Avatar

James Horner

 
" James Horner in an Avatar body? Gives me the goosebumps! "

Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release

Apparently everything James Cameron touches turns into gold. The Terminator movie changed the science fiction genre, T2 broke the barrier of the special effects, and Titanic has amounted to revenues of titanic proportions. Meaning James Cameron was sorely missed the last couple of years. But now he's back with Avatar. You may, or may not accept the cliché love story at the centre of it all, but almost everyone will agree that Avatar has groundbreaking special effects, indestructible character development and an entertainment level that will appeal to almost any fan of blockbuster movies. And during the making off, one James Horner took a year of his life to write the filmmusic for the Na'vi's.

We have discussed long and hard about the fact James Horner took a year of his life to write something original, while he has always been accused of being a hack of his own work. I never expected James Horner to reinvent himself here, I never did. In fact I always accepted the rips as long as it worked inside the context, and as long as it was sporadically used. So I was ready for anything.

The biggest criticism however came on the fact Avatar sounded remotely Zimmer like. I don't understand this. There are (and I quote there are) moments were a Zimmer influence or theme comes flying through, but for me Avatar is 100% Horner in style and sound. Secondly, it is the score I wanted it to be like. Yet while it perfectly fits inside the context of the story, I still think the Avatar album has a few glitches that hurt the final rating of the blockbuster score of 2009.

While the movie practically opened with the now overtly familiar four note danger motif, the album opens with ethnic vocals, percussion and yes the 4 note motif, all packed in a mysterious environment as we've yet to understand that Pandora isn't Kansas any more. Near the dramatic end lies a fragmented first statement of the Avatar theme.

It wasn't until "Jake Enters his Avatar World" that I was sold during the movie, and a part of me thinks the same way about the album. It is here where Horner unleashes his familiar tricks, shakuhachi, percussion and an upbeat finale where he states for the first time his main theme, the way it is supposed to be heard. The use of piano only excels the feeling of Jake realizing he can finally run again. This of course is a trick Horner has done before in A Beautiful Mind, Bicentennial Man and Searching for Bobby Fisher.

Considering Jake is now entering an unknown world, the score centres the attention on the mysteriousness of the planet, this in "Pure Spirits of the Forest". During the introduction with Neytiri, Horner states another lovely main theme statement that's interrupted when the Na'vi's surround Jake, taking him to Hometree. Sadly there's a theme that's presented here that's never heard of again, which I think is sad.

At Hometree, once the Na'vi realize Jake isn't a threat to their existence, they teach him the ways of the Na'vi', and it is that which unleashes the wonderful main theme statements in "The Bioluminescence of the Night" and "Becoming One With the People / Becoming One With Neytiri". In the latter choir and an emotional link is made towards the better Horner love themes (the Braveheart one especially).

The real test for Jake lies ahead in "Climbing Up Iknimaya / The Path to Heaven", going now for an all out Mighty Joe Young approach, complete with vocal singing, percussion and for me one of the most wonderful Avatar theme statements (with enchanting choir) of the entire score. The Mighty Joe Young singing (you can call it another theme by now) joins the main theme in "Jake's First Flight", as we await the typical Horner magical send off in the middle of the cue. The attacking sequence that follows after the flight is sadly not present on disc.

Luckily the score is becoming more and more dangerous as we have passed the 3 month deadline. In "Scorched Earth" it is then also a bolder Avatar theme statement that is thrown at us, meaning much more heroic and I like it a lot. The same goes for the bombastic end of "Quaritch". However the explosive "The Destruction of Hometree" is surely the most dramatic one. The actual demise of the tree is underscored by dramatic choral writing (accented by the 4 note danger motif), and for once it is allowed.

The track however that totally blew me away in the movie (apart from the whole war cue) was and is "Gathering all the Na'vi Clans for Battle". It is here where Horner goes from a soft opening to a full blown choral climax, unleashing even in the midst of all this a Gladiator theme statement (the trumpets surrounding this almighty mix are nonetheless straight from the Horner cannon). It is for me the best possible track of the entire disc, this because it has closure and totally delivers the climax it builds towards.

That can't be said about "War". Despite being an all out absolute bombastic track (stating the gathering theme of the previous track and trumpet calls straight out of The Red Canvas), it forgets to state about 20 minutes of the entire war music. It especially focuses on the climatic (typical James Cameron) ultimate battle sequence between Jake and Quaritch, and it is surely gripping and damn exciting action music. The 5th to 8 minute are absolutely stunning. The action fades down after that, as it states the soft Avatar theme and the returning emotional connection theme of track 5. Sadly and I think this destroys the effect of closure is that the main ceremonial hymn and transcendence to the Avatar body is absent at the end, giving you a damn fine cue that ends without stating the whole main climax. This to my utter disappointment.

The song that follow this anti climax will be loved and hated for all the right and wrong reasons. I love the song because it uses the theme I love, but it doesn't fit with what you've just encountered during the 162 minutes (and 75 minutes on disc). Here I think is where Horner's music should have grown to this song, giving you the time to leave the Pandora atmosphere.

In the end it are these glitches that take down a rating. In the movie there are no glitches (at least not for me), but when an album begins so well by setting down an atmosphere, it is sad it throws you out of Pandora immediately once the album reaches the final Horner cue. If we would have been given the time, it would have made the song much more appropriate as well.

Secondly there are moments (and damn fine moments) that are missing from the album. Of course an 80 minute album can't present the entire picture the way a 162 minute movie can. So there were bound to be moments you would end up missing in the album for sure. And of course a 25 / 30 minute track of the War material would have thrown a lot of material out of the window. But this is the event of the final 5 years folks. This is the LOTR of this time and it should have delivered us more material. I'm pretty sure a "More Music from Pandora" will be thrown upon us real soon, but it doesn't take away there's material missing that's vital to the score's potential.

Finally the fact it ends the disc without the ceremonial hymn is for me like ending a score without a climax, it is that last percentage that's needed to end the movie (and score) with a fulfilling bang. But these are quibbles, vital quibbles for me, minor quibbles for others. And it are those quibbles that will decide your overall impression of this soundtrack. For a composer who has been given a year to work something out, Avatar will disappoint you through it's unoriginal sound. But like I've said it before, I never expected anything else. And that's why I think Avatar still pushes all the right buttons, despite a glitch here and there.

Tracklisting

1. You Don't Dream in Cryo (6.08)
2. Jake Enters his Avatar World (5.22)
3. Pure Spirits of the Forest (8.49)
4. The Bioluminescence of the Night (3.37
5. Becoming One With the People / Becoming One With Neytiri (7.40) Excellent track
6. Climbing Up Iknimaya / The Path to Heaven (3.12) Excellent track
7. Jake's First Flight (4.47)
8. Scorched Earth (3.29) Excellent track
9. Quaritch (4.59)
10. The Destruction of Hometree (6.42) Excellent track
11. Shutting Down Grace's Lab (2.45)
12. Gathering all the Na'vi Clans for Battle (5.11) Excellent track
13. War (11.18) Excellent track
14. I See You (Theme from Avatar): Leona Lewis (4.20) Excellent track

Total Length: 78.57
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(total of 113 votes - average 4.19/5)

Released by

Fox Music / Atlantic 521681-2 (regular release 2009)

Conducted by

James Horner

Orchestrations by

James Horner, J.A.C. Redford, Jon Kull, Nicholas Dodd & Gary K. Thomas