Star Trek: Insurrection CD Review
by Jeff Bond
Star Trek: Insurrection ***1/2
JERRY GOLDSMITH
GNP/Crescendo GNPD 8059
11 tracks - 41:29
Jerry Goldsmith's latest Star Trek outing will either delight
fans of Powder or infuriate partisans of Star Trek: The Motion
Picture. What it boils down to is a meeting of the minds between Goldsmith's
epic sensibilities and the subtle, textural approach favored on the Next
Generation, DS9 and Voyager series. While containing the expected (brief)
appearances of Goldsmith's march theme and Klingon motif from ST:TMP, the
majority of Insurrection is based on two new themes: a sweetly pastoral
melody for the movie's agrarian Ba'ku humanoids and their planet, and an
all-purpose action motif similar in approach to Goldsmith's U.S. Marshals
theme. There's also a sneaky variation on Goldsmith's Capricorn One
conspiracy motif for the film's opening sequence of Federation scientists
spying on the peaceful Ba'ku village from a concealed "duck blind"
made invisible by cloaking technology.
The score is satisfactorily supportive in the film, adding excitement
to a number of elaborate action sequences and bringing a still, haunting
quality to a couple of scenes involving the Ba'ku's ability to seemingly
make time stand still. (Anyone notice how every other Trek movie
Goldsmith scores involves an "Eden" planet? Just as his "God
planet" music in The Final Frontier was a close cousin to Legend's
later tracks, his opening "peaceful village" music in Insurrection
recollects the corresponding fairy motives of that 1985 score.) As
in First Contact, Goldsmith's TMP title march is alternated with
his gentle Ba'ku theme for the end credits, starkly contrasting the composer
of 1979 with that of 1998; however, as if to smooth out the sharper edges
of his earlier style, Goldsmith has modified the playing of the brass line
so that some of the most accented notes are now played much more softly.
On CD, Insurrection is a more congruent listen than Goldsmith's
Star Trek V and First Contact scores due to the lack of the
leitmotif approach he took in those films; the new score's balance of pastoral
and driving jeopardy forms a more seamless organic whole. Goldsmith as
always impresses with his instincts for scoring ideas as a way of avoiding
clutter both musically and in terms of the story and characters‹with one
broad, simple stroke, his Ba'ku theme explains the culture both emotionally
and intellectually. The downside is that the material is not particularly
mindblowing or inventive in the context of Goldsmith's immense canon. Whereas
in Star Trek: The Motion Picture he was scoring a universe, and
in Star Trek V he was at least scoring a bizarre, campy adventure,
in Star Trek: Insurrection he's scoring a franchise.
We also present some of the letters we got regarding recent
comments about this new Trek movie:
From: Scott McCulloch <cnbr115@lismore.cc.strath.ac.uk>
With regard to your Insurrection comments on Friday, I agree that
the poster is awful, and looks the most uninspiring and lazy piece of advertising
the movie series has ever adopted. The reviews following the official press
screening last Monday, have been fairly positive (see aint-it-cool-news
or www.st-insurrection.com)
and I predict that the movie, in line with 7 of the 8 preceding films,
will be a moderate critical and box office success (i.e. $70-80 million
US domestic). Clearly Trek is never going to generate the interest of say
a Star Wars movie, but presumably it doesn't have to or Paramount would
have ended the film series years ago.
From: "Eric W." <miawemfam@worldnet.att.net>
You know you are in trouble when a Star Trek film is advertised
using Zimmer's music from the Peacemaker. Trying to push this as some over
the top action film, with gritty Starship Trooper like statements like
"Lock and load?" This isn't a cut against Zimmer, whose music
I like, but its clear some kind of message is trying to be sent here. I'll
go to the theater next week bracing myself for what looks to be an unimprtant,
irrelevant, even more watered down, so called adventure. Looks like the
real Star Trek may be dead after all...
From: Chris Kinsinger <76263.2355@compuserve.com>
Your fears about "Star Trek: Insurrection" may very well
come true. We will all know by this time next week. I don't know anything
at all about this new movie, but over the years I sat through ALL of the
Star Treks, and have sifted through the bad and the good. However. . .a
week ago I saw the "Insurrection" poster for the very first time,
and that same day I saw two different TV previews. There may be a small
ray of hope here. The main antagonist is portrayed by F. Murray Abraham,
the always watchable, Oscar-winning (AMADEUS) actor, and the cast also
includes another of my very favorites, Anthony Zerbe! These are two impressive
performers, and unless the script cheats them, you can count on these guys
to provide memorable performances! I'm truly excited to be going to ANY
movie that includes these two actors in the cast. . .no matter what the
title! Let's see what happens. . .
From: "Jennifer Markham" <markham@jps.net>
I agree with you about the way Star Trek Insurrection looks. The
marketing campaign is horrible. The posters, the TV ads all suck. Paramount
is really taking a dump on this which is too bad because I screened the
film in September and it is extraordinary. There's very little action,
it's just this really compelling mystery/thriller that has perhaps the
best Trek film script since Star Trek II. Why it is being marketed like
Starship Troopers is a travesty. The film deserves better!
Check it out when it opens. (This is just my opinon, I don't work
for Paramount or anything!) If you hate it, blame me...
I'll see the movie this weekend! If you do too, write in to tell us
what you think...
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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