| Battle Beyond the Stars / Humanoids from the Deep |
| Composed by James Horner |
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Produced by James Horner and Neil Norman Release Date: 2001 |
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| Battle Beyond the Stars was one of James Horner's first major film projects. I really want to see this Roger Corman Seven Samurai/Star Wars rip-off but I have yet to find it at any of the local video stores. Generally considered to be one of the better examples of the Star Wars derivatives, this film would go on to serve as a staple of many later Corman films, re-using many special effects shots and even portions of Horner's score. The score is quite interesting due to the fact that most of the compositions here would later become staples of Horner's style. In fact, they are pretty much all here, since this score would essentially just be rearranged and expanded to form the basis for the much larger budgeted film, Krull. There are also a lot of similarities between this score and Jerry Goldsmith's Star Trek: The Motion Picture (even to the point of the appearance of the fabled Blaster Beam) which, according to screen legend, is what got Horner noticed by the producers of Star Trek II. All in all, this is quintessential James Horner, even if less refined then what would come out in later years. The orchestra is quite small, and it simply pales in comparison with the marvelous London Symphony Orchestra performance for Krull. Still, the music is quite listenable and does hold its own very well. The score is great fun, especially with the Goldsmithian moments that are sprinkled quite liberally about (especially the little take on the Spock Walk sequence in Nanelia's Capture). Along with BBTS, the CD also contains Horner's score to the typical Corman horror flick, Humanoids from the Deep. This score, interestingly enough, seems to be Horner's take on the whole Alien sound (another Goldsmith score). While it is less enjoyable than Battle Beyond the Stars, it does foreshadow Horner's horror scoring for Aliens. The release history of this score is shaky at best. Originally, this CD existed only as a bootleg with reports that Horner was in no way desirable of having this score released legitimately. Interestingly enough, after my original review of the bootleg (which was missing the Humanoids from the Deep portion) GNP Crescendo announced that they would be releasing the CD which is pretty much an exact copy of the bootleg. Coincidence? Perhaps... Now that GNP has finally released this score, it is available for the masses. It can be an enjoyable little album for those who are in the right frame of mind as Battle Beyond the Stars is quite a fun little score. It may not be of the same breathtaking nature that Horner would later imbue with Krull, but it still has its highlights. Just don't expect too much from the second half of the disc. *** |
| Track Listing - Total Running Time: 68:47 | |
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