Additional Music by Pete Anthony, Jeff Atmajian, Marco Beltrami, Bill Boston, Jon Kull, Carlos Rodriguez, Ceiri Torjussen

Conducted by Pete Anthony & Marco Beltrami

Performed by The Hollywood Studio Symphony & Hollywood Film Chorale

Produced by Marco Beltrami

Release Date: June 24, 2003

            Varèse Sarabande
 

     Replacing James Cameron behind the wheel of the Terminator franchise might have seemed like an impossibility only a short decade ago, but nevertheless, the second sequel boasts the talents of Jonathan Mostow, a director that I have respect for after the thrill ride that was U-571. While I might have bemoaned a sequel that lacked Cameron's directorial touch, I felt that if any director could deliver an enjoyable Terminator sequel, it would be Mostow. Judging by the critical reaction, my initial feelings were correct, though Mostow wasn't the only major change to the franchise. Brad Fidel, who had supplied the scores for the first two Terminator films, found his electronically-driven approach set aside in favor of an orchestral score provided by Marco Beltrami. Beltrami, with recent credits in such films as Blade 2 and Resident Evil (co-composed with Marilyn Manson), would seem to be a logical choice for an orchestral Terminator film, but for those who are hooked on Fidel's previous two scores, such a change might be hard to contend with.

     Never being a big fan of Fidel's scores outside of the main title, I appreciate a unique orchestral approach as something different for the series. It is indeed quite a different style than what usually comes down the pike. Beltrami's score comes across as a mixture of horror-score percussion elements and brooding strings. The quieter moments are low-key and provide just enough of a break from the action, though their composition is hindered by the lack of any revolutionary themes. The real power in this score comes from the frenetic and pounding action cues, of which one's tolerance for such will be severely tested throughout the length of the CD. If heavy percussion-based cues really get you going, then there'll be plenty here to cheer about. Otherwise, it'll probably just give you a headache. That said, those cues are varied and interesting enough to never simply meld into one another and though Beltrami's score won't win any awards for dramatic emphasis, the dark tone and semi-restrained chaos that it imbues will undoubtedly please fans of the film.

     The album is well produced, lacking any extensively long tracks, and the content doesn't seem to be missing anything major, even though two songs take up almost seven minutes of the fifty-one minute running time. Beltrami's own orchestral rendition of Fidel's Terminator theme is quite good and for those of you who've been waiting for just such an event, it might be worth the cost of the album alone. The two songs are like any other songs on a soundtrack album, namely, take 'em or leave 'em.