“Powell
produces an energetic ride that the series has needed from day one.
Drawing on his special powers at percussion manipulation, patented
brass-bursts and hyptnotizing string-work, JOHN POWELL daringly gives the
X-Men series even more musical life than his predecessors.”
|
Ka-Men, OttMan, and
POWell!
Review by Christopher Coleman
 The X-Men has become one of the most
successful Comic-to-Film franchises of the new millienium. With the first two
films each doing more than "well" at the box office, the third installment
was virtually ensured to be a success. And with director Bryan Singer
returning, fans could breathe a sigh-of-relief...and with, presumably,
composer John Ottman returning with him, film music fan's could do so as
well.
And then when, seemingly, the world was at peace... BAZZZOOOOM!
What would a world of superheroes be
without an unexpected twist of fate?
In a swap like few others, directors
Bryan Singer and Brett Ratner eventually exchanged their film projects:
X-MEN: THE LAST STAND and SUPERMAN RETURNS respectively. Marvel to
DC and DC to Marvel? In the comic universe, it is "the unthinkable."
And yet the saga continued...Would Singer's side-kick, OttMan, remain with
the mutants or defect to the kryptonian moviescape? The answers lie
just ahead!
After a long battle of submerged
negotiations, it was revealed that OttMan would remain faithful to Singer
and take the musical reigns of the man of steel. Still later it would be
made known to all who dared to care, that another composer would fill
the vacant chair in the X-Jet next to director Brett Ratner.
5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1...PHAZZZZIIIIINNNGGGGGGG!
Before the full tale is told on the new
captain and helmsman of the X-Men franchise, let us go back into issues
past that we might see the full design of this unforgettable tale...
In 2000, the X-Men movie
took flight with a less-than-stellar-effort from composer MICHAEL KAMEN
who had replaced Ottman. Kamen's most significant contribution was
his maintenance of the recognizable X-Men theme, which he wrote for the 90's
animated series on Fox television. Three years later in 2003, the
OttMan
was back with Bryan Singer on X2...and to the delight of the innocent
onlookers, infused the X-MEN: UNITED score with new life through his super
motif-ier mind technique. But
alas...the mutants' next adventure would be supported by a new
member...known simply as POWell - the mild mannered JOHN POWELL to most of
the world.
He has become known throughout the
galaxy as one of the most versatile composers of the era. He has
conquered drumlines, ice ages, big, green trolls, secret agents both those
who have secret identities and those that have forgotten their identities,
mob men, terrorists...and even that evil genius, Gigli.
For X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, Powell delivers the most intense and multifacted score of the three.
Ranging from the introspective opening "20 Years Ago," to the romantic,
"Whirlpool of Love" and "Skating on the pond," to breakneck "Dark
Phoenix's Tragedy" and "Shock and No Oars," John Powell matches
director Brett Ratner beat for beat.
This time out, Michael Kamen's X-Men theme
does not make an appearance. The theme is teased a number of
times, but is never quoted. Instead, Powell places the theme under
his radioactive viso-ray. By so doing he generates his own main
theme that, while not as
distinct as Kamen's original, maintains its general character and feel.
(Of course the studious may find a correlation to yet another superhero
theme from, none other than,...shhhh... the ElfMan.)
From the Ka-Men to OttMan and now
POWell, the X-men franchise has, musically speaking, taken a positive
stride with each film. Powell
produces an energetic ride that the series has needed from day one.
Drawing on his special powers at percussion manipulation, patented
brass-bursts and hyptnotizing string-work, JOHN POWELL daringly
gives the X-Men series even more musical life than his predecessors. For the mere mortal, one
listen through may not overly impress, but with successive listens the
nuances of the score become a delight.
|
Track |
Track Title |
Track Time |
Rating |
|
1 |
20 Years Ago |
1:10 |
**** |
|
2 |
Bathroom
Titles |
1:09 |
**** |
|
3 |
The
Church
of
Magneto,
Raven is
My Slave
Name |
2:40 |
*** |
|
4 |
Meet
Leech,
Then
Off
to
the
Lake |
2:37 |
*** |
|
5 |
Whilrpool
of
Love |
2:04 |
**** |
| 6 |
Examining Jean |
1:12 |
*** |
| 7 |
Dark Phoenix |
1:28 |
*** |
| 8 |
Angel's Cure |
2:34 |
*** |
| 9 |
Jean and Logan |
1:39 |
*** |
| 10 |
Dark Phoenix Awakes |
1:45 |
*** |
| 11 |
Rejection is Never Easy |
1:09 |
*** |
| 12 |
Magneto Plots |
2:05 |
*** |
| 13 |
Entering the House |
1:18 |
*** |
| 14 |
Dark Phoenix's Tragedy |
3:18 |
**** |
| 15 |
Farewell to X |
0:30 |
**** |
| 16 |
The Funeral |
2:52 |
**** |
| 17 |
Skating on the Pond |
1:12 |
**** |
| 18 |
Cure Wars |
2:57 |
**** |
| 19 |
Fight in the Woods |
3:06 |
**** |
| 20 |
St. Lupus Day |
3:03 |
**** |
| 21 |
Building Bridges |
1:16 |
*** |
| 22 |
Shock and No Oars |
1:15 |
**** |
| 23 |
Attack on Alcatraz |
4:36 |
**** |
| 24 |
Massacre |
0:31 |
*** |
| 25 |
The Battle of the Cure |
4:20 |
*** |
| 26 |
Phoenix Rises |
6:29 |
**** |
| 27 |
The Last Stand |
6:29 |
**** |
| |
Total Running Time |
60:26 |
|
|
