Published on Jul 31, 2000
After collaborating with Lisa Gerrard on one of this summer’s
best scores (
Gladiator), I was waiting to hear what composer Hans Zimmer
would do with the score to the Tom Cruise-blockbuster,
Mission: Impossible 2. Having created some of the best movie
scores in recent history (
The Lion King,
Crimson Tide), Zimmer is one of the most popular composers
today. He’s also one of the most reviled modern composers as there
are many who feel that his over-the-top, testosterone-filled scores
(
The Rock,
The Peacemaker) are nothing more than loud examples of the
worst kind of scoring.
Unfortunately for Zimmer and his fans, the score to
M:I-2 is not going to strengthen their position. At the same
time, Zimmer haters will not find here more ammo for their rifles.
In fact, Zimmer’s score is a middle-of-the-road work. It’s not the
greatest, but not the worst. I’ll explain.
Those of us that enjoyed his work from
Gladiator may be delighted to hear pieces like “Seville” and
“The Heist,” as these tracks feature a great use of flamenco
guitar. They are very reminiscent of that previous soundtrack. They
serve to underscore Ethan’s meeting with Nyah in a Spanish-villa.
Both are very good and rank among the best tracks here. You’ll also
find “Nyah,” which uses a softer-turn at the guitars, a step down
from the previous tracks.
But this wouldn’t be a Zimmer score without some fast and
techno-sounding pieces. The best of that are “Bare Island” and
“Injection.” “Bare Island” sounds like a rock operetta as it mixes
both rock guitars with violins and the trademarked Zimmer choirs.
It also includes a fast, rock version of the “Mission: Impossible
Theme.” At the same time, “Injection” combines all of these
elements–the choir, the guitars, the orchestra – to create an
action-filled and melancholic piece.
Still, there are some tracks here that fans and critics alike
will cringe upon hearing. “Bio-Techno” is a very forgettable use of
guitars and techno loops. Meanwhile, “Chimera” is nothing more than
mood music – and not even good mood music at that. They definitely
will not bolster Zimmer’s case in front of his critics.
Furthermore, you will find that the majority of the score falls
on mediocrity. “Hijack” mixes electronic beats and rock guitars,
but doesn’t sound cohesive. “Ambrose” mixes violins with the
ominous male choir that Zimmer uses so much. “Mission:
Accomplished” and “Nyah and Ethan” bring more of that
Gladiator-vibe with their guitar work, but they get
repetitive after a while. Finally, “Mano a Mano” uses strong beats
and drums with Nyah’s theme and a female choir to create the music
to the final battle. Unfortunately, without John Woo’s great
visuals, the piece falls rather flat.
One more thing I must mention is that Zimmer barely uses Lalo
Schiffrin’s classic “Mission: Impossible Theme.” It’s there
alright, in tracks like “The Bait,” “Bare Island” and “Mission:
Impossible Theme.” However, while fans might enjoy his rock take on
the theme – as opposed to the techno flavors of the Adam
Clayton/Larry Mullen remix – it is often nothing more than a quick
taste. Personally, I would have preferred a longer and stronger
remix of the theme. (Or, if they didn’t want to shell out the
money, they could have released an instrumental version of Limp
Bizkit’s take, which I find to fulfill my wants – except for Fred
Durst’s lyrics).
Overall, I found this score to be an average action score. There
were some highlights, there were some lowlights, but the majority
of it neither excites nor scares. One of the things that one should
get out of an action/spy soundtrack is the cool feeling of wanting
to be one. The James Bond scores often take this into account and
release some cool music – like David Arnold’s
Tomorrow Never Dies score. Unfortunately for
Mission: Impossible 2, there was none of that around.
Instead of trying to build something, they just created another
average action movie with an average action score. (You know this
is coming, right?)
Mission: Failed.