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Soundtrack Review: Super 8 (2011)

Reviewer: JØrn Tillnes

Super 8 Soundtrack Review: This is a review of the film score Super 8 by Michael Giacchino.

"I was expecting magic, but there is hardly any to be found."

The idea to make a nostalgic view into our not so distant past is brilliant. I miss those old Amblin Entertainment films that allowed me to explore an alternative universe where monsters are real, but there's also a lot of magic. In 1979, a group of teenagers become witness to a mysterious train crash and they start investigating the incident. The writer/director is J.J. Abrams and the composer is Michael Giacchino.

Track List

1. Super 8	*****
2. Family Matters	****
3. Model Painting	****
4. Acting Chops	****
5. Aftermath Class	***
6. Thoughts of Cubism	****
7. We'll Fix it in Post-Haste	****
8. Production Woes	***
9. Train of Thought	***
10. Circle Gets the Cub	***
11. Been There, Ate That	****
12. Dead over Heels	****
13. Gas and Go	****
14. Looking for Lucy	****
15. Radio Haze	****
16. Mom's Necklace (Unused)	****
17. Shootus Interuptus	***
18. Thoughts of Mom	****
19. Woodward Bites it	***
20. Alice Projects on Joe	****
21. Neighborhood Watch - Fail	***
22. The Evacuation of Lillian	****
23. A Truckload of Trouble	***
24. Lambs on the Lam	****
25. Woodward's Home Movies	****
26. Spotted Lambs	***
27. Air Force HQ or Bust	****
28. World's Worst Field Trip	***
29. The Seige of Lillian	****
30. Creature Comforts	***
31. Letting Go	*****
32. Super 8 Suite	****
33. The Case (Bonus Track)	****

J.J. Abrams again choose to go with his scoring partner Michael Giacchino. That is usually a key for great success like their collaboration on Lost and Alias. I can certainly appreciate what they have built over the years, but the score to Super 8 feels too static. The magic that Abrams is trying to create in the movie is sadly missing from the score for the most part.

Most cues sounds eerily similar and they are built on either a harp-like light structure or more menacing dark string cues. 'Family Matters' for is an example of the former and 'Aftermath Class' is an example of the latter.

There is missing something in between.

Granted, the first cue 'Super 8' does have a bit of both and is one of two great tracks on this score. I love the heroic part in this cue that feels like a proper theme. 'Letting Go' is the other cue that stands above the rest. In a threating tone, the short menacing theme starts it off, and then it evolves with a “flying” theme before it plays a variation of the heroic theme from 'Super 8'.

The cues have hilarious names though, as usual. Giacchino has a great sense of humor. cues like 'Been There, Ate That' and 'Spotted Lambs' tickled my funny bone if nothing else.

Conclusion

In all honestly, this is good background music and it has a couple of decent themes but it just doesn't cut it. I was expecting magic, but there is hardly any to be found. The score feels stale and emotionless, but even so, it's never unpleasant and I can definitely see me using this as musical wallpaper while writing.

->Buy the CD on Amazon<-

->Buy the MP3 album on Amazon<-

->Buy the album on iTunes<-

Listen to the Super 8 soundtrack by Michael Giacchino below:

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