Howard Shore is a composer who has reached the 'A' status in the world of film music.  By that, I mean his work should always be sought out whenever it's attached to a new film in a way that's similar to John Williams and as it was for the late Jerry Goldsmith.  An Academy Award winning trilogy can do that for you.  Shore's music for "The Lord of the Rings" really made people take notice to the type of epic qualities he could deliver for a picture.  Granted, not all films call for music that's on a scale of 'Rings,' but it was a pleasant surprise to hear what Shore was able to come up with.  In this outing, "The Last Mimzy" is also a bit of a fantasy yarn, but it called for quite a different approach in the music.

 

The score is original, if repetitive.  While that may be a statement that is at odds with itself, I can say this about it  -- Shore's music for "The Last Mimzy" starts off strong, full of color and context but eventually becomes overbearing by the time it reaches its end track.  The theme is original and easy to digest, but the overall presentation remains locked into one style of music and rarely sways from it.

 

As you might suspect, since this is a yarn that deals with children's adventure, you'll get some vibes from the music that this is a kid's tale.  To that end, there is some moderately playful suggestions that the thematic material is focused on a child-like story arc, but it never reaches out quite warmly enough. For that, there's a bit of a void in the tone and added weight to the notes. I think a bit more playfulness might have served as an appropriate tonic.

 

'Mimzy' also offers a small dose of science fiction notes that evoke a bit of mystery.  I think Shore could have probed a bit deeper with it, however, as the grandeur of the story never fully blossoms just from listening to the score.  How it works in the movie itself is another matter, but for the purposes of the listening experience, I never felt that I was whisked away on some adventure just from the music.

 

As I round out this review, I'd venture to say that if you listened to half of the material on this soundtrack that you would be very impressed.  When compiled as one audio presentation, it's just too difficult to listen to all the way through since the repetitive feeling sets in by the mid point of the soundtrack.  Shore definitely has all the skill and talent we remember from "Lord of the Rings," but it doesn't resound with this outing.