The Last Airbender
James Newton Howard
" James throws a bit of fire on the sinking ship of Night "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Considering the last few M. Night Shyamalan movies have been unanimously hated by the main critics and crowd, it was apparently time for something different. The director decided to leave his own ideas behind, going for the first time ever instead for an already known story. Considering he loved the world and ideas of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the director got to dream of making a feature film adaptation of the animated series.
Of course as the story goes, even a take on something that has millions of fans didn't stop the world from literally destroying The Last Airbender movie. It even threatened to end the future career of the director at a specific time. But whatever your view on the motion picture is, as always some things were unanimously praised. It isn't a coincidence that one of them turned out to be James Newton Howard's score.
Marking the 7th collaboration between the director and composer, I at least hope Shyamalan keeps on directing. Not only do I still appreciate and love most of the movies he's made so far, it also gives us some of the finest James Newton Howard material of the past 10 years. The question was only, could it ever equal his finest achievement yet? It was time to see the sings.
Considering the movie deals around the four elements (water, fire, air and earth), it is not illogical that James delivers a sound for each element in the end. Air is heightened by the flutes and chimes, water flows due to the strings, earth receives the rumble through the percussion and trumpets breath life into the fire. In the end, it makes it the most entertaining part of the score, to see whether you hear each elemental version during the entire listen.
We open however logical enough with the end credits, and whether this was intentional or not, it delivers us a theme that we'll never hear again. So that lovely orchestral theme (completely Stargate like in tone) is heard during the begin, while an atonal at times middle part and a powerful percussive reply near the end deliver us the rest of the material. The track is not an exact representation of what you'll receive during the rest of the score, but it does fuel the experience a little bit.
It is in fact the second track "Earthbenders" that introduces us to the first main theme's performance. Being a mere two note theme, it is introduced to us on a gentle growing manner, before the earth's percussion lets it erupt into the trailer theme we remember of the teaser of the film. Either way, the theme is oh so simple and yet oh so spectacular. In "The Avatar has Returned" it is briefly even supported by a soft choir.
Perhaps the most interesting track of all is "The Four Elements Test" which releases all 4 sounds for each specific element. Opening with chimes and ethnic flutes (air), it moves later on with the dreamy strings (water) to the percussive reply (earth). The end finally moves to an orchestral variation of the two note main theme (fire). The cue itself may not deliver something memorable, it is nonetheless a testament that James Newton Howard seems to discover depth in a Shyamalan picture, while critics and audiences struggle to discover it.
The track "Journey to the Northern Water Tribe" covers a nice orchestral version of the main theme and a lot of sinister string writing (air), but it is the wonderful string work in "Hall of Avatars" that introduces us to the second theme of the film, one that will get a new meaning near the end of the album.
Waterworld influences dare to enter "The Blue Spirit", delivering a percussive answer to the action version of the main theme (which was also heard in the first track). And after this it is nothing but orchestral momentum for sure. In "The Spirit World" a suspenseful mood is unleashed (delivering also this score's first suspenseful version of the main theme) all the while "We Could be Friends" unleashes the action version, string wonders, percussive blasts and a great main theme performance.
And the finale doesn't let the material go to waste too. The adventurous first part, soft strings climax later in "We Are Now the Gods" is only an appetizer for the wondrous final track. Not only does it deliver us the second theme's most glorious send off ever, it also brings us the wonderful main theme over whirling strings. Luckily for you trailer nuts, the final minute and a half is spend on giving us the entire trailer music of the teaser. It is truthfully a track that eclipses everything, and yet shows us immediately what the rest is missing.
You see, what The Last Airbender has aplenty of is ideas and potential, what is scarcely delivers and amplifies in the final track is the thematic coherency. The second track has it, the sixth track has it, the final one shows us how it's supposed to be done instead. It makes The Last Airbender a score that is wonderful to digest, and yet harder to appreciate on a listening experience. This is sad because every element was on board to make this another firecracker, and perhaps the movie will elevate the experience after a while. Either way, once again do we receive James Newton Howard material that's entertaining, interesting and potent enough to write a review about it. The only question is now, will it be the final time we'll do it for a M. Night Shyamalan movie? I hope not, not for the music and not for the sings.
