| Minority Report |
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Composed by John Williams |
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Conducted by John Williams Vocals Performed by Deborah Dietrich Produced by John Williams Release Date: 2002 |
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Sometimes I feel like I am one of the few people on the planet who actually enjoyed Spielberg's previous film, A.I. Maybe it was the whole Kubrick involvement that people just didn't like (since Kubrick passed away in pre-production leaving all the directorial decisions to Spielberg, who did his best in interpreting Kubrick's style). I was actually surprised that this would be Spielberg's next project, especially after seeing the film. While Minority Report is based on a work by Philip K. Dick (whose writing influenced such films as Blade Runner and Total Recall) the world that is envisioned in the film seems to fit into the futuristic metropolis of A.I. While I found such comparisons to be interesting, they are ultimately just superficial as both stories are unique from one another. And while composer John Williams provided the score for both films (as he has countless other Spielberg projects), they too run on opposite sides of the musical spectrum. Spielberg himself described Williams' work on the film as being a "black-and-white" score as compared to the "color" scores that he usually composes. After listening to the score I believe that what Spielberg is referring to is the fact that the music is rather simple in its construction. Given that the film itself was shot in subdued colors, flirting heavily with a monochrome look, one can see the factors behind decision. There is no multi-layered texturing or complex melodies. Instead the music comes across as pretty straight-forward. This leads Williams into the dangerous tendency to score in a mostly atmospheric vein, but for the most part he successfully navigates past that hurdle, if only by the seat of his pants. While the construction of the music is grounded in simplicity, it doesn't mean that the music lacks cohesion, themes, or wildly chaotic action cues. The score has all of that, it's only that overall it comes across as less of an entity in and of itself. The score is held together by a few themes, simply constructed as is the rest of the score, but still effective. Williams' usually incorporates them in the cues that aren't on the atmospheric side of things, and he seems adverse to even hinting at them through the action sequences, but aside from that, they are well utilized and help build the emotional support of the film through the music. The lone vocal moments provided by Deborah Dietrich work well, though they support the music in a way that's similar to all other lone solo pieces that Williams has composed in the past. Work on this score began immediately after Attack of the Clones was finished, and this is quite evident in his action writing. If you enjoyed the Zam the Assassin cue, than you will find a lot to enjoy about the action cues here. They essentially follow the same pattern as Zam the Assassin, but with less complexity and an even more chaotic twist at certain points. I found them to be quite interesting, especially Anderton's Great Escape (which is really the only full-blown action cue on the whole disc). The rest of the music that is not atmospheric or emotionally supportive consists of tension-building moments. One's appreciativeness of the score hinges on how these cues are accepted as this comprises quite a large percentage of the album's running time. They are generally well done, but cover the score with a darker tone that some listeners won't find too comforting. Still, the final third of the score comes together beautifully, culminating in the most uplifting and lyrical final track that provides a final contrast against the rest of the score. This is just the kind of score that was needed for the film, but as to whether or not it works well enough on CD as an isolated listening experience will be the sole decision of the listener. There is much to like about this score, and it is certainly notable for being different than what usually comes from William's compositions, but at the same time that marked style difference results in a score that not everyone can appreciate. If you enjoyed the score in the film, or you're just such a big Williams fan that you are willing to shell out cash regardless, then by all means snatch this one up. Otherwise, make sure you take the time to sample it, especially some of the more esoteric cues. And don't even think about comparing this one to A.I. **** |
| Track Listing - Total Running Time: 73:55 | |
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