Stargate
marked the first collaboration with Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin that
would bear much fruit for composer David Arnold. This was his first big
score, and in many ways Stargate
is still the most romantic score that Arnold has yet to compose. While the
film was a typical sci-fi action adventure flick, the epic, almost mystical
plotline, along with the exotic setting of the film, allowed Arnold to
deliver a haunting, beautiful score that would immediately endear him to the
"Dynamic Duo" and launch a whole legion of Arnold fans.
The CD opens with
The Stargate Overture, the
opening title to the film. From the outset, the overall style of the score
is presented. The haunting melody begins slowly and then builds to epic
proportions, a choir belting out a harsh chant as the cue builds to its
conclusion. The opening third of the score is mainly filled with the
mysterious and haunting portions of the score with occasionally
interruptions of military-styled cues that Arnold would further develop
through his next two Emmerich and Devlin films. The score then takes an
exotic turn as the setting moves to the distant, arid planet. The haunting
music turns more romantic as the explorers run into the inhabitants of this
world and begin to search for a way home. The last third of the score is
more action-oriented and dark as Ra and his minions return to the planet and
begin terrorizing everyone. The final track (Going Home)
successfully returns to the mysteriousness and wonder of the opening portion
of the score, thus bringing about a fitting end.
Throughout it all,
Arnold delivers a nice array of great themes that he incorporates in a
variety of ways. The chorus work is excellent and Arnold really utilizes it
to the fullest here. The lone voice of Natacha Atlas (who would later go on
to record the best version of Arnold's revamping of You Only Live
Twice), adds a haunting beauty to
Giza, 1928 and Caravan to
Nagada. This is just one of those rare
scores where every thing just comes together perfectly and there are
practically no tracks that don't have something of value. Stargate
is just one of those scores that demands an entire listen whenever it is
played.
There is only one
problem I have with this otherwise excellent release. While there is
practically every note of music composed for this film on the CD, the second
half of The Surrender cue is
missing. This is quite unfortunate because I absolutely love this cue in the
film, and the action music just doesn't seem to have a proper conclusion
with the ending portion of this section missing. It's not a terribly big
gripe, but I love this cue so much that I would buy a whole new CD if it
included this sequence.
Basically, if you
don't have this score, you should be ashamed of yourself. Out of all the
excellent projects that David Arnold has been a part of, his score to
Stargate is truly a gem and no
self-respecting fan should be without a copy. *****
