moods, the same excuse doesn't
work for this credits cue, and the strangely rough style of moving from
one part of the suite to the next was the only thing that really bothered
me about an otherwise extraordinary track.
In the end, Michael Giacchino's Star Trek is really more of a successful
homage to the great scores it follows rather than a great score itself.
The new theme that permeates every inch of the soundtrack is catchy
enough, but it's simple and underdeveloped it's a counterpoint line to
Courage's original. It's clever, but hardly substantial enough to stand on
its own with the same dignity. A giant orchestral ensemble only hides thin
writing to a certain extent, and the rest is laid bare for those who care
to listen past the fluff. Michael Giacchino's done a fine enough job, and
the score accompanies the movie very effectively, it just doesn't provide
the compelling listening experience that it could (and, with Giacchino's
abilities, should) have done outside of the film.
