Soundtrack Review: G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra (2009)
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This is a review of the motion picture G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra by Alan Silvestri.
“It’s a soundtrack full of missed opportunities, but it’s not a bad soundtrack by any means”
Alan Slvestri is back with none other than G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra, the movie based on the old comic. I remember reading this comic when I was little, but I’m not in any way a fanboy. I barely remember the names of the characters, but I have to admit it was a fun to see the movie on the big screen. I was curious to what Silvestri would come up with here. Would it be orchestral or not? There are so many characters here as well, and would they all get a theme?
Track List
- Clan Mccullen (***)
- Mars Industries (****)
- Delivering The Warheads (****)
- General Hawk (*****)
- It Had To Be Nato’s Fault! (***)
- King Cobra (***)
- What Happened To Her (***)
- I Promise (****)
- The Pit Battle (****)
- They Intend To Use Them (***)
- Snake Eyes (****)
- I Have A Target In Mind (****)
- The Joes Mobilize (****)
- Northern Route (****)
- Who Are You (***)
- Deploy The Sharcs (***)
- Final Battle (*****)
- Just About Close Enough (****)
- The Rise Of Cobra (***)
- I’m Not Giving Up On You (*****)
- End Credits (*****)
Awful Sound
Before or go any further, I have to talk about a great injustice to soundtrack fans all over the world. The soundtrack was mixed from a lossy master meaning the sound quality is pretty awful. Why this should happen in 2009 and with some of the best sound technicians around is beyond belief. You’ll hear it clearly throughout that the sound is cut-off at its highest peaks and this shouldn’t happen. Why Varese? There have been rumors about a Japanese release, but no word whether it’s based on the same source. Oh well… rant over, let’s get to why we’re here.
Alan Silvestri’s score is rarely noticed in the movie itself because of all the action going on. That’s a shame, because it’s only when you hear it on CD that you get why Alan Silvestri is so highly regarded. There’s lot of electronics in here and there’s also a lot of orchestral stuff and I’m happy to tell you that Joe/Hawk theme is a good one, although not a patch on his previous themes. This one is best heard in the cue ‘General Hawk’. There are other themes in here as well, but they are barely noticeable. Cobra, The Baroness and Snake Eyes to name a few get a theme, however they average from poor to good. A missed opportunity indeed.
Electronic and Orchestral
The first half of this score is mostly electronic and the last half is where the best stuff is, the more orchestral themes. There’s a smart little cue in ‘Final Battle’ which to my surprise is only 55 seconds long. Must have been a short battle, but this is what I would love to hear more of. Epic sounding and highly patriotic, the kind of themes that makes me feel something. The last couple of cues are other examples of what could have been. ‘I’m Not Giving Up On You’ is a great thematic non-action track, then there’s the very militaristic ‘End Credits’ which reprises the Joe theme in bombastic manner.
Conclusion
It’s a soundtrack full of missed opportunities, but it’s not a bad soundtrack by any means. There’s a good mix of mostly action cues and some softer thematic ones. It’s certainly better than the movie and it’s sadly gone missing in most of it. There’s some good material, some even great, but it will be forgotten in the long run. Alan Silvestri, like any composer, doesn’t do great memorable scores anymore, but that’s the way it is these days. Overall a decent effort, that could (and should) have been a lot better.
Listen to G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra by Alan Silvestri below:
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Soundtrack Seek
Jorn, you and I truly have such different tastes. LOL If I want to jump on that “what’s wrong with film scores today” bandwagon, I’d use this one as an example (though it probably fit the tone of what is apparently a ghastly movie). The amount of electronics and the sheer decibel of the score literally gave me a headache. That’s never happened to me with film music, even in the most raucous of scores. I didn’t make it fully into the second half, where you say the orchestral stuff is. So perhaps I’ll go back and give it another shot. I never would have known without your review. I can’t say that it will change my mind. I prefer my Silvestri on the FORREST GUMP and CONTACT level.
Jim Lochner´s last blog ..CD Review: Bright Star
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Jorn Tillnes Reply:
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Different tastes is great! lol. If you really want a headache, try listening to Gamer or Pandorum. Actually the decibel of this score could give you a headache because of the terrible sound quality. Give the second half a listen, perhaps you’ll discover some gems. I like the old Silvestri as well, Cast Away is pure genius.
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Jim Lochner Reply:
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Funny you mention that about CAST AWAY. I was so stressed out last night when I went to bed. CA was one of the scores I used to calm me down a bit. LOL
Reply
Jorn Tillnes Reply:
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:01 pm
It has that effect on me too! I don’t care if it’s basically just one cue repeated over and over. It’s such a great piece of music