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Binding: Audio CDEAN: 0028947652243 Format: Soundtrack Label: Decca Manufacturer: Decca MPN: 000571502 Number Of Discs: 1 Publisher: Decca Release Date: December 13, 2005 Studio: Decca Editorial Review: Amazon.com: James Newton Howard reportedly got the King Kong gig as a last-minute replacement for Howard Shore (who of course had worked on King Kong director Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings series). The good news is that Howard still managed to write an honorable score; the bad news is that it's no more than honorable. For some, the biggest disappointment may be that Howard didn't find more inspiration in the film's 1930s setting. Once in a while he inserts a vaguely jazzy flourish (the brief clarinet passages in "Defeat Is Always Momentary" for instance) but the period detail is kept to a minimum. Having more may have helped give the score a shot of much-needed individuality. Action scenes, for instance, are set to the opulently orchestrated, frantic percussive rumble that is Hollywood short-hand for, well, action scenes. "Head Towards the Animals" and "Beauty Killed the Beast III" are just the most typical examples of that style: Howard gives these bravura numbers the requisite pounding intensity, but can we be blamed for feeling that we've heard them dozens of times before? Similarly, the composer sticks to the expected when he needs to get more contemplative, as on "A Fateful Meeting" (soothing strings, soothing clarinet) or "Beautiful" (flutes to suggest the exotic locale). In short, this album is everything you expect it to be. Which sometimes isn't quite enough. --Elisabeth Vincentelli Album Description: Known for his robust orchestral scores laced with lush sounds, James Newton Howard's compelling music for King Kong is a treasure destined to become another classic in his rich catalogue. Tracks such as "A Fateful Meeting" and "Defeat Is Always Momentary" take the listener on an urgent voyage to an undiscovered land, while "It's Deserted" and "Beautiful" evoke the lyrical beauty of the landscape created by Jackson and inhabited by the films memorable characters. Howard perfectly compliments the feeling of suspense, love and compassion the film so powerfully conveys. James Newton Howard is one of Hollywood's most versatile and prolific composers, with more than 90 films to his credit. He has received six Oscar nominations, two Golden Globe nominations and one Grammy nomination. In addition, he has won 28 ASCAP Awards for film and television shows scored from 1994 to 2005. His credits include films as diverse as The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Fugitive, Pretty Woman, The Prince of Tides, Grand Canyon, Dave, Primal Fear, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Devil's Advocate, and Dinosaur. Howard's more recent projects include Batman Begins; The Interpreter; The Ring 2; Miss Congeniality 2; Collateral; The Village, for which he received his sixth Oscar nomination for Best Original Score; Hidalgo; and the live-action Peter Pan. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Too Much Pulse-Pounding Action For Restful ListeningWhile I expected a certain amount of powerful action music--in keeping with the fact that King Kong is an action film--I felt this cd soundtrack focused excessively on action music, and that the touching and beautiful selections in the film's more tender scenes were woefully ignored. They are there, but in what feels to be abbreviated forms, as though the powers behind the cd decided to add them as a brief afterthought. If you found the more sensitive music in the film is what drove you to consider ... Read More Rating:  - Hail to the KINGI watched the Extended Deluxe Edition of King Kong recently. When the opening credits ran I knew I HAD to get the soundtrack. I found it here and ordered it. When I recieved it I was very pleased. It has become one of my favorite scores by Newton Howard. Rating: - Beat Your Chest to Get This OneAfter Lord of the Rings collaborator Howard Shore had his fully written score rejected due to the ever popular "creative differences" in Peter Jackson's film, James Newton Howard stepped in and had about a month and a half to write a monumental amount of music. He stepped up to the challenge and wrote a blowout score that awes and amazes at each turn. I can only imagine what kind of score he would have come up with if he had a much longer period of time to write the score, but in any case, he succeeds ... Read More Rating:  - To be honest...Not the best score I've ever heard. Certainly not bad, some tracks were very nice. Unfortunately, a good deal of them are too action-oriented for my liking, or simply boring. The best piece of music from the film, the beautifully haunting female chorus played over the spider pit scene (best part of the movie!), is sadly nowhere to be found on this disc. I don't doubt Howard's talent as a composer, but the music for King Kong, sadly, doesn't have the same bite as the movie. Rating:  - Individual Songs are Good, but Overall Flow of the CD Soundtrack Seems Slow and Sluggish.Compared to the milestone, classic soundtrack of the original KING KONG, this CD of Peter Jackson's remake has a lot to live up to. In the new KING KONG movie, the music fits in well, even if it does not take on a life of its own, as did the original Max Steiner soundtrack for the original KING KONG film. But this new music really works best as a complement to the onscreen activities only, and is not so engaging on CD, without the story visuals. Some Soundtracks are great with just the music, ... Read More |
