The Clone Wars is the latest entry into the Star Wars franchise, a pilot movie for the upcoming television series. Kevin Kiner got tapped to score the movie (and presumedly the tv series.) Is he a John Williams wannabe? No. Kiner wasn't afraid to write music totally different than what's usually expected in a Star Wars film. And that's why many people are very disappointed with this soundtrack.
Let's first look at Kiner's strengths. Kiner's very talented at writing energetic pieces; the action pieces are clearly the highlight of the score, and the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra just sounds lively and robust. But listening to "Battle of Christophsis," it sounds like Kiner pulls more from Silvestri or Goldsmith rather than Williams. Again, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but I wonder if Kiner made an effort at avoiding to sound like Williams. Afterall, it is refreshing to hear his ethnic music for the Teth planet.
Unfortunately, his weakness lies in thematic material. Again, he could just be avoiding Williams' themes, but even his own themes are sparsely used. His main theme (heard at the beginning of "General loathsom/Ahsoka") is hinted at from time to time, but never full blown. Kiner's use of Williams' main Star Wars theme is limited to 15 seconds in the main title and a 45 second end credits. I want to like his version of the theme, but it feels too clunky and half hearted.
The Force theme and the imperial March seemed to be hinted at in "The Shield," while "General loathsom/Ahsoka" has a snippet of the Force theme before changing into a new theme. "Fight to the End" contains the only full statement of Williams' Force Theme as well another hint of the Imperial March. And that's pretty much all the John Williams music present in the score. (I should mention that the beginning of "Admiral Yularen" resembles the Cloud City theme from ESB, but i don't know if this was intentional.)
Overall, the music is well done and excellently performed, but stronger use of themes would make this album sound more than a collection of diverse clips. C+
Recommended tracks:
03. The Battle of Christophsis
08. Anakin Vs Dooku
10. Destroying the Shield
11. B'omarr Monastery
13. The Shield
16. Obi-Wan's Negotiation
26. Courtyard Fight
31. Fight to the End
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