1. (Tim Burton's) Planet Of The Apes - Composer: Danny Elfman
I think the world is unanimous in its belief that Tim Burton's remake was not good. It was an utter mess of a film with a cack ending that tried to relive the shock and awe of the original's final moment (the buried Statue of Liberty) and went so catastrophically over the top it ruined the rest of the film before it. I rather liked the effects for the apes themselves. Tim Roth and Helena Bonham Carter looked brilliant and tried hard to bring some captivating performances but the plot of the film was so rubbish nothing could save it. Except for Danny Elfman's soundtrack. Here is an example of an album I purchased despite the film it came from. Why? Because it might be one of Elfman's best musical scores to date. It captures the danger and aggression and primal nature of the apes that the film failed to achieve. Where the composer was starting to feel a bit samey during the late 90s / early 2o00s (I didn't consider his work on
Spiderman, while still very enjoyable, to be much different from his work on
Batman), his work on
Planet Of The Apes was a new beast altogether. (Pardon the pun!) It is a dark and dangerous soundtrack. Sequences like 'the hunt' are powerfully emotive and tribal at the same time, conjuring images of a thrilling chase by a powerful enemy. 'Preparing For Battle' is intense and frenzied, and the climatic 'The Return' is a piece so much greater than the finale scenes it supports, starting with a great feeling of hope and plunging into despair. Listening to the soundtrack from end to end, Elfman's soundtrack suggests something far much better than the film we ended up with. Have a listen to the main titles below. I know when I heard this in the cinema, I was expecting to watch something special. Shame that didn't happen... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rQjksu45wU So do you agree with my thoughts? Are there other films out there with brilliant musical accompaniments despite what was dished up on screen being utter pants? Like some of my choices, are there amazing soundtracks to good films, where the music suggested the potential for so much more? As always, let me know in your comments below!