What You Need to Know: Here we have another sequel (and arguably a reboot) that provides a great scoring opportunity for a composer. Not only is there intense science fiction elements to represent, there is also mankind's plight to stave off extinction to hone in on with the music. If that's not enough ammunition, there is also a main theme that has been embedded within pop culture for decades that could be built on. So, to take one look at this package, one might think that Elfman, with all his creative capabilities and reputation, would deliver a highly original effort for Salvation.
You'd be wrong. In fact, what I find most original about this score is that Elfman elected to use a ukulele in it!
I won't say that the music is terribly weak or difficult to listen to because it's really not. It's just that this was scored as if Elfman was writing music for a fairly routine action movie. In some ways, I can compare it to Michael Giacchino's end result with the
Star Trek score (though
Trek's music is more entertaining) in that Elfman seems to have neglected to embrace, in full, the musical spirit of the franchise.
During my entire listening engagement, I was waiting and waiting for the original Terminator theme, in all of its mechanical and industrial glory, to erupt on the scene in some new guise. This never happened. While true enough, Elfman did use a bevy of electronic instruments to convey the man vs. machine concept, there was never any sense of dread that resulted from it. By comparison, the original Terminator theme would be ever menacing, presenting a constant sense of fear and unease when heard. Here, the electronic underscore simply passes by without evoking any sense of white knuckle peril, at least for me. I'm not sure if this approach was intentional so as to not overshadow the more dramatic angle of the story or if it was a case of Elfman simply being unable to pull it off.
And speaking of themes...in Salvation, Elfman seems to have incorporated a fragment of Brad Fiedel's original piece as his main theme for this story. It's more of a simple, uncomplicated motif and it fails to make any type of significant impact when heard. Again, better off calling on the original theme with more of a complete reinterpretation instead of a strand of it. And let's face it, wouldn't it have been memorable to hear the classic theme incorporated into an orchestral framework?
In the end, Terminator Salvation will close out May with a score that is as disappointing as that of the other blockbusters that came out (Angels and Demons excluded). The shift toward the more human component in the score is appreciated but its overall impact is slight. The darker side of the score also fails to deliver what was expected. I actually think that Elfman's Planet of the Apes would have been a better fit for T4 than what is presented here.
