The Last Indiana Jones Soundtrack?!

When Revenge of the Sith came out, I reviewed (and perhaps overanalyzed) the soundtrack, which is John Williams's last Star Wars score. When Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull came out, I didn't really say anything about what is potentially Williams's last Indiana Jones score. That is about to change.

Williams's Crystal Skull score is probably the best example of the composer's use of his more modernistic approach towards adapting one of his most memorable themes. The tone of his Star Wars prequel scores sounded, at times, experimental, as if Williams was consciously looking for new sounds to use. But with Indy 4, Williams knew exactly what he wanted and went for it.

Another big difference is the Crystal Skull utilizes a lot of older themes from the original trilogy. "Spell of the Skull," "Warehouse Escape" (not on album), and "Journey to Peru" all contain direct quotes from Raiders of the Lost Ark. "The Snake Pit" also hints at the "Basket Game," while the "Jungle Chase" has some smatterings of the "Desert Chase" and perhaps even the tank scene from Last Crusade. This doesn't even cover the use of the Father Theme from Last Crusade, Marion's Theme, and of course the Raiders March.

In other words, there's a plethora of themes in use, not to mention the three new ones written for the movie. "The Adventures of Mutt" (which won a Grammy) is pure swashbuckling music from the 1930s with hints at the Raiders March. As far as I can remember, the theme is only used during two chase sequences. Spalko's Theme and the Crystal Skull's Theme both have a seductively evil sound to them. Spalko's and, to a lesser extent, the Russian motif are used throughout most of the film, but the Crystal Skull's theme dominates the later half of the score. There are many good variations of this theme that can be found on the album.

Which brings us to the biggest problem with the score: presentation. In the movie, the score is pretty much left alone with only a couple cuts and splices. The album, on the other hand, just doesn't have enough room to adequately represent the score. It truly needed to be released as a two disc set (much like ROTS needed to). The Incredible Hulk and Benjamin Button both had two disc releases, so why can't a bigwig like Williams get one? The album seems to favor the creepier aspects of the score focusing on the Crystal Skull theme. It's a shame that the "Jungle Chase" was edited as such, but the end credits are a lot tighter than ROTS.

Probably down the line we'll get the complete score on CD, maybe in time for Indy 5. Hearing this score, I wonder why Williams couldn't have done something similar with the Star Wars scores. The score: A+ The album: B

Summer Movies (In Review)

Here's the movies I've seen this summer, and what I think of them: (Pretty simple, huh?)

1. The Incredible Hulk: Having more in common with the old television show than the comic books, the film portrays Bruce Banner as a fugitive from the government as he tries to find a cure. Edward Norton makes a better choice for Banner than Eric Bana. It felt like Hollywood on autopilot. It was fun to watch, but lacked any real emotional core. C+

2. Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Lucasfilm's second attempt to create a decades-delayed sequel to a beloved movie franchise, and with better results. Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones, no matter the age. Sadly, it's the first of his films in the past decade that I haven't regretted seeing. While the movie seemed to focus more on mystery and less on action, it still could have been a lot worse. God save us from the day we're forced to see "Mutt Williams and the City of Atlantis." B

3. Iron Man: The opposite of the Hulk movie: a well-balance diet of snarky remarks, fleshed out characters, and spectacular action sequences. It makes Tony Stark as compelling a character as Batman Begins did with Bruce Wayne. What can I say that millions of other positive reviews haven't? A

4. Speed Racer: Ah, Speed Racer. The most maligned movie this summer, and I can't figure out why. Top-notch effects and non-linear storytelling made Speed Racer a surprise hit with me. Whether you come away with the "artistic individual vs corporate monotony" message or just enjoyed all the explosions, there's something here for everyone. Everyone except the critics, I guess. A-

5. The Dark Knight: The movie picks up where Batman Begins ended, with Batman and Gordon feeling hopeful that they can put an end to the mob's corruption in Gotham City with the help of the new DA, Harvey Dent. From there, everything goes wrong and continues to worsen until the end credits. This movie is intense, dark, and unrelenting. Heath Ledger breathes life into the Joker as a haunting yet frightening character, and it's a tragedy he will never be able to reprise the role. A-

I still have yet to see Hellboy 2 and Star Wars The Clone Wars. I'll let you know what I think.