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When directed the original
X-Men in 2000, Brian Singer´s long time collaborator, composer/editor John Ottman, was involved with its
own diretorial
debut, Urban Legend 2. Singer then had to find another professional for the
film, and the music was commited to Michael Kamen (Lethal Weapon,
Brazil). The finished product was considered average at its best (in
fact when X-Men
was released the reviews pointed its
soundtrack as one of the weakest points of the film), with discrete
themes and electronic accompaniment for the action scenes - they say
following instructions from Singer himself. Anyway Kamen´s score had
some virtues but they were not enough to fulfill the film demands. But when production started in X-Men 2 Singer had Ottman available, who
studied all the critics from that previous work and, meticulously, made everything to follow opposing directions
from Kamen´s.
For start
he assembled a great orchestra that did not include any electronic instrument. After that
he created a thrilling theme to symbolize the heroics and the fight of the
mutant
heroes, which incorpores a vibrant dynamics to the score. The disc of
X-Men 2 with its 60 minutes in lenght is a more than satisfactory representation of Ottman´s workmanship, and as
usual in commercial releases it does not present the tunes in chronological order, since the composer
selected them to privilege a more satisfying listening experience. The album
starts strongly with "Suite From
X2", where the motifs and bases of the
score are introduced: the main theme, the chorus, a majestical theme that symbolizes the
faith in a world
free from prejudice against the mutants (fully developed in "Finding Faith") and
an appealing material dedicated to the villainous Magneto (best heard in" Magneto's Old
Tricks").
In
the next tracks we can enjoy all the merits from the ambitious Ottman music,
but they start as well to evidencing what seems to be its bigger flaw. If
there is an aspect where this score is weaker than Kamen´s X-Men, it is in the one of
originality. Part of the exuberancy in Ottman´s music for X2 comes
from diverse origins, and the listener stays with the clear impression it
doesn´t have a "proper voice". Maybe it was Ottman´s intention in first
place - to adopt influences or references from composers who already had
created remarkable efforts in the genre. Ottman previously composed for productions with
lots of suspense and action (Eight
Legged Freaks and Lake Placid),
but this is the score where the composer really go deep in the style.
We can find in his music perceivable shades from Elliot Goldenthal,
Danny Elfman and even from Christopher Young. We could include among
them even the "father" of some of these composers, Jerry Goldsmith, and the percussion
in "Mansion Attack" remembers a lot Lalo Schifrin.
But it would be unfair to say that Ottman´s own style inexists
here. The emphasis in the human drama present in his previous works is
also easily perceivable in tracks like "Goodbye", "We're Here You the
Stay" and in the main theme. In another level, many disappointed
listeners will miss in the album the musical representation from one of
the strongest moments of the film: the attack of the mutant Night
Crawler to the White House. For this scene Ottman adapted the Mozart
cantata "Dies Irae", but sadly the piece was not included in the disc
due some problems with copyrights. In short we have an album which its
hour of music passes quickly, thanks to thrilling tracks and creative
orquestration resources, as the brass and vocal effects in "If You
Really Knew".
Above all, Ottman created a score that possesses enough
qualities to be heard apart from the loud sound effects from the movie, leaving us
with its mark.
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