Real Steel
Danny Elfman
" Will hold out for a couple of rounds. "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Real Steel punched audiences silly with its new look at boxing. In this film based in part on the 1956 short story "Steel" by Richard Matheson, boxing has changed everything. Now robots are battling each other in packed arenas, and fights depend on the armory rather than the stamina of the fighters. Charlie Kenton's robots are always losing, that is until his son and him find a boxer who might have the stamina for it, that is if Charlie teaches the boxer a few lessons in return. And needless to say Real Steel did what it supposed to, it fought its way towards a box office success, no small part due to Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo and Evangeline Lilly's performances and matching chemistry.
For the music, director Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum 1 & 2) didn't went for his usual collaborators Christophe Beck and Alan Silvestri, but for unusual underdog Danny Elfman. Elfman has been doing diverse projects for a while now, and when listening to Real Steel one will not immediately hear Danny's voice in it, which for better or worse will please or displease a lot of people. On the other hand, Real Steel's to the point and fairly straightforward, making it also a lot easier to like.
The score is divided into several parts. We have the acoustic and electric guitar moments ("On the Move", "Into the Zoo", "Get in the Truck" and "You Deserve Better") that are literally scattered across the score, we have the occasional choral and vocal performances that add some emotion and Elfman magic to the arena ("Why We're Here", "Safe with Me" and "Bonding") and then we have the more heroic counterparts that are bursting with percussion, beats and heroic fanfares ("Meet Atom", "Atom Versus Twin Cities" and "Final Round"). Watch out for that last one, having enough heroism at a breakneck speed to suggest what kind of ending we'll have of a movie. In all fairness, they're very accessible and will not linger in the mind for too long. On the other hand, for Elfman standards it might not be such a bad thing at all.
So Real Steel is not such a demanding score, but it does make for an entertaining listen. Danny Elfman has scared some people with his occasional quirky scores, but Real Steel is not that at all. On the contrary, it's straightforward and it barely contains his usual voice (only the use of choir hints us of his presence). Plus I see this score working very easily inside the movie, and from what I've read the movie's quite the straightforward winner too. So, why do it difficult if one can be thoroughly entertaining and easy instead?
Tracklisting
1. Charlie Trains Atom (1.59)
2. On the Move (2.39)
3. Into the Zoo (1.02)
4. Why We're Here * (0.55)
5. Meet Atom (3.18)
6. It's Your Choice (1.28)
7. Safe With Me (2.58)
8. Atom Versus Twin Cities (3.12)
9. ...For a Kiss (0.56)
10. Get in the Truck (1.13)
11. Bonding (2.02)
12. Twin Cities' Intro (1.20)
13. Parkway Motel * (1.48)
14. This is a Brawl (1.49)
15. You Deserve Better (4.03)
16. Into the Ring (1.12)
17. Taking a Beating (1.34)
18. Final Round (6.54)
19. People's Champion (2.06)
* featuring vocal by Poe
Total Length: 42.28
For the music, director Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum 1 & 2) didn't went for his usual collaborators Christophe Beck and Alan Silvestri, but for unusual underdog Danny Elfman. Elfman has been doing diverse projects for a while now, and when listening to Real Steel one will not immediately hear Danny's voice in it, which for better or worse will please or displease a lot of people. On the other hand, Real Steel's to the point and fairly straightforward, making it also a lot easier to like.
The score is divided into several parts. We have the acoustic and electric guitar moments ("On the Move", "Into the Zoo", "Get in the Truck" and "You Deserve Better") that are literally scattered across the score, we have the occasional choral and vocal performances that add some emotion and Elfman magic to the arena ("Why We're Here", "Safe with Me" and "Bonding") and then we have the more heroic counterparts that are bursting with percussion, beats and heroic fanfares ("Meet Atom", "Atom Versus Twin Cities" and "Final Round"). Watch out for that last one, having enough heroism at a breakneck speed to suggest what kind of ending we'll have of a movie. In all fairness, they're very accessible and will not linger in the mind for too long. On the other hand, for Elfman standards it might not be such a bad thing at all.
So Real Steel is not such a demanding score, but it does make for an entertaining listen. Danny Elfman has scared some people with his occasional quirky scores, but Real Steel is not that at all. On the contrary, it's straightforward and it barely contains his usual voice (only the use of choir hints us of his presence). Plus I see this score working very easily inside the movie, and from what I've read the movie's quite the straightforward winner too. So, why do it difficult if one can be thoroughly entertaining and easy instead?
Tracklisting
1. Charlie Trains Atom (1.59)
2. On the Move (2.39)
3. Into the Zoo (1.02)
4. Why We're Here * (0.55)
5. Meet Atom (3.18)
6. It's Your Choice (1.28)
7. Safe With Me (2.58)
8. Atom Versus Twin Cities (3.12)
9. ...For a Kiss (0.56)
10. Get in the Truck (1.13)
11. Bonding (2.02)
12. Twin Cities' Intro (1.20)
13. Parkway Motel * (1.48)
14. This is a Brawl (1.49)
15. You Deserve Better (4.03)
16. Into the Ring (1.12)
17. Taking a Beating (1.34)
18. Final Round (6.54)
19. People's Champion (2.06)
* featuring vocal by Poe
Total Length: 42.28