Published on May 20, 1999
What better way to greet in the new summer movie season than by
looking back at the biggest movie of last season? Granted,
Saving Private Ryan did go on to make more money overall,
but in the hot summer months, it was this low-budget, indie flick
(sarcasm there) that placed the most butts on the seats and
exemplified what a summer movie is about.
Now, note: this isn’t a review of
Armageddon – The Album. That review was already done almost
a year ago, by me. Instead, here’s the music for the movie. The
score was composed by former Yes member, Trevor Rabin.
If you remember the movie, you’ll recall the themes that the
movie uses. Here, they are all in full view. The album starts with
the bonus
Armageddon suite – which is alright. However, Rabin has
taken a liking to doing these suites that compile all the main
themes of a movie he’s done. Not bad, but I’d prefered some more of
the album’s music.
The album is a study of contrasts, if you will. On one hand, you
have the soft, melodic, quiet pieces. Stuff like “Harry And Grace
Make Peace” and “Armageddon Piano.” On the other, there’s the
bombastic stuff like “Launch” and “Long Distance Goodbye.” In the
middle, you have some material to remind you of what the characters
are – rednecks. (Sorry, couldn’t help it). “Oil Rig” and
“Armadillo” sound somewhat similar at the beginning, but play them
through to the end and you’ll see the differences. However, their
point is to fit the scenes with the movie and they do that.
So, what are this album’s problems? Well, let’s take it from the
top. First, all the tracks are out of order. “A.J.’s Return”
doesn’t take place before “Oil Rig” and “The Death Of Mir” and
“Evacuation” happen one after the other, but here, they’re
separated by other tracks. I don’t know why they did this, but this
can be annoying. After all, you buy a film score and expect it to
follow the movie’s pace – not set its own. That is what I’m
guessing took place – they switched them around, so it would sound
more even.
Second, the majority of this album is rearrangement of the same
four themes. Sometimes soft, sometimes loud, but they’re the same
themes that we know. Now granted, that works in the movie and does
so well. The repeating themes help establish a feel for the movie.
However, when separated, they tend to get somewhat repetitive. That
isn’t good on an album.
Third, well, watching the movie there were certain points were
the music becomes an integral part. However, those cues are nowhere
to be found in the album. What am I talking about? Remember the
movie? There’s a scene where the astronauts are all getting ready –
it’s right before the President’s speech. The cue there is heroic –
though repeating the main theme again. Yet, it doesn’t lose any of
its flavor. The cue is nowhere to be found on the CD.
Or how about the climax of the movie – Bruce Willis’ death. As
he presses the button, the life of his daughter – not his own –
flashes before his eyes. It’s the heart of the movie – that he
would make the ultimate sacrifice for one he loves. The music
becomes both triumphant and tragic at the same time – even though,
once again, it’s just the main theme reworked. Now, how can that
NOT be on this CD? The final track somehow manages to cut that out
and gives you the moments before and after the explosion. That’s
wrong.
So, overall, how do I feel about the score? The movie is a
guilty pleasure of mine – along with wrestling and AC/DC. So I knew
what the score was about when I bought it. The main themes are all
nice and fun – and, when reworked, manage to bring out a certain
amount of emotion. But the way this CD has been wrangled cannot
help people appreciate it. Hopefully, one day, it’ll get
corrected.