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With quite a bit of
criticism levied upon the re-imagined offering of
Clash of the Titans, the film
pulls through to offer an entertaining popcorn adventure that rarely bores
and often entertains. Ironically, the critique of Ramin Djawadi's score
mirrors the feedback that the film received only the soundtrack might have
been bashed a bit harder than the movie... if you can believe that. In my
opinion, it's an unjust criticism on both fronts. The new Clash of the
Titans worked for me.
Ramin re-enters the
blockbuster movie scene and once again faces the same critics he had from a
couple of years back when his Iron Man
was score was enthusiastically bashed. While the music of Iron Man
wasn't an epic offering (it was never intended to be), it certainly was an
enjoyable enough venture for me and I felt that it worked just fine in the
film. With Clash of the Titans, Ramin
had a bit more freedom than he did with the Tony Stark saga and the results
are rock solid (but not due to Medusa's gaze).
The music took me to a bit
of a different place, one that ventures into the realm of Gods and Heroes,
and in all, captures the spirit of this movie quite well. There are multiple
themes employed, some dramatic while others heroic, and also a sense of
familiarity in its structure. It's this familiarity that can rub some people
the wrong way but I caution you - this is not a Remote Control replica that
some may have you believe; watch the movie, hear the music, see how it all
comes together.
Some of the scenes actually
pumped me up in a way that few summer blockbusters have in recent years. For
example, the build-up to and the scene proper involving the Scorpiox was
simply outstanding! Track 6, for those of you following at home, is the cue
for this scene in the movie and it's a genuine highlight for me (even has a
touch of arabic influences in there).
The one cue I would have
condensed on this soundtrack is Neal Davidge's contribution, which is the
longest track on the release. It's felt a bit too prolonged and didn't seem
to match up well with the rest of the material. In some other venue, it
would do well enough, but for me, it just felt out of place in this score.
Ultimately, one can find
quite a few high points in this score. Sure, it's been criticized quite a
bit by some, but I ask you to take a clean slate approach and give this one
a ride. Though you won't ascend to sit among the Gods, you'll come pretty
close. And perhaps that's the beauty of it all. Ramin Djawadi proves he can
tackle another type of blockbuster and composes an interesting, effective
score for Clash of the Titans.
Trust me, there are enough highlights to make it worth your time.
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