Transformers: Age of Extinction
Steve Jablonsky
" The Transformers sound is getting extinct "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the download only release
The Transformers are back in town, still under the command of master destroyer Michael Bay but with a new cast ready to defend them. Financially the Transformers continue to rule the box office, but critically the movies are slowly fading away. I haven't seen the film, and I'm not gonna see it until it reaches blu-ray format. But if the score is anything to go by, I'm not expecting the world of it.
Honestly, the whole score is a bit of a disappointment. Especially when comparing it with the previous Transformers scores. There was criticism about 2 and 3, but those are definitely better if you compare it with this one. There is a moment that a Transformers theme returns (Optimus Prime's theme in "Have Faith Prime" and the Autobots theme in "The Legend Exists"), but it's barely a footnote. Because the rest is really nothing to remember it by. Honestly, I wasn't expecting the beauty and coolness of the first one, but a defining moment like the "Freeway Chase" of Transformers 3 was definitely do able. And that is totally absent here. Perhaps the biggest problem is the fact that the trailer theme of Two Steps From Hell (Freedom Fighters) makes an appearance once again (heard this year as well in Castlevania 2), but much more blatantly ripped off here in various cues (most notably "Dinobot Charge"). A bad guy theme makes an appearance as well for Galvatron, but it's not enough for a recommendation. Horn of Doom statements aplenty of course (an electronic enhancement of it anyway), but new interesting music alas not so much. It's all Transformers approachable, but definitely not everlasting.
All in all, what Transformers: Age of Extinction lacks is the beauty and coolness of the first score, and the occasional rollercoaster cue of Dark of the Moon. There really is no invention here, and maybe this will be enough for the die hard Transformers fan. But will it be enough if you already consider yourself to be a bit of a connaisseur of film music? For me it is definitely not enough, and another weak example of how big blockbusters tend to deliver the biggest disappointments.
Favorite Moment - ?
Really nothing remotely special
Track Listing
1. Decision (4.20)
2. Best Thing That Ever Happened (2.06)
3. I'm an Autobot (5:.06)
4. Optimus is Alive (2.17)
5. Cemetery Wind (5.53)
6. His Name is Shane and He Drives (5.17)
7. Hacking the Drone (2.05)
8. Transformium (3.24)
9. Galvatron is Online (1.56)
10. Your Creators Want You Back (3.26)
11. The Final Knight (4.07)
12. Punch Hold Slide Repeat (2.12)
13. The Presence of Megatron (2.51)
14. Galvatron is Active (4.13)
15. Have Faith Prime (1.29)
16. Hong Kong Chase (1.43)
17. The Legend Exists (1.16)
18. Dinobot Charge (6.37)
19. That's a Big Magnet (2.51)
20. Drive Backwards (2.05)
21. Honor to the End (5.18)
22. Leave Planet Earth Alone (3.47)
23. The Knight Ship (3.21)
Total Length: 77.40
Honestly, the whole score is a bit of a disappointment. Especially when comparing it with the previous Transformers scores. There was criticism about 2 and 3, but those are definitely better if you compare it with this one. There is a moment that a Transformers theme returns (Optimus Prime's theme in "Have Faith Prime" and the Autobots theme in "The Legend Exists"), but it's barely a footnote. Because the rest is really nothing to remember it by. Honestly, I wasn't expecting the beauty and coolness of the first one, but a defining moment like the "Freeway Chase" of Transformers 3 was definitely do able. And that is totally absent here. Perhaps the biggest problem is the fact that the trailer theme of Two Steps From Hell (Freedom Fighters) makes an appearance once again (heard this year as well in Castlevania 2), but much more blatantly ripped off here in various cues (most notably "Dinobot Charge"). A bad guy theme makes an appearance as well for Galvatron, but it's not enough for a recommendation. Horn of Doom statements aplenty of course (an electronic enhancement of it anyway), but new interesting music alas not so much. It's all Transformers approachable, but definitely not everlasting.
All in all, what Transformers: Age of Extinction lacks is the beauty and coolness of the first score, and the occasional rollercoaster cue of Dark of the Moon. There really is no invention here, and maybe this will be enough for the die hard Transformers fan. But will it be enough if you already consider yourself to be a bit of a connaisseur of film music? For me it is definitely not enough, and another weak example of how big blockbusters tend to deliver the biggest disappointments.
Favorite Moment - ?
Really nothing remotely special
Track Listing
1. Decision (4.20)
2. Best Thing That Ever Happened (2.06)
3. I'm an Autobot (5:.06)
4. Optimus is Alive (2.17)
5. Cemetery Wind (5.53)
6. His Name is Shane and He Drives (5.17)
7. Hacking the Drone (2.05)
8. Transformium (3.24)
9. Galvatron is Online (1.56)
10. Your Creators Want You Back (3.26)
11. The Final Knight (4.07)
12. Punch Hold Slide Repeat (2.12)
13. The Presence of Megatron (2.51)
14. Galvatron is Active (4.13)
15. Have Faith Prime (1.29)
16. Hong Kong Chase (1.43)
17. The Legend Exists (1.16)
18. Dinobot Charge (6.37)
19. That's a Big Magnet (2.51)
20. Drive Backwards (2.05)
21. Honor to the End (5.18)
22. Leave Planet Earth Alone (3.47)
23. The Knight Ship (3.21)
Total Length: 77.40