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“This time around composer KLAUS BADELT delivers
the music-to-drown-by...rather the
music-to-be-overturned-by-a-rogue-wave-by. With a film that is one
flashy set-piece after another, filled by characters that never made
it out of "pre-viz" apparently, a lot falls on the shoulders of
Badelt's score to get the audience to connect with the film.”
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Roll, Roll, Roll
Your Boat Roughly with
CG
Review by Christopher
Coleman
There aren't a lot of
movie moments I
remember as child, but
going to the drive-in
with my entire family
to see THE POSEIDON
ADVENTURE is one of
them. The images of
that big boat rolling
over with people
flying everywhere were
burned into my
three-year-old-psyche.
Well, maybe the
constant repeat
airings of the film
over the years has
helped to keep those
images fresh, but
being there at the
drive-in remains one
of my surviving
child-hood memories.
One thing I paid no
conscious attention to
was John Williams
music for the film.
(It would be five more
years before he would
arrest my attention
and forever divert the
course of my line of
musical appreciation.)
Still, in the hey-day
of the disaster film,
composer John Williams
might have been king
and his work for THE
POSEIDON ADVENTURE
ranks right up there
with his other "score
a la disaster" like
EARTHQUAKE and THE
TOWERING INFERNO.
POSEIDON ends
up a high budget (as
in $160 mllion high)
thriller that delivers
little more than a few
impressive CG shots
for all that money. It
is vitually impossible
to bring a movie like
this to the screen, in
the post-Titanic-era
and not have compared
to that new standard
in sea-catastrophes.
While boasting vastly
improved CG-water, the
film has nothing to
offer "below the
surface." An
occasional "ooh" or "aah"
hardly makes up for
the painful dialogue
and paper-thin
characters. The decent
cast was not given
anything to work with
and so one hardly
cares for their fates
at all - something
that I'd have to say
THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE
did a better job at.
Still, there was at
least the possibility
of cinematic-rescue in
terms of emotional
investment and that
was the film's score.
The question became
would the score be
good enough to keep
the film afloat?
This time around
composer KLAUS BADELT
delivers the
music-to-drown-by...rather
the
music-to-be-overturned-by-a-rogue-wave-by.
With a film that is
one flashy set-piece
after another, filled
by characters that
never made it out of
"pre-viz" apparently,
a lot falls on the
shoulders of Badelt's
score to get the
audience to connect
with the film.
POSEIDON is really
built upon on single
main theme which is
well established in
the opening scene of
the film as well as in
the first score track
of the soundtrack
release, "The
Poseidon" (3). We will
dispense with any
commentary on the
three pop tracks
inserted at the
beginning of
Interscope's release,
as they will be a
little interest to
anyone outside of "Fergie-land."
Back to the main theme
- Badelt constructs a
fairly memorable piece
that is hopeful and
determined and works
well in establishing
the grandeur of the
ship as well as
communicating the
determination of the
band of wave-survivors
who plod their way out
of the overturned
ship. Carried by brass
and strings and
undergirded by
percussion, this theme
is truly the only
noteworthy piece of
the score. Aside from
track 3, the theme
also makes other
notable appearances in
"A Map and A Plan"
(6), "Fire Dive" (7),
and finally in
"Escape" (11).
The remaining tracks
are sadly
disappointing and
sound as though Klaus
Badelt was on "cruise
control"...whoops
sorry wrong cruise
ship-disaster flick.
Honestly, most of the
action sequences, even
the central action
piece, "The Wave" (7),
are a rather dull
concoction of
electronics and
orchestral bursts that
would seem to fit
better in films like
ULTRAVIOLET or
EQUILIBRIUM. For a
film like POSEIDON
the opportunity to do
something more organic
to connect the
audience to the plight
of the victims was
missed. While the
80-piece orchestra was
helmed by conductor
William Ross, somehow
the mix of the music
brings the electronic
elements to the
forefront. The
somewhat-satisfying
concluding piece
"Escape" (11) just
isn't enough to make
up for all the
preceding moments of
disconnect. In the
end, this seems to
mirror the emphasis of
the overall film
production - CG over
the human-story.
POSEIDON ends
up quite a
disappointment - most
re-makes tend to be.
Unfortunately, Klaus
Badelt's score fits
the film all too well
and is overall
disappointing as well.
Interscope's release?
Yes. I have to say it
again,
"disappointing."
Including the three
pop tracks we still
only reach some 42
minutes of music. For
Badelt-collectors,
POSEIDON probably
isn't a bad buy for
you, but for those
looking for some truly
memorable adventure
score, POSEIDON
will likely sink after
a couple of listens.
Rating:
4/10
|
Track |
Track Title |
Track Time |
Rating |
|
1 |
Won't Let You
Fall - Fergie |
4:36 |
** |
|
2 |
Bailamos -
Fergie |
3:10 |
** |
|
3 |
Postales
-
Federico
Aubele |
4:09 |
** |
|
4 |
The
Poseidon |
3:18 |
*** |
|
5 |
The
Wave |
4:37 |
** |
| 6 |
A Map & A Plan |
2:29 |
*** |
| 7 |
Fire Dive |
2:48 |
** |
| 8 |
Claustrophobia |
7:09 |
** |
| 9 |
Drowning |
3:04 |
** |
| 10 |
Don't Look Down |
3:43 |
** |
| 11 |
Escape |
2:41 |
*** |
| |
Total Running Time (approx) |
42 minutes |
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