Published on Jul 31, 2001
I saw the original
Jurassic Park in the theatres – scared the hell out of me.
Maybe that’s why I wasn’t one of the sheep who went out to see
The Lost World when it came out, and why I haven’t made a
point to see
Jurassic Park III. (The pinball game for
Jurassic Park, however, was excellent.)
But you only need to have seen one of the films in this series
to recognize the themes that master composer John Williams penned,
selections of music which immediately identify them with this
particular film. Don Davis picks up the baton (as well as pen) on
Jurassic Park III, and does what could well be the
unthinkable: he matches up to Williams’s excellence.
Indeed, unless you’ve made a career out of studying the work of
Williams and Davis, you’d be hard-pressed to say where Williams’s
score ends (
Jurassic Park III uses elements from the original film’s
soundtrack) and Davis’s handiwork begins. This is meant to be high
praise for Davis; he’s able to keep the original musical feel of
Williams’s work without weakening the original or sounding like
he’s trying for a note-for-note copy.
It had to be a daunting challenge, but is one that Davis is more
than ready to meet. Selections like “Cooper’s Last Stand,” “Raptor
Repartee” and “Tiny Pecking Pteranodons” all keep a tense mood to
the music, as the listener is left to wonder what kind of carnage
our gigantic gas-tank buddies are up to in the corresponding scenes
of the film. The use of percussion is the most effective, and if
you’re listening to this disc with headphones, be ready to
occasionally jump to the ceiling, feeling like a Tyrannosaurus just
tapped you on the shoulder. How Davis was able to maintain the
level of suspense like he did, I don’t know, but I’m thrilled he
did.
The only moment that seemed like it could have been out of place
(at least until I got to the selection) was Randy Newman’s
inclusion. “Big Hat, No Cattle” didn’t seem like it was going to be
the kind of song that was a match for the intensity of Davis’s
score. Instead, Newman’s country-esque lilt provides a delicate
balance to the preceeding score, almost easing the listener down
from the perch of suspense they had been placed on from almost note
number one. Not only does Newman’s song belong, it’s almost
essential for the disc to come full circle.
Jurassic Park III is the kind of soundtrack for which most
composers would sell their souls to the Devil. Davis might not have
had to go that far, but he inherited a rich musical legacy with
this project, and lived up to the challenges it posed. This is an
entertaining disc that will keep you spellbound throughout. (It
also comes with a multimedia portion – which, regrettably, I
haven’t hat the time to peruse yet.)