Tracklisting
1. Airbender Suite (11.17)
2. Earthbenders (5.54) Excellent track
3. The Avatar has Returned (4.43)
4. The Four Elements Test (5.31)
5. Journey to the Northern Water Tribe (4.02)
6. Hall of Avatars (3.40)
7. Prologue (2.43)
8. The Blue Spirit (7.17)
9. The Spirit World (5.19)
10. We Could be Friends (4.09)
11. We Are Now the Gods (5.47)
12. Flow Like Water (6.33) Excellent track
Total Length: 66.46
Of course as the story goes, even a take on something that has millions of fans didn't stop the world from literally destroying The Last Airbender movie. It even threatened to end the future career of the director at a specific time. But whatever your view on the motion picture is, as always some things were unanimously praised. It isn't a coincidence that one of them turned out to be James Newton Howard's score.
Marking the 7th collaboration between the director and composer, I at least hope Shyamalan keeps on directing. Not only do I still appreciate and love most of the movies he's made so far, it also gives us some of the finest James Newton Howard material of the past 10 years. The question was only, could it ever equal his finest achievement yet? It was time to see the sings.
Considering the movie deals around the four elements (water, fire, air and earth), it is not illogical that James delivers a sound for each element in the end. Air is heightened by the flutes and chimes, water flows due to the strings, earth receives the rumble through the percussion and trumpets breath life into the fire. In the end, it makes it the most entertaining part of the score, to see whether you hear each elemental version during the entire listen.
We open however logical enough with the end credits, and whether this was intentional or not, it delivers us a theme that we'll never hear again. So that lovely orchestral theme (completely Stargate like in tone) is heard during the begin, while an atonal at times middle part and a powerful percussive reply near the end deliver us the rest of the material. The track is not an exact representation of what you'll receive during the rest of the score, but it does fuel the experience a little bit.
It is in fact the second track "Earthbenders" that introduces us to the first main theme's performance. Being a mere two note theme, it is introduced to us on a gentle growing manner, before the earth's percussion lets it erupt into the trailer theme we remember of the teaser of the film. Either way, the theme is oh so simple and yet oh so spectacular. In "The Avatar has Returned" it is briefly even supported by a soft choir.
Perhaps the most interesting track of all is "The Four Elements Test" which releases all 4 sounds for each specific element. Opening with chimes and ethnic flutes (air), it moves later on with the dreamy strings (water) to the percussive reply (earth). The end finally moves to an orchestral variation of the two note main theme (fire). The cue itself may not deliver something memorable, it is nonetheless a testament that James Newton Howard seems to discover depth in a Shyamalan picture, while critics and audiences struggle to discover it.
The track "Journey to the Northern Water Tribe" covers a nice orchestral version of the main theme and a lot of sinister string writing (air), but it is the wonderful string work in "Hall of Avatars" that introduces us to the second theme of the film, one that will get a new meaning near the end of the album.
Waterworld influences dare to enter "The Blue Spirit", delivering a percussive answer to the action version of the main theme (which was also heard in the first track). And after this it is nothing but orchestral momentum for sure. In "The Spirit World" a suspenseful mood is unleashed (delivering also this score's first suspenseful version of the main theme) all the while "We Could be Friends" unleashes the action version, string wonders, percussive blasts and a great main theme performance.
And the finale doesn't let the material go to waste too. The adventurous first part, soft strings climax later in "We Are Now the Gods" is only an appetizer for the wondrous final track. Not only does it deliver us the second theme's most glorious send off ever, it also brings us the wonderful main theme over whirling strings. Luckily for you trailer nuts, the final minute and a half is spend on giving us the entire trailer music of the teaser. It is truthfully a track that eclipses everything, and yet shows us immediately what the rest is missing.
You see, what The Last Airbender has aplenty of is ideas and potential, what is scarcely delivers and amplifies in the final track is the thematic coherency. The second track has it, the sixth track has it, the final one shows us how it's supposed to be done instead. It makes The Last Airbender a score that is wonderful to digest, and yet harder to appreciate on a listening experience. This is sad because every element was on board to make this another firecracker, and perhaps the movie will elevate the experience after a while. Either way, once again do we receive James Newton Howard material that's entertaining, interesting and potent enough to write a review about it. The only question is now, will it be the final time we'll do it for a M. Night Shyamalan movie? I hope not, not for the music and not for the sings.
Tracklisting
1. Airbender Suite (11.17)
2. Earthbenders (5.54) Excellent track
3. The Avatar has Returned (4.43)
4. The Four Elements Test (5.31)
5. Journey to the Northern Water Tribe (4.02)
6. Hall of Avatars (3.40)
7. Prologue (2.43)
8. The Blue Spirit (7.17)
9. The Spirit World (5.19)
10. We Could be Friends (4.09)
11. We Are Now the Gods (5.47)
12. Flow Like Water (6.33) Excellent track
Total Length: 66.46