GODZILLA

DAVID ARNOLD

Rating:

Original Review: Very rarely do films get as much critical ridicule as Godzilla did. By late summer 1998, Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin's star was most certainly waning. The cumulative effect of Stargate and Independence Day had worn off, and Godzilla, instead of being the mega-smash of 1998, turned out to be more of a damp squib. Basically, the film was a lazy amalgamation of ideas from a multitude of other, better films - notably Aliens and Jurassic Park - and featured Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno and Hank Azaria doing their level best with some clumsy plotting and a leaden script. Such was the disastrous box office performance of the film, Sony immediately cancelled the score-only soundtrack which was due to follow hot on the heels of the highly successful song compilation which features two of Arnold's score cuts alongside tracks by Jamiroquai and others. Score fans cried foul! Here was one of 1998's most bombastic, critically acclaimed blockbuster scores, and it wasn't getting a release. Thank goodness, then, for the unnamed person at Sony who sneaked out a copy of the master tape and allowed us all to hear this enormous orchestral epic.

If you enjoyed any of Arnold's previous works, you are guaranteed to enjoy Godzilla. It bears all the familiar hallmarks of Arnold's earlier scores: the dense, multi-layered orchestrations; the throbbing, brass-led action sequences; the militaristic snare drums and patriotic tone. In fact, the only thing this score is missing is a recognisable, hummable main theme hitting you over the head from the word go - but this is not a criticism. It shows that Arnold is learning restraint, learning subtlety and learning to keep the listener wanting more. The main theme is hinted at in during 'No Need To Panic', the first cue in which any real semblance of something truly melodic emerges, but it is not until 'The Bait' that the theme gets its first real rendition. When it comes, though, it's an absolute corker. Less frenetic than Independence Day, but more triumphant than Stargate, the five-noted Godzilla theme is noble and magical, and once it appears it is there for good, creeping in at every opportune moment to link the action set-pieces together and maintain a sense of familiarity in the score. It is afforded a particularly memorable rendition in the immense 'Closing Theme' which, appropriately, brings the album to a close. As one would expect, the action sequences do tend to dominate, but they are all equally excellent. 'Fishing With Gojira', the first real one, builds to immense proportions during its two-minute running time, and is followed by the heroic 'The Plan' and the massive, percussive 'Rampage and Pursuit'. But the payoff comes with the final five cues which underscore the conclusive action set pieces of the cast running around in Madison Square Gardens, and then driving on New York's wet city streets in a recently-acquired yellow cab.

For 20 exhilerating minutes, Arnold keeps the tension and the urgency at their highest possible levels and, just when you think you've reached the climax, he adds another layer of strings, or another set of blasting horns, or another percussion element in an attempt to completely overwhelm the senses with all-out, visceral, attacking music. And it works, too. Not all is bombast, though, and Arnold displays his more tender side with a delicious string-led love theme for lizard expert Nick and journalist Audrey in 'Top Secret Videotape' the incredibly lush 'Nick Off The Project', and the surprisingly tender 'On The Air'.

It's a real shame that Sony didn't see fit to release this score legitimately, as I have no doubt that it would have been a top seller, and one of the most critically acclaimed scores of 1998. But, c'est la vie, as they say in Montreal, and we ardent score fans will just have to be satisfied with this less-than-satisfactory "private release". Although I have previously voiced my concerns about Arnold becoming typecast, and that he would do well to broaden his musical horizons a little on future projects, I still have a soft spot for a bit of good, old-fashioned orchestral carnage every now and again. Arnold and Nick Dodd have delivered in spades.

Track Listing: Running Time: 49 minutes 21 seconds

Private Release (1998)

Music composed by David Arnold. Conducted and orchestrated by Nicholas Dodd. Recorded and mixed by Shawn Murphy. Edited by Dina Eaton. Score produced by David Arnold.

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