For some mad reason, I took this CD for another spin today. It's a totally generic riff on the MIB music that has come before it. I never saw the film, which didn't even feature Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones. It just looked like a total cash grab, from the studio, for a series that was already floundering by Episode 2 (although I did really enjoy MI3 with the time travel plot and added emotional beats and my favourite score of the series overall). There's nothing wrong with this CD. It's 54 minutes of polished, professional sci-fi/fantasy scoring with some Mission Impossible style beats and bongos running throughout it. You can tell the sci-fi bike chase takes place in some exotic middle eastern locale, cos the music points this out with its Arabic textures during the track (13/Riding A Bike). It's impossible to split where any Elfman tracks start and the other two composers (Bacon & Lindgren) end. I notice the film wasn't a complete flop (I thought it tanked) taking in $250 mill from a 100k budget. Clever accounting probably makes it look like it broke even. Any fans of the film or its music out there?
Along with MIB 3, I've played it exactly ONCE since I got it.
I never connected much to these scores. I have a sorta nostalgic relationship to the first, but with the exception of the excellent main theme and the galaxy music, I found it tough listening. Back then and now. MIB 2, however, is far more accessible and enjoyable. That's a great album. But for some reason, I never felt the urge to play MIB 3 and 4 over the years. Something about those busy, contrapuntal affairs that rub me the wrong way. Loads of screaming brass.
I'm kinda the same on the whole MIB franchise and the scores are certainly way off being any kind of favourites in the Elfman collection. But I did really connect with 3, both as a film and in its score. The film was much better than I expected it to be (real comic-book fantasy excellence) with that quirky alien guy, Brolin giving a tremendous turn as a younger TLJ and I liked the sad/tragic call back sequences (meeting a young Will Smith/J and his dad) with their lovely lonely guitar/orch accompaniments. That's the only one I return to these days (although it has been whittled itself).
I’ve never been big on the score to the original MIB for whatever reason. For me, each sequel was an improvement on the last (with the exception of this spin-off, which did ring generic). As far as movies go, the first and third are the only ones worth seeing.
I’ve never been big on the score to the original MIB for whatever reason. For me, each sequel was an improvement on the last (with the exception of this spin-off, which did ring generic). As far as movies go, the first and third are the only ones worth seeing.
Agreed on the films, like Hurdy also said. But 2 has the best album nonetheless.
Saw MiB International at the theater with my wife and we both enjoyed it. It was a perfectly enjoyable time at the movies, and the score was equally solid. That said, I have no urge to ever see it again.
