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Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
is next in the long line of book titles reaching the big
screen. Much like the manner in which Harry Potter got rolling, Christopher
Columbus is the director behind this first installment and as a welcome
surprise, Christophe Beck earned the scoring assignment. Christophe staked
his claim in scoring shows on the small screen, along with a few projects
here or there in theaters, and had not quite gained the plum opportunity
that could help him leap to the next plateau of mainstream composers. With
The Lightning Thief, he has a full-blown blockbuster opportunity and
it's a chance that is well deserved. Did he take advantage of it?
Yes he did. The
Lightning Thief is a grand, old-fashioned orchestral score that
invokes fresh ideas, classic themes, and a superior depth than what
we have been used to from the industry in recent years. I can tell
you that the score is reminiscent of Jerry Goldsmith's adventure
music, a style that we had yet to revisit since his passing as the
traditional tunes of yesterday have given way to a familiar, modern
studio sound. I am so pleased to hear the magic of the orchestra
return through Christophe's work here!
Given that this is
the first movie in a planned series, Christophe's approach is
interesting to take note of here, specifically with how he
grounds the main theme. When I first heard it, I thought it to
be substantial and worthy of carrying a film, but I also notice
that it is a theme that is set for expansion. Christophe gives
us a sense that a journey is taking root and there is more to
come but he also satisfies the needs of the picture at hand.
Such technique required complicated precision to pull off, but
he was successful in doing so. This again points to how
talented composers can be relied upon to write music in a
storytelling format, relying both on skill and feeling alike.
I also mention
this score's depth - it doesn't simply go from point A to point
B, there are secondary motifs and counterpoints busy at work
here as well. Much for the same reasons that I enjoy the work
of John Williams, Christophe keeps the background fare
interesting even when a primary motif is at the forefront. I
find this also helps the repeat listening engagements since a
basic track with only a foreground melody to guide it can tire
quickly.
The only reason I
fail to give The Lightning Thief a perfect rating is due
to a fluke occurrence; elements of the main theme reminded me of
excerpts from David Arnold's, The Musketeer. Try as I
could to separate the two, it proved to be a bit too difficult
to do so. I am hoping future listens will help me provide a
barrier between the two. With that, there is literally nothing
else I can critique about this score. I highly recommend you
purchase it and get a head start on what will eventually check
in as one of 2010's top scores. Christophe Beck's exciting score
for the Percy Jackson saga is available as a digital download
release only from Universal Music Group.
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