Soundtrack Review: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

Posted by Jon Blough

April 27, 2009

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This is a review of the motion picture score Star Trek III: The Search For Spock by James Horner.

“The score knows how to go alright, but it doesn’t know how to boldly go, and that’s the difference between classic and acceptable.”

I suppose the title helps explain away the slight surprise of the dominant thematic identity being Spock’s Theme from the previous film. And I suppose none of its performances are “poor”; the main titles and “Returning to Vulcan” unleashes the theme in similar sweeping fashion to the moving finale of ST2, while “The Mind Meld” reprises the former score’s more mysterious takes. But the theme’s usage suffers two drawbacks here. First, much of the material could have been ripped straight from the previous score (this ends up being a complaint for the entire score, but more on that later). Second, the theme just doesn’t grab you in the same way Horner’s sea-faring theme did. Part of it is due to its softer, more restrained nature, while one can also chalk that up to the lack of rising heroism that made the main themes for the previous two films such a delight. Whatever the case, it robs this score of the infectious energy that its predecessor had, thus while the redecos of Spock’s theme are nice, even soaring and noble in “Klingons” (albeit with some harmonic lines straight out of Krull), they do not boldly go in any new direction.

Fine Takes

So what of Horner’s old Enterprise theme? Well, it’s still got some fine takes, to be sure. “Stealing the Enterprise” has a constant clanging throughout it to aid the propulsion plus some fine brass work at 6:50 featuring the most active rhythm ever put behind the theme. This cue is also notable for adding the bass line from “Genesis Countdown” and Horner’s most blatant use of the blaster beam. “Bird of Prey” would also put some fantastic percussive work behind the main theme and lunge forth some of its most heroic statements at 2:40. Yet outside of the brief mentions here, little else can be added, and with a less enthusiastic orchestral performance you’ll be hard-pressed to grab onto the theme in the same fashion as you did for ST2…there’s no thrill anywhere close to “Enterprise Clears Moorings.” The end credits being almost a carbon copy of its predecessor does not help things here.

The rest of the score continues this mixed bag approach. Laudable is the increased presence of Alexander Courage’s fanfare, like in “Klingons”, the flute solo at 3:56 into “Stealing the Enterprise”, and the same cue’s rapid brass exaltations at 4:10. However, Horner’s new Klingon music leaves a bit to be desired. Its wailing theme and wide percussive display (clanging, thudding, and doing god knows what else) may be appropriate for the hunting race, and its menace to start “Bird of Prey Decloaks” is fantastic, but it lacks both a dominant identity (most of its presence is really just that clanging and thudding) and the wonderful point-counterpoint effect that we felt in the bouncing between the Enterprise theme and Khan’s theme. The theme here would be much better known for its rampaging reincarnation in Horner’s score for Aliens. Also a bit underwhelming is Horner’s subdued Vulcan music. “Returning to Vulcan”, “The Mind Meld”, and “The Katra Ritual” all feature some good moments (even great ones with the fine string buildup and tribal percussion in the first half of the latter cue) but fade away into unmemorable second halves.

Conclusion

I suppose one can’t fault Horner’s score on its own merits, but the score fails to expand on most of the previous written material in any significant way, thus a lot of it feels like a reprise. A competent, even fine listen at times, ST3 is simply undermined if by nothing else than the fact that Horner wrote a classic for the saga only two years before, and the rush that I felt after that score is replaced this time by a slight “that’s it?” feeling. I suppose if you don’t demand a fresh take in each of your sequel scores then much of the material here shouldn’t be a bother, but every time I hear this score I feel a slight urge to stop and blast my speakers out with KHAN! What justifies the low rating here is in fact the score’s final cue, a wretched pop take on the music that was only thrown in for album sales and will make the ears of most listeners bleed thanks to its unholy and dated style. The score knows how to go alright, but it doesn’t know how to boldly go, and that’s the difference between classic and acceptable.

1. Prologue and Main Title (6:27)
2. Klingons (5:55)
3. Stealing the Enterprise (8:33)
4. The Mind Meld (2:30)
5. Bird of Prey Decloaks (3:37)
6. Returning to Vulcan (4:49)
7. The Katra Ritual (4:29)
8. End Title (6:12)
9. The Search for Spock (3:43)

Listen to Star Trek III: The Search for Spock by James Horner below: