The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Michael Giacchino
" Look: It's a Plane, no it's a Dinosaur. No it's Michael Giacchino! "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
The year 1999 offered us some kind of revelation, for both the community of computer games and for composer Michael Giacchino. People embraced the man quickly when they heard Medal of Honour (some called it the music Saving Private Ryan never had). But we can't forget Michael went on the orchestral path before all that, when he scored Small Soldiers and The Lost World (both the video games). Of course making an assumption is one thing, thinking you're getting MOH every time is another.
When I received the package, one thing clearly stood out to me. The tracks. Not the number of tracks but the running length of the tracks, and that was bothering me. Basically they need to be 2 minutes long every single time. It is like Michael had a time frame and he couldn't cross it, more he couldn't develop. Whatever he was trying to create, it had to be double the pace and half the development.
You know what the beauty of Medal of Honour was? Time, time to develop and build on ideas, thereby constructing tunes and themes that unleashed some kind of emotion. Here it is rushed, leaving you with the assumption it all needed to be quick and painless.
But let's look at the bright side. The score itself delivers five central episodes (Sarah Harding / Velociraptor / T-Rex / Human Hunter and Compy) and each one has a central theme that Giacchino uses and arranges. Sarah Harding's theme, let's call it the main heroic theme sounds somewhat like a half constructed Nazi / Hero theme, but it is surely the best theme of the entire selection. It offers quite some entertaining moments in "Into the Trees" and "San Diego".
The Velociraptor theme is more rapid, surrounding mayhem in "The Forest Explodes" and in "Break for Freedom" amongst others. The T-Rex theme is a short 3-note motif and it is heard during "Base Camp Rampage", "Welcome Mr. T-Rex" and at the begin of "San Diego". The other 2 themes aren't that memorable at all.
Of course we notice various other things. For instance the fourth track "The Canyon Brigade" uses a clever variation of John Williams' Nazi theme of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (remember the track "No Ticket"), while Danny Elfman surely has an attentive influence in "The Sulfur Fields".
But there's no escaping the lesser points as well. There's not enough material if one compares it with his other video game music, and there's no development due to the short length of all the tracks. And of course don't think you can compare this with the musical film version of The Lost World. But it doesn't take away you start to like the main themes of each episode, and in their respected form they get the job done.
Altogether this changes a thing in your impression. By accepting it, you enjoy it a whole lot more. There's no rest for the wicked, because Giacchino starts cooking diner right away. And this leaves you with one bombastic cue after another. But it is decent and fun, with various moments of little Giacchino magic. And in the end everyone will have picked out one amazing cue (I pick the first one). So if you're looking for the best of the best, you won't find it here. But if you're accepting anything, then The Lost World will give you everything.
Tracklisting
1. Into the Trees /// Sarah Harding (2.10) Excellent track
2. The Forest Explodes /// Velociraptor (2.04)
3. Base Camp Rampage /// T-Rex (2.20)
4. The Canyon Brigade /// Human Hunter (2.16)
5. Beneath the surface /// Compy (2.06)
6. The Sulfur Fields /// T-Rex (2.11)
7. Laboratory Hunt /// Velociraptor (2.05)
8. Climbing the Tower /// Human Hunter (2.11)
9. Aisle of Giants /// Compy (1.58)
10. Dinosaur Graveyard /// Sarah Harding (2.20)
11. Welcome Mr. T-Rex /// T-Rex (2.19)
12. Break for Freedom /// Velociraptor (2.10)
13. Volcanic Fault /// Human Hunter (2.12)
14. The Plains /// Compy (2.02)
15. San Diego /// Sarah Harding (2.07)
16. The King's Lair /// T-Rex (2.07)
17. Raptor Wasteland /// Velociraptor (2.16)
18. Enter Carefully /// Human Hunter (2.17)
19. Primordial Forest /// Compy (16.52)
Total Length: 56.15
When I received the package, one thing clearly stood out to me. The tracks. Not the number of tracks but the running length of the tracks, and that was bothering me. Basically they need to be 2 minutes long every single time. It is like Michael had a time frame and he couldn't cross it, more he couldn't develop. Whatever he was trying to create, it had to be double the pace and half the development.
You know what the beauty of Medal of Honour was? Time, time to develop and build on ideas, thereby constructing tunes and themes that unleashed some kind of emotion. Here it is rushed, leaving you with the assumption it all needed to be quick and painless.
But let's look at the bright side. The score itself delivers five central episodes (Sarah Harding / Velociraptor / T-Rex / Human Hunter and Compy) and each one has a central theme that Giacchino uses and arranges. Sarah Harding's theme, let's call it the main heroic theme sounds somewhat like a half constructed Nazi / Hero theme, but it is surely the best theme of the entire selection. It offers quite some entertaining moments in "Into the Trees" and "San Diego".
The Velociraptor theme is more rapid, surrounding mayhem in "The Forest Explodes" and in "Break for Freedom" amongst others. The T-Rex theme is a short 3-note motif and it is heard during "Base Camp Rampage", "Welcome Mr. T-Rex" and at the begin of "San Diego". The other 2 themes aren't that memorable at all.
Of course we notice various other things. For instance the fourth track "The Canyon Brigade" uses a clever variation of John Williams' Nazi theme of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (remember the track "No Ticket"), while Danny Elfman surely has an attentive influence in "The Sulfur Fields".
But there's no escaping the lesser points as well. There's not enough material if one compares it with his other video game music, and there's no development due to the short length of all the tracks. And of course don't think you can compare this with the musical film version of The Lost World. But it doesn't take away you start to like the main themes of each episode, and in their respected form they get the job done.
Altogether this changes a thing in your impression. By accepting it, you enjoy it a whole lot more. There's no rest for the wicked, because Giacchino starts cooking diner right away. And this leaves you with one bombastic cue after another. But it is decent and fun, with various moments of little Giacchino magic. And in the end everyone will have picked out one amazing cue (I pick the first one). So if you're looking for the best of the best, you won't find it here. But if you're accepting anything, then The Lost World will give you everything.
Tracklisting
1. Into the Trees /// Sarah Harding (2.10) Excellent track
2. The Forest Explodes /// Velociraptor (2.04)
3. Base Camp Rampage /// T-Rex (2.20)
4. The Canyon Brigade /// Human Hunter (2.16)
5. Beneath the surface /// Compy (2.06)
6. The Sulfur Fields /// T-Rex (2.11)
7. Laboratory Hunt /// Velociraptor (2.05)
8. Climbing the Tower /// Human Hunter (2.11)
9. Aisle of Giants /// Compy (1.58)
10. Dinosaur Graveyard /// Sarah Harding (2.20)
11. Welcome Mr. T-Rex /// T-Rex (2.19)
12. Break for Freedom /// Velociraptor (2.10)
13. Volcanic Fault /// Human Hunter (2.12)
14. The Plains /// Compy (2.02)
15. San Diego /// Sarah Harding (2.07)
16. The King's Lair /// T-Rex (2.07)
17. Raptor Wasteland /// Velociraptor (2.16)
18. Enter Carefully /// Human Hunter (2.17)
19. Primordial Forest /// Compy (16.52)
Total Length: 56.15