Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse

It's a strange fact, but it's the curse of a composer who must work with the little budget he receives. Hearing Mark McKenzie's no doubt orchestral powerful intentions in an all electronic package. There is no doubt there's quality in Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse, but it's either the lack of knowledge of delivering a synthesized soundtrack (no fault of Mark McKenzie here) that leaves the score a bit to be desired, or just my problem of not accepting it as a score to be seen by its strengths and weaknesses (simply because it fails to deliver the emotion, power and quality equal to an orchestra's potential). Anyway, there's always looking at the themes that support it, but apart from a wonderful upbeat theme, the ideas don't always come out that smoothly through a synthesizer.

Meaning, especially the suspenseful and dark material is not justifying the long length of this soundtrack. The score's full of them too, leaving the middle especially open for uninteresting minutes. The upbeat theme of "Jousting Final Test to Knighthood" and "Shadow Hopping" is surely fun to hear, the orchestra would have given true exquisite emotion to "One Rejected Knight" while playful heroism is enlightening moments in "Smoke Trick Rescue" and "Like a Thorny Vine". And to be truthful, the ending does deliver quite on the epic scale. Though again, lacking in strength where an orchestra and choir could have knocked it out the ballpark, the power does take it up a notch in "Clans Arrive for War" (powerful sampled choir here) and "Battle to the Death". And let's not forget Edelman's soaring Dragonheart theme popping up in various tracks, though never unleashing the same kind of magic as in his score. Of course there is the incredible exception "Final Victory and End Credits". Boy does the theme receive a version here to be reckoned with. Equally up the task is Mark McKenzie's own theme of Dragonheart 2 in all exquisite orchestral colors. Yes, the final minutes are taken from the score Dragonheart 2, showing immediately the difference between a real orchestra and an electronic replacement. It's no doubt the track that gives this film the magical quality it probably doesn't deserve.

All in all, it's a shame we have to hear Mark McKenzie in restricted territories, considering we don't hear too often of him in the first place. But better this than not at all. Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse has moments that would have given us soundtrack fans a taste of the epic Mark McKenzie voice. And even if alas it wasn't meant to be orchestrally, some of the cues do deliver a smile on my face, and should warrant your attention if you can look passed the 'what if' scenario that constantly plagues my mind. Because it would have given so much more if it was just allowed to deliver all those ideas in flying orchestral color. A score that no doubt would have received a higher rating, IF ...

Favorite Moment - Final Victory & End Credits (3.44 - 9.56)
Though the upbeat theme is the original winner of the score, we have to say holy hell where does the quality of those minutes come from?

Track Listing

1. Clans Stirred To War (4.55)
2. Jousting Final Test to Knighthood (1.56)
3. Pay Up! (1.29)
4. One Rejected Knight (3.14)
5. The Poor Are First to Suffer and First to Help (4.32)
6. Dragon and Eggs Discovered (3.49)
7. Shared Heart * (4.13)
8. Show Us This Dragon (1.59)
9. Follow Me (1.03)
10. First Attack (1.21)
11. Gareth On Fire (2.31)
12. Smoke Trick Rescue (4.40)
13. Like a Thorny Vine (1.34)
14. Bathing Beauty (2.23)
15. Shadow Hopping (1.46)
16. Wrong Assumptions (0.20)
17. Desires Can Spoil a Dream and a Heart (2.39)
18. A Knight Is Sworn to Valor * (7.04)
19. Honor Is In Their Every Word (0.49)
20. Goodbye My Friend * (2.34)
21. Clans Arrive For War (4:.1)
22. Battle to the Death * (6.42)
23. Final Victory and End Credits * (9.56) Excellent track

* includes Dragonheart theme composed by Randy Edelman

Total Length: 76.00