After Earth
James Newton Howard
" Average album is only held together by its begin and end "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Many announce with each final movie of M. Night Shyamalan that it will be his last, but After Earth just could be it. After all, if you can't score a hit with Will Smith attached to it, what will? Ok, so fantasy might not mean much to the non Night fans anymore, but still Will Smith?! Sadly it didn't salvage the movie critically, but at least (thanks to the international market) it saved Night's career for the time being financially. And thank god it has, because for me most of Night's movies have been different but interesting and often strong character studies of a bunch of people during unbelievable situations, often highlighted by Night's take it or leave it cinematic slow style and James Newton Howard's never failing orchestral score. So, at least if the movie wasn't your thing, we could embrace James Newton Howard's music right?
Wrong. After Earth is hardly the winner it could and probably should have been. This score goes for instrumental uneasiness and ethnic rawness more than full on epic grandeur. The magical strength that was definitely one of the highlights of Snow White is also not on board here, showing After Earth needs to have it from its minutes of ideas and its occasional fantastic light scale epicn'ess.
It's weird because for me the album begins actually pretty promising. The Snow White sound sets the adventure on fire immediately in "The History of Man" with brief piano, dark percussion and unnerving brass, unleashing a 12 second moment (1.20) of genuine JNH brilliance. I know far too less, but in those 12 seconds it's like we're hearing the JNH of so many years ago. And at least the feeling continues in "I'm not Advancing You" (which gives us a nice string theme) and a typical cool moment for heroism in the duo pack "Pack your Bags" and "Leaving Nova Prime", all promising us some kind of enthusiasm for what's about to come.
But then like it wasn't meant to be, Howard starts playing the less is better method. Where's James Newton Howard of his masterful more is better adventurous path? Where is the man who delivered his films some of the most amazing epic adventure music (The Postman, Waterworld, Wyatt Earp)? Well, for most of the time it's nowhere to be found. The incredibly moody "Can you Ghost?", the atonal solo instrumental peeks of "Ship Tears Apart" and the eerie uneasiness of "Get me Into the Cockpit" draws its strength more from the colder harsher tones of scores such as The Happening than the bold fantasy tones of Lady in the Water and The Last Airbender.
In fact, JNH starts expanding upon the ethnic tone of Earth, the planet they now have crashed on. "Baboons" (the piano moment aside which does enlighten the cue tremendously) and the lack of excitement in the nonetheless rhythmic "Run to the Falls" or the ethnic "Nest Battle" clearly forgets to razzle dazzle us. Luckily there's a moment in the middle though, namely "The Tail", both on the anticipation scale as through the use of choir. Alas it's too short to remember it wholeheartedly.
In fact, most of James' magic comes from the piano playing, whether tied to a theme like in "Safety in the Fog Hole" and "Saved by the Bird" or whether creating the rhythm entirely in "Baboons". But it's not of the same magical beauty as in Snow White, for that the tone of the movie was too different to begin with. And the actual score from the middle to the end isn't that noteworthy either, brooding on ethnic encounters and uneasy solo violins more than they should. It's only in "Ghosting" (after a couple of minutes) and in the lovely but seriously awe lacking finale "After Earth" that we hear a glimpse of what could have been. Especially "Ghosting" has the honor of putting the theme finally in a heroic crowd pleasing way.
I'm sure After Earth will have its effect on screen, even more enhance the musical experience once you've seen it highlighting its nonetheless fantastic ideas here and there. But we have to honest too. This is the man who has enriched our films with some of the biggest magical moments of the past 20 years. I just heard The Postman again on screen once I saw the movie back after all this time on blu-ray. Now that's what filmmusic needs to sound like. I'm not saying it needed to sound like The Postman, I'm saying it needed that balance between The Postman's delicate softer music and The Postman's epic adventurous no holding back action, that scores like Signs, Unbreakable, The Village, Lady in the Water and The Last Airbender mastered. Here After Earth keeps playing on the low volume mood, highlighting eeriness, mood and unsettling dissonance with a lot of solo instruments instead of delivering an awe inspiring orchestral choral meld. And if it arrives on occasion it doesn't have the wow factor to blow me back to Nova Prime. Sorry, I'm harsh for James Newton Howard, but I have to be as well, he remains one of my last heroes of filmmusic and without his wonderful voice, filmmusic has lost a bit more of its charm. The 3 star rating it gets it thanks for the better begin and end, not for its incredibly dull middle.
Favorite Moment - Ghosting (2.28 - 3.07)
Finally JNH showing a glimpse of his magic when he gives the theme a heroic send off
Track Listing
1. The History of Man (2.22)
2. I'm Not Advancing You (1.28)
3. Pack Your Bags (1.41)
4. Leaving Nova Prime (0.48)
5. Can You Ghost? (2.10)
6. Ship Tears Apart (2.17)
7. Kitai Finds Cypher (1.19)
8. Get Me Into The Cockpit (1.36)
9. The Mission (1.31)
10. Baboons (2.52)
11. Kitai on Earth (2.56)
12. Four Vials Remain, Sir (1.11)
13. Run to the Falls (2.42)
14. Abort Mission (2.02)
15. Bird Attack (1.02)
16. Nest Battle (2.03)
17. Safety in the Hog Hole (3.42)
18. Saved by the Bird (0.52)
19. The Tail (1.41)
20. Dad, Are You There? (2.46)
21. Leech (2.59)
22. See the Peak (2.21)
23. Run to the Volcano (0.38)
24. Somewhere to Hide (1.22)
25. Chase Through the Cave (3.06)
26. Ghosting (4.45)
27. I Wanna Work With Mom (1.17)
28. After Earth (1.54)
Total Length: 57.23
Wrong. After Earth is hardly the winner it could and probably should have been. This score goes for instrumental uneasiness and ethnic rawness more than full on epic grandeur. The magical strength that was definitely one of the highlights of Snow White is also not on board here, showing After Earth needs to have it from its minutes of ideas and its occasional fantastic light scale epicn'ess.
