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Music Review: ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal’ Soundtrack
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Jack Bauerstein83   |  

Week of Geek: Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Soundtrack
Composer: John Williams
Concord Music Group
Release date: May 20, 2008

First things first: I have no prior experience writing soundtrack reviews. The last soundtrack I bought was for the Robert Townsend’s Meteor Man because well, ain’t nobody bad like the Meteor Man (kudos to you if you know this early 90’s reference). But, there is the first time for everything so I thought I flex my soundtrack reviewing muscle on the latest Indiana Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

One of the first things I noticed about this soundtrack is that it’s actually a score. This means all the music here is played by an orchestra without any song lyrics. I also noticed that the composer of all the music is John Williams. Those familiar with Williams’s work would know he is the man who composed most of Steven Spielberg’s movies along with the very popular Superman theme. Knowing these two facts, I was pretty sure that I would be at least halfway interested in the soundtrack itself.

I think overall, the soundtrack does its job of setting the tone of the movie. Even though it is mostly used for background music, I think as far as a movie soundtrack goes, it really does take you to the moment. At times when you are listening to the music, it actually reminds you of a specific moment that occurred in the movie. I especially liked the themes for specific characters.

For example, “The Adventures of Mutt” track characterizes the character, played by Shia LaBeouf, perfectly. Its frantic and fast pace definitely summarizes the character and his motivations perfectly.

My favorite of all the pieces would have to the “Raiders March,” the iconic Indiana Jones theme. I do not care how old you are or whether or not you have ever watched an Indiana Jones movie, everyone knows or has heard of this theme. Listening to the complete version of it though, it never occurred to me how great the theme really is in encompassing the theme — and even the overall tone — of the movie. Halfway into it, there are some bells used in the piece as an indication about the sometimes comedic or light tone of the movie. Listening to the whole song definitely gave me better appreciation for the theme. Whether it’s feelings of excitement, dread, or pounding action, Williams delivers this and more with every piece of his score.

I am wary of recommending this everyone. Without any sort of previous music reviewing experience, I can quickly tell you that if you are not a fan of symphonic music, this is not the type of soundtrack for you. This soundtrack clocks in at over 70 minutes and took even me a long time to get through it (and I like orchestral music!). Plus, a majority of these pieces were used subtly throughout the whole movie so while the whole album is over 70 minutes long, I think I heard maybe 15 minutes of it in the actual two-hour movie. So chances are, if you are bored by the time the second track is over, I suggest you save your money and buy the DVDs instead.

I also would not recommend this CD to anyone who is not a truly hardcore Indiana Jones fan. It is not a necessary buy, to say the least, for the regular Indiana Jones fan. Those who want to own everything and anything Indy related will get a kick out of hearing the entire score of the film.

Williams does a fine job arranging these pieces and if you are indeed a fan of this composer, this is one CD you should probably pay close attention to. Otherwise, I would recommend you leave this treasure behind for some other whip-carrying enthusiast to find.

To track listing and a sample of some audio clips from the soundtrack, visit our previous coverage.

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