I don't know about you, but when I first heard about a new Masters Of The Universe film in the works, my immediate thought was, "They'll screw it up." However, when the trailer finally dropped, my mind immediately started to change, and instead I was optimistic, thinking, "Well, maybe this won't be so bad after all.
Things only got a little more hopeful from there, when I learned Brian May of Queen was going to be contributing to Daniel Pemberton's soundtrack for the film. If nothing else, this could be pure hotness. Then came the first track, providing a little taste for everyone.
It's an interesting track, if I wanted to put it politely, and it took me a few listening sessions to really appreciate it. I think what threw me off at first was the disco like groove it was going for, followed by the choir. May's guitar does fit over it nicely, but I think the real question for me was, "Is it really necessary?" I don't know. I'm still feeling it out.
While I do think Pemberton crafts a soundtrack that captures the sound and feel of not only fantasy, but a battle background, almost reminiscent of Conan The Barbarian, I do find one major flaw in it all. That would be the consistent repeating of themes. It's as if he wrote three or four pieces, and then asked, "Okay, how can I use these thirty-five different ways?"
I don't know. Maybe I'm just spoiled by an era of John Williams, where every scene, character and faction had its own unique theme. One that allowed you to picture exactly who or what was being represented just by the musical piece. That aspect simply doesn't exist in this soundtrack. However, to be fair, that aspect hasn't existed for quite some time in any soundtrack. I immediately think back to my listening session of Solo: A Star Wars Story, where that was biggest complaint with it.
The end result is that there really isn't enough variation to make the soundtrack worthwhile. That's not to say it's all bad. The song, A Job For He-Man really scratched the nostalgic itch for me. It builds softly with a piano but quickly builds to a massive overture that had me on the edge of my seat.
The end of the soundtrack is unique, to say the least. It contains the song, Masters Of The Universe, which seeing, one would expect an epic iteration of the classic theme. A massive sendoff so to speak. Well, it's epic all right, but not in a good way.
Look, I like The Darkness. In the 2000's they ushered back in a style of music that had been forgotten since the 70's, and I dig a lot of their tunes. However, Justin Hawkins misses the mark with this one. It's as if he's channeling his inner Flash Gordon. It's so out of place in the album as a whole.
Between themes that repeat ad nauseam, and the track from The Darkness, the whole thing just feels like a mess. Yes, there are some unique themes to be found within it, but it's definitely not enough to extend into thirty-five tracks. That in and of itself just feels unnecessary.
If it's something you want to check out, it's available for digital purchase and download only. A physical release has not yet been announced. Which in and of itself is also unappealing.
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.
