About the Soundtrack: Met with quite a bit of fan interest, the previously unreleased soundtrack for "The Forbidden Kingdom" is finally given its due by LionsGate with a wider release. While the soundtrack was previously available as a download on iTunes and Amazon, this commercial release will avail more listeners to Composer David Buckley's work. The album was produced by Harry Gregson-Williams and also features the involvement of Nick Glennie-Smith (additional arrangements) and Richard Harvey (flutes and ancient instruments). Needless to say, there was a rather deep talent pool involved with the production of this score.
The album begins nicely enough, offering an opening track that is delightfully original and playful. Even when I had heard the track in the opening scene during the movie I recalled that it was a standout piece and had hoped the rest of the score would offer the same style. While what later ensued is indeed quality workmanship, it didn't seem to get back to that catchy, original flair that kicked the movie (and the score) off. The only time I got a sense of such originality again is during the credits sequences, where music that is reminiscent of a 70s kung-fu movie kicked into gear. This also was an interesting piece, offering a retro and cool take on the music for this movie. Interestingly enough, both the tracks I refer to bookend the soundtrack offering a strong intro and outro for listeners.
As I listened to the music in between my favorite tracks, which admittedly is most of the score, I found that the melodies simply weren't connecting for me. I was a bit confused as to why the disconnect was occurring; the tempo was strong, the thematic writing was in place and the ancient/ethnic instruments made their presence known. It then became clear to me that I was in all too familiar territory as far as the delivery of the music was concerned. There was too much of "been there, done that" type of feeling for me with the sound design. In my opinion, the David Buckley sound was a bit too close to that of Gregson-Williams, the album's producer, thus it couldn't hold strong for me.
The good aspects to takeaway from this production is that Buckley does have a sense of melody and timing in his work, blending the world of Chinese fantasy with that of western adventure. One thing that cannot be said about this score is that it isn't thematic. There are plenty of colors and motifs at work, with many themes offering full statements during various points of the adventure. I honestly think that if this score was performed with more of a classical approach, then the delivery of the music would have benefited tremendously from it and I would be here telling you how much I loved it.
Final Score: A bit of a mixed bag for me with this one. The outline of an excellent score is in place with "The Forbidden Kingdom," but the production style failed to connect with me. It's entertaining, just not captivating. Buy it only if you're game for a Gregson-Williams type of adventure score.
