About the Soundtrack:  Danny Elfman is back to lend his musical talents to yet another summer blockbuster by following up his interesting score to "Wanted" with "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army."  While both films are based on comic books, the latter is more engrained within the genre.  To Elfman's credit, the music from each project is distinctly different  from one another (working on scores in such close proximity often lends a trail of similarity). The soundtrack was released on the Varese label and offers up 20 tracks from the score, which is all one would need to get the full experience the music of "Hellboy 2."

 

What You Need to Know: Oh Doctor, where is the theme?  Well, before I get blasted by the Elfman backers, I do acknowledge that a main theme is present within the score, but it was hardly noteworthy enough in the movie to linger with me and is perhaps even less impacting in the soundtrack.  That aside, there are moments during the score that are extremely impressive and noteworthy.  The problem is, such moments were a tad bit sparse.

 

I've always thought that Elfman is a bit overrated in his work.  When he is on, locked in and delivering original fare, than he is one of the best in the business.  However, in my opinion, Elfman doesn't produce a complete enough package with his soundtracks that enable me to climb on board the bandwagon.  In the case of "Hellboy 2," there is about 15 to 20 minutes of music that will cause any listener to stand up and take notice, which in the end, amounts to a tease of sorts.  Take, for example, two instances during the movie.  The first, and this is heard on cue 11, the entry into the underworld habitat.  Elfman cranks up an eerie, pounding motif that is exceptionally written and performed, but this track lasts under two minutes.  The second example occurs during the battle against the forest creature where Elfman creates a heartfelt piece of music (track 14) to conclude the scene.  These moments are so impressive that the rest of the score amounts to a big tease of sorts.

 

The majority of music from "Hellboy 2" is gothic, action based work but I felt it a bit too jarring to really enjoy when listening to it on the CD.  This again is another unfair context in which to grade the composer's work since the music fit the bill as far as the movie is concerned but was a bit too rugged on its own.  When the music is toned down and addresses the more specific needs of the characters and locales, that is when the score vaults upward into Grade A territory.

 

The concluding track offers one of the better pieces of music on the soundtrack, offering up a melodic and heartfelt summary of the motifs heard earlier in the score.  It then segues, while still in the same track, into a folk-ish medley, Hellboy style, that was a real treat (and surprise) to hear.  This added both to my enjoyment (that is was fresh and catchy material) and frustration (that there wasn't more of this type of music present) with the score.

 

Final Score: Hellboy 2 will be sure to win over Elfman fans with its bold, gothic, orchestral tones and will be sure to entertain listeners on the fringe with its more original components.  The latter audience, however, will need to decide on whether or not partial greatness with the material will be worth the purchase.