A.I. was to be
Stanley Kubrick's next film project following Eyes Wide Shut, but
due to the famous director's untimely demise, Steven Spielberg stepped in
to allow the film to become reality. It wasn't like Spielberg was a
complete stranger to the project since Kubrick had originally wanted him
to direct it anyway. Still, Spielberg pretty much set aside his own basic
style of directing to emulate Kubrick's own brand of filmmaking. The end
result is terrific. Spielberg successfully matched the look of Kubrick
films and delivered an exceptional film. So far, the feelings about
this film are mixed. I absolutely loved the movie and I felt it was a very
moving piece of work that stands proudly alongside such Spielberg films as
Close Encounters of the Third Kind and
Raiders of the Lost Ark. That
said, A.I. is almost a different film entirely from what Spielberg has
done before and this fact must be taken into account.
Was there any doubt that
John Williams would not be hired to score this film? Had this film not
been in the pipeline, Williams might have possibly scored the third
Jurassic Park film, although Don Davis' handling of that particular
score was quite good. Instead, much like the film, Williams score has been
the source of mixed feelings and it is quite unlike anything I've heard
from him in a long while.
The most interesting aspect
of this score is it's atmospheric quality. A.I. is not the movie
to utilize a big epic sound in. Instead, Williams uses a lot of
minimalistic pieces and he even dropped in some electronic sounds for
this score. The music has a sort of Mark Snow "X-Files" feel to it at
times, although the orchestra is still the backbone of the score as
opposed to synth. There is also a lot of eerie chorus work and the
dreamlike solo work from Barbara Bonney. Lara Fabian gets two tracl
devoted to her voice on the
album, which is actually just two versions of one song. The second
appearance of For Always consists of a duet with Josh Grohan. Thankfully, this is not
just another example of tossing a mindless song on a CD in hopes of
helping it sell. Williams wrote this song in a style that
remains faithful to the rest of the score, and I found t to be a beautiful
piece of work and Fabian's voice is quite incredible, especially the way she holds
the closing note. It almost sounds like some exotic instrument. It's very
impressive. I do prefer the solo version on track five as opposed to the
ending duet, however.
Of course, I can't get
through this review without commenting on Williams foray into techno. Some
people have complained that it sounds quite horrid. This is style that is
definitely not something that Williams has mastered, but I don't think
that it is all that bad. It doesn't last very long before giving way to
more conventional orchestral tension music. The other uses of electronics
within the score are pretty good although their inclusions are not as well
done as what, say, Jerry Goldsmith would have used.
The music is arranged quite
similarly to the original Phantom Menace CD release. The tracks are
out of chronological order and the individual cues themselves have been
re-edited. Still, with such a complex score as this, the end result is a
much better listening experience than it would normally be. The
arrangement does keep a lot of the atmospheric-heavy tracks in the first
half, which may turn off some, but for those who hold through the whole
score will encounter more of the terrific cues that are in this score. My only
real gripe
with the arrangement is that the main theme does not appear until around track 8.
This can be an eclectic
score at times and it is definitely not recommended for everyone. It is
quite a departure from what Williams normally does, although in this case
it is quite refreshing at times. Definitely see the film or at least
sample some tracks before purchasing. Otherwise, for those who can get
with it, it is quite a good score. ****1/2
