I'm not a great fan of the gaming series. With that said, I can only lead the average (or otherwise) soundtrack patron to believe that I am basing my opinions of the series and the film on the previews I've seen, and it seems phenominal. The subject alone, with the marriage of philosophical, scientific and cult-fiction elements, has caught my attention and now, with the release of the score to this cinematic marvel, I am fully resolved to enjoy this film.
Now I don't know the mystique surrounding this Uematsu fellow, who I gather scored the games, but Elliot Goldenthal surpasses my own expectations as to the substance of music in the film. He has surprised us all before with his Heat, Alien 3, Titus and even the ill-fated Batman scores, but with this he invites us into a further developed example of his art. The score lavishes the senses with its own method of melodrama and genuine excitement, which has been evident before in only a few tracks from his latter scores, such as Alien 3's ''Adagio" and the orchestral accompaniment to the alien creature's death, with lightly falling violins and heavier, magnanimous brass. Particularly for this score, track 9 and 16 fall into the range of heavier emotion, while tracks 2 and 5 give a lighter appeal to the action in the film. On a whole, the score is a marvel, with its only shortcomings being the final two tracks, both lyrical and depressingly inadequate, and its short running length, the entirety being just shy of an hour. A must have for any Goldenthal or film score enthusiast.