About the Soundtrack: "Journey to the Center of the Earth" is composed by Andrew Lockington, a relatively new voice in the arena of mainstream film music. While Andrew does have an established track record in the business, this is the first time I've heard a score by him. As far as personal debuts go, this one's a dandy.
The soundtrack is released by New Line Records and will be available in early July via digital stores, so you'll have to download this one to add it to your collection. There are 24 tracks on the album, all of which are score cues, and the running time time is not lean, either, so there is plenty of material here for your dollar (just make sure you check the bitrate from the store you download it from).
What You Need to Know: Before the summer began, I had in mind the scores I was interested in the most. "Journey to the Center of the Earth" was not near the top of my list.
It is now.
Andrew Lockington delivers an appropriately developed score for this 3-D adventure film, which technically is not a remake of the original (I think of this 2008 version as a distant cousin). The music, however, stands on its own merit, remake or not. The score is at once delightful and exciting, capturing the fun, explorative tone that the movie attempts to convey. There are motifs aplenty in this soundtrack and it's certainly a welcome sound to here such thematic laden fare serve as the groundwork for a major motion picture.
The main theme is reminiscent of the 80's style of blockbuster score, in that it's constructed to be identifiable and significant. While the structure of it is a bit compact, it's successfully implemented throughout the entire body of work to serve as the soundtrack's core. Where the score truly excels, however, is when the combination of melody and action is employed. Specifically, from tracks 12 to 17, there is a genuine sense of energy and drama that's easy to get involved with. Track 13 itself, which is entitled "
The Center of the Earth," is a wonderfully delivered piece that flows impeccably, conveying a bit of awe and wonder. It's a nice embodiment of the film's title. Another gem is the exciting Track 16, "
Building the Raft." The fast paced movement and appealing melodies converge to produce one of the true high points of the album, leading to yet another fine exclamation point on the following cue. It's a great sequence of tracks!
A bit of well organized chaos erupts with the cues at the back end of the album, offering a bit of old fashioned action statements that reminded me of the adventure movies of old. While these weren't my favorite moments from the album per se, I definitely appreciated the style as well as the intensity that these tracks offered. When danger lurked during these climactic moments, the music was not bashful about indicating so!
Lastly, and this is perhaps the biggest reason that this score works so well, Andrew was able to capture the perfect tone with the music for this film. The smooth delivery is evident in each and every track, never causing me to turn away from what was to come next. In short, it's accessible, fun and you will enjoy many of the delightful sequences if you choose to buy this soundtrack.
Final Score: This is one heck of a journey, indeed. Andrew Lockington delivers what very well be the surprise soundtrack hit of the summer with his score for "Journey to the Center of the Earth." All the components of a terrific adventure score are well represented and then some. This score is worthy of an enthusiastic recommendation. Enjoy the ride.
