Published on Jan 17, 2006
The books and movie are considered controversial for
their use of indigenous mythic images of the British Isles in
presenting Christian allegory, but you’ll be glad the soundtrack
does the same thing by bridging modern orchestral sensibilities to
ancient melodic themes. Some critics complain about the music being
a little too modern, unfavorably comparing it to the meticulously
researched and constructed score for the Lord Of The Rings
trilogy, but this critic thinks it has a place on the shelves of
many music lovers who balk at Wagner and are attuned to more
visceral melodies and faster pacing.
Music has always been important in Disney movies,
providing a crucial dimension to their trademark “family magic” in
each of their wide-release movies. The score, composed by Harry
Gregson-Williams (The Tigger Movie, Shrek… wait a
minute, Shrek had a score?), deftly guides the theatergoer
through the emotional changes of the on screen characters, such as
Lucy’s surprise and fear upon meeting a faun into wonder and
friendliness in “Lucy Meets Mr. Tumnus” and the several strategic
and emotional perspectives of the battle scene in “The Battle.”
The music not only complements the action but is
vital to it, as the movie adaptation accelerates the plot found in
the book, and the changes need to seem genuine and not rushed
(despite its length, the movie version of Harry Potter And The
Goblet of Fire sped through the plot like a summarized version
of itself). Part of what makes this movie successful in that regard
is the subtle, evocative score.
The album, however, is ruined by the obligatory pop
tracks at the end of the album, ostensibly included to aid in the
cross-platform promotion of this whole franchise, but I don’t think
you’ll see Alanis Morissette’s out-of-my-element “Wunderkind” on
MTV a lot this season. Imogen Heap’s tedious mess of a song is
bland and forgettable, and the presence of Tim Finn’s depressing
“Winter Light” is inexplicable; I thought they threw out
Evanescence’s contribution for this project because it was too
dark. There’s a bonus track called “Where” by Lisbeth Scott which
is slightly more tolerable, but most listeners probably gave up by
the time they got to it.
But not only does the soundtrack work well on screen,
it’s a good standalone album to keep at home. The problem with many
soundtracks is that they’re boring to listen to, but Narnia has
enough texture to be used as good, relaxing background music. Keep
it next to the latest Enya.