Published on Feb 2, 2001
Where is it written that every single television show,
mini-series or made-for-TV movie has to have a corresponding
soundtrack album released?
In the case of
Robocop: Prime Directives, this is a disc which should have
been best left on the small screen. Admittedly, I haven’t seen the
four-part film series this soundtrack is culled from; for that
matter, I haven’t bothered with this character since that joke of a
film they called
Robocop 2. While composer Norman Orenstein might have
written music that went well with the action in the film, the music
is barely able to stand on its own without the visual effects.
Mostly structured in the traditional sci-fi genre with flashes
of rock & roll thrown in, the soundtrack of
Robocop: Prime Directives just doesn’t have much substance.
Some pieces, like “Legion” and “Clash Of The Titans,” stretch out
far past the point of being welcome, while “Death Of A Hero”
occasionally shows signs of hope, but also seems to drag on
endlessly.
And lest you think I’m only picking on the long tracks (none of
the previously mentioned is shorter than 10 minutes in length),
even some of the shorter tracks, such as “Innocence,” “Bone
Machine,” “Pursuit” and “S.A.I.N.T. Goes Wrong” also fall into the
same traps that the longer tracks do – namely, there isn’t enough
in the music that captures the listener’s attention like it might
in the actual film.
And therein lies the weakness of
Robocop: Prime Directives. As independent music, it’s
subpar, lacking any substance or style to keep a listener
interested for the duration of the disc. As part of the actual
film, it might work much better (again, admitting I haven’t seen
the film), blending in with the dialogue and action to create a
true feeling in the individual. Sadly, these selections should
never have been lifted from the film cels, and should have always
remained just a part of the film.