Soundtrack Review: Rambo by Brian Tyler (2008)
It’s finally here and I’ve taken a good listen to it and I’ll tell you what I think in a second. What an exciting day this has been, and what a privilege it is to review this long awaited soundtrack. Brian Tyler has not been messing around either and packed the Rambo soundtrack to the brim with 20 songs for a total play time of 1:15:42! I really love it when composers fill the whole CD with songs as it is becoming more and more rare these days. The track list (I’ve marked the tracks I liked the most with ***):
- Rambo Theme ***
- No Rules Of Engagement
- Conscription
- The Rescue
- Aftermath ***
- Searching For Missionaries
- Hunting Mercenaries
- Crossing Into Burma
- The Village ***
- Rambo Returns ***
- When You Are Pushed
- The Call To War ***
- Atrocities
- Prison Camp
- Attack On The Village
- Rambo Takes Charge
- The Compound
- Battle Adagio ***
- Rambo Main Title ***
- Rambo End Title ***
Just taking a look at this make me excited, not only is it a huge list, but there are three themes here, Rambo Theme, Rambo Main Title and Rambo End Title. The question everyone wants to know the answer to: How is the Rambo Theme!? Brian Tyler takes the John Ottman route and makes his own little revamped version of Jerry Goldsmith’s main theme from First Blood, however the album is more similar to Rambo III, but has of course a very modern and updated sound.
It is a heavy soundtrack, filled with Rambo-esque references and while listening to it, you can really feel the action going on around you. Sometimes you hear references from Brian Tyler’s Children of Dune (No Rules of Engagement) and War (No Rules of Engagement, Hunting Mercenaries), but make no mistake, this is Rambo, and it is unique enough to stand out on its own. Brian Tyler has also tried to insert his own theme in there and it’s very nice, but not memorable enough to really make an impact. That being said, the song Battle Adagio is really beautiful and is probably my favorite track (apart from the 3 Rambo themes) on the Rambo soundtrack even though it’s not exactly “Rambo”.
In my opinion, Brian Tyler has done a fine job updating Rambo to 2008 and if this is a taste of things to come, then this will be a great year for him. I know I might offend some Jerry Goldsmith fans here, but I think even the great Jerry Goldsmith would struggle to make a soundtrack better than this. The only thing missing is a version of the Main Theme on First Blood Part II. I really wish that Brian Tyler had made a version of that, and who knows? Maybe he did and it will be released on Rambo The Complete Score (wishful thinking). Listen to the Rambo soundtrack below and tell me what you think.
http://soundtrackgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/rambonew.flv
Loading ...If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
A. Because I love Rambo
B. Because I love Brian Tyler
C. Because I love Movie Scores
I’m glad you enjoyed it 
What are you and everyone smoking? The only thing resembling great music in the whole score comes from Goldsmith and he barely receives a credit on the album. Brian Tyler’s score is tacky, lacking in suspense, and amateurish compared to the previous sountracks in the franchise.
I haven’t smoked a day in my life, but maybe I should start lol. The best track on the album is probably Battle Adagio which is Tyler’s owen beautiful creation. I still think First Blood Part II is the best in the series, but this score was just as good as First Blood and better than Rambo III in my opinion. Thanks for stopping by Fester!
I live in liverpool and can’t get my hands on the new RAMBO soundtrack. The music shops never have this soundtrack in stock.
BUT I will keep trying
Keep trying! I’m surprised it hasn’t arrived in stores yet. I checked HMV but they haven’t got it. So far the best option might be to order online from Amazon or other online stores.
I listened to part of this soundtrack on Brian Tyler’s MySpace page. I thought his Rambo theme would be at the beginning of the film, not at the end. Either way, it is definitely more powerful than the original.
Tyler’s score for the knife making scene at the end of The Hunted is great also.
Film-Book dot Com’s last blog post..Word of the Week - Cinephile
Brian Tyler’s score is not a typical war/action score, which I liked. It helped humanize Rambo, even though he was as hard as nails in the movie.
I do vaguely remember the knife scene, but I can’t remember the music for it. Been a few years since I’ve seen the Hunted, although I have the score.
It’s unfortunate that Rambo sort of loses something in its third act.
The knife making scene is heavy on viola and violin(I think).
Film-Book dot Com’s last blog post..New The Joker pictures from The Dark Knight
Loading ...
Hello, what entice you to post an article on track Review: Rambo by Brian Tyler (2008)? This article was extremely interesting, especially since I was searching for thoughts on this subject last Monday.