It's weird because for me the album begins actually pretty promising. The Snow White sound sets the adventure on fire immediately in "The History of Man" with brief piano, dark percussion and unnerving brass, unleashing a 12 second moment (1.20) of genuine JNH brilliance. I know far too less, but in those 12 seconds it's like we're hearing the JNH of so many years ago. And at least the feeling continues in "I'm not Advancing You" (which gives us a nice string theme) and a typical cool moment for heroism in the duo pack "Pack your Bags" and "Leaving Nova Prime", all promising us some kind of enthusiasm for what's about to come.
But then like it wasn't meant to be, Howard starts playing the less is better method. Where's James Newton Howard of his masterful more is better adventurous path? Where is the man who delivered his films some of the most amazing epic adventure music (The Postman, Waterworld, Wyatt Earp)? Well, for most of the time it's nowhere to be found. The incredibly moody "Can you Ghost?", the atonal solo instrumental peeks of "Ship Tears Apart" and the eerie uneasiness of "Get me Into the Cockpit" draws its strength more from the colder harsher tones of scores such as The Happening than the bold fantasy tones of Lady in the Water and The Last Airbender.
In fact, JNH starts expanding upon the ethnic tone of Earth, the planet they now have crashed on. "Baboons" (the piano moment aside which does enlighten the cue tremendously) and the lack of excitement in the nonetheless rhythmic "Run to the Falls" or the ethnic "Nest Battle" clearly forgets to razzle dazzle us. Luckily there's a moment in the middle though, namely "The Tail", both on the anticipation scale as through the use of choir. Alas it's too short to remember it wholeheartedly.
In fact, most of James' magic comes from the piano playing, whether tied to a theme like in "Safety in the Fog Hole" and "Saved by the Bird" or whether creating the rhythm entirely in "Baboons". But it's not of the same magical beauty as in Snow White, for that the tone of the movie was too different to begin with. And the actual score from the middle to the end isn't that noteworthy either, brooding on ethnic encounters and uneasy solo violins more than they should. It's only in "Ghosting" (after a couple of minutes) and in the lovely but seriously awe lacking finale "After Earth" that we hear a glimpse of what could have been. Especially "Ghosting" has the honor of putting the theme finally in a heroic crowd pleasing way.
I'm sure After Earth will have its effect on screen, even more enhance the musical experience once you've seen it highlighting its nonetheless fantastic ideas here and there. But we have to honest too. This is the man who has enriched our films with some of the biggest magical moments of the past 20 years. I just heard The Postman again on screen once I saw the movie back after all this time on blu-ray. Now that's what filmmusic needs to sound like. I'm not saying it needed to sound like The Postman, I'm saying it needed that balance between The Postman's delicate softer music and The Postman's epic adventurous no holding back action, that scores like Signs, Unbreakable, The Village, Lady in the Water and The Last Airbender mastered. Here After Earth keeps playing on the low volume mood, highlighting eeriness, mood and unsettling dissonance with a lot of solo instruments instead of delivering an awe inspiring orchestral choral meld. And if it arrives on occasion it doesn't have the wow factor to blow me back to Nova Prime. Sorry, I'm harsh for James Newton Howard, but I have to be as well, he remains one of my last heroes of filmmusic and without his wonderful voice, filmmusic has lost a bit more of its charm. The 3 star rating it gets it thanks for the better begin and end, not for its incredibly dull middle.
Favorite Moment - Ghosting (2.28 - 3.07)
Finally JNH showing a glimpse of his magic when he gives the theme a heroic send off
Track Listing
1. The History of Man (2.22)
2. I'm Not Advancing You (1.28)
3. Pack Your Bags (1.41)
4. Leaving Nova Prime (0.48)
5. Can You Ghost? (2.10)
6. Ship Tears Apart (2.17)
7. Kitai Finds Cypher (1.19)
8. Get Me Into The Cockpit (1.36)
9. The Mission (1.31)
10. Baboons (2.52)
11. Kitai on Earth (2.56)
12. Four Vials Remain, Sir (1.11)
13. Run to the Falls (2.42)
14. Abort Mission (2.02)
15. Bird Attack (1.02)
16. Nest Battle (2.03)
17. Safety in the Hog Hole (3.42)
18. Saved by the Bird (0.52)
19. The Tail (1.41)
20. Dad, Are You There? (2.46)
21. Leech (2.59)
22. See the Peak (2.21)
23. Run to the Volcano (0.38)
24. Somewhere to Hide (1.22)
25. Chase Through the Cave (3.06)
26. Ghosting (4.45)
27. I Wanna Work With Mom (1.17)
28. After Earth (1.54)
Total Length: 57.23