First Blood was the film that started the whole Rambo
franchise that culminated after two additional films and even a cartoon
series! Gripe however you will about these films, one thing is certain:
these movies are enjoyable because of all the mindless action.
I’ve certainly been in the mood for those types of films before. While I
still like my movies that have intriguing plots, surprise twists, and
engaging characters, every now and then I just want a film with a low IQ
and a high body count. Of course, who better to score one of the first of
the “brainless action” films than Jerry Goldsmith?
Avid listeners will undoubtedly catch a lot of references to scores
that came both before First Blood and after. This is not to put it
on the same level as what James Horner does with his music (which I
frankly don’t have that big of a problem with), but Goldsmith certainly
revisits and revises old material. Take, for instance, Star Trek V.
The main action cue that plays while Kirk is taking out the guards in
Paradise City is a direct descendent of one of the main action cues from
this score (although I think it is worked out a whole lot better in ST:
V). Whether Goldsmith was intentionally drawing parallels or not I
cannot say, but the fact remains that I get a big grin every time I see
that scene now. Another interesting usage of previous material appears in
the more suspenseful moments. The ram’s horn motif from Planet
of the Apes that heralded the arrival of the apes in The Hunt,
pops up throughout those cues, though it is played with more conventional
brass elements. I certainly noticed it, but it fit in well and never
seemed out of place. Again, whether Goldsmith was intentionally making a
statement about the scenes musically, I cannot determine, but it is still
interesting to speculate on nevertheless.
The main theme from the score is embodied in the song It’s a
Long Road. It pops up here and there, and the album contains both the
orchestral rendition and the song version that is “terribly-80s” as
opposed to being “horribly-80s.” Other than the action cues, the score
tends to get rather boring, and the thematic usage is really not high
enough to keep things interesting for the more suspenseful moments. The
electronics are typical Goldsmith with sections that remind me a lot Star
Trek: Insurrection.
First Blood is quite enjoyable in certain places, while a
bit on the boring side in others. Unless you’re a die-hard Goldsmith
fan, want every piece of Rambo music ever written, or just liked the music
from the first film, it might be wise to sample this album first. If you
want more of the full-blown action score, it would be better to try one of
the next two scores instead. ***
