Skyline Composed by Matthew Margeson
Varese Sarabande (2010)
Rating:
6/10
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“With SKYLINE being such a catastrophic production in general, it is easy
to forget that the score can be judged on its own merit away from the
film. MARGESON has been able to extend the life of this music beyond the
film and managed to escape SKYLINE with his dignity intact. ”
The Sky's Limited
Review by Richard Buxton
As a film score fan, one of the more
comforting aspects of film is the fact that no matter the quality of the
film, the score can be the saving grace. One can take solace in the idea
that a score can be treated as an almost entirely separate entity to a
disappointing film. The epitome of this is SKYLINE. The various trailers
shown before release suggested a generic but nonetheless exciting alien
invasion thriller. The reality of SKYLINE was a disaster from start to
finish in all areas apart from the visual effects and score. From the
script, to the acting to the direction, SKYLINE offered nothing to general
audiences. Thankfully, MATTHEW MARGESON was seemingly detached enough in
order to produce an engaging listening experience despite it being made up
of largely formulaic ideas.
Despite the efforts of the composers, SKYLINE as a film fails to achieve
almost anything it sets out to. Directed by visual effects artists COLIN
and GREG STRAUSE, SKYLINE follows the struggles of a group stuck in an
apartment in the midst of an alien invasion. What stands out the most is
how little actually happens in the film. Rarely do the generic characters
venture out of the apartment, and once they do it is only a matter of
minutes before they return to the confines of the high-rise. A small
budget clearly hinders the use of expansive locations, but with such
sparse action providing few thrills, the all-important dialogue leaves a
lot to be desired. Films set in such confined circumstances live and die
by the writing, and SKYLINE dies a long and painful death from start to
finish. Thankfully MARGESON’S compositions generally prove strong enough
to be a diversion from the travesty that unfolds onscreen.
From the off, it is clear that MARGESON has come from the film scoring
powerhouse that is Remote Control Productions. The simple yet effective
rising harmonies of “Abduction” are strongly influenced by the sounds of
STEVE JABLONSKY’S work for the TRANSFORMERS films, as is the string
ostinato heard in the closing moments of the track. “Abduction” provides
the first glimpse of SKYLINE’S main theme and is heard numerous times
throughout. Preceding this is the opening track “Don’t Look Up”, a largely
ambient sound-design driven track that accompanies the opening moments of
the alien invasion. The rampancy of the orchestra is heard in full swing
in “Escape”, a solid action track that, despite Margeson’s good intentions
has a distinctly hollow feel throughout. The ideas work, but they never
achieve the fullness and texture that would take them to the next level.
The main theme returns in “Ship Down”, a piece of cautious optimism, the
caution justified in the closing moments. Following “Ship Down” is
“Skyline”. What is puzzling about this track is its complete lack of
connection to the main theme of the film. It is an understandable
expectation to hear the main theme in the title track of a score.
“Skyline” however is another example of an exercise in tension building
and ambience, one that works during the film but not so much as a separate
entity.
The most disheartening aspect of the score is MARGESON’S obvious intention
to provide an invigorating multitude of action and drama pieces, which
often falls just a little bit short. “They’re Not Dead” encapsulates an
array of ideas within its five-minute running time, but never fulfils its
potential. Perhaps orchestral-size limitations proved to be a stumbling
block, but it is a disappointment all the same. MARGESON’S venture into
action territory continues similarly in “Make A Run For It” and in the
strongest action-piece, “The Cavalry”. “The Cavalry” accentuates one of
the very few thrilling moments of the film, and does so in a simplistic
but pleasing and exciting manner.
From here onwards, SKYLINE does little in terms of variation, but merely
flavours a train-wreck of a motion picture. “Final Battle” is, based on
the rest of the score, exactly what you would expect; a climactic
action-piece that revisits ideas heard previously while never truly
lifting off, while “Inside The Ship” is another ultimately failed
transition from accompaniment to separate listening experience that
coincides with the disaster of a conclusion to the film.
With SKYLINE being such a catastrophic production in general, it is easy
to forget that the score can be judged on its own merit away from the
film. MARGESON has been able to extend the life of this music beyond the
film and managed to escape SKYLINE with his dignity intact.
