The JURASSIC WORLD Score by Michael Giacchino

What are everyone's thoughts on Michael Giacchino's score for JW, both as heard in the movie and on its own? (Not sure what the etiquette on self-plagiarising is, but I previously started a discussion like this on Reddit)

On first listen I didn't find the soundtrack album that memorable (though while previously hearing it in in the context of the film I thought it did a great job of underscoring the action without drawing attention to itself). The more I've listened to it, the more I love it.

Having seen the film and listened the score in isolation several times these are my thoughts:

1) in terms of new themes, I really liked the sinister motif for the Indominus Rex (it opens the movie in quite chilling fashion - this is in track 1). The new JW theme/fanfare (which you hear in 'As the Jurassic World Turns', and which

Spoiler

closes out the movie as "Rexy" roars atop the building)

is also quite catchy after several listens.

ALSO, just as the original Jurassic Park theme lent itself to lyrics (and might have been composed with the words in mind), Giacchino's two themes seem to embody the words of the things they represent. I made a little graphic of this to demonstrate.

2) Part of the JW theme is a rapid, repeating four-note ascending flourish (I - III - IV - V a few times and then I - IV - V - VI, to get technical), and I noticed that he wrote this into the renditions we hear of the two original Jurassic Park themes. I thought that worked quite well, and is a nice way of taking ownership of those older themes in the new setting.

3) There were also some standout moments, particularly at the end.

Spoiler

I LOVED that Giacchino incorporated the percussion and punchy brass of The Lost World in the final scenes with the raptors, mirroring the climax of that movie, and that the TLW theme got a little statement as Blue ran up to attack the Indominus.

4) I did think there were some odd music spotting/placement choices early on. Primarily, I was a little sad to see the iconic JP theme wasted somewhat.

Spoiler

We hear it early on as the kids--who I initially found bland and vacuous but grew to like--sit on the monorail and enter a soulless luxury hotel room then open a window onto the buildings in JW.

It felt like an emotional disconnect from the majesty that theme carries for a lot of us. Ultimately it doesn't matter--this film came into its own and offered us new things that I loved, and I still have my JP DVD to go back and revel in.

5) Re the JW theme, listening to track 19, you hear a piano performance of Williams' original JP theme and then there's a pensive-sounding bridge that finally turns into the new theme. It made me wonder if when Giacchino was developing the themes for this film, he started literally by playing the original on his piano and following where his emotions and fingers took him--so that this track might be a map of his mental journey.

I think this score demonstrates Giacchino's ability to take the themes of a much-loved existing body of themes and pay homage to the original stories and buiding on it with new motifs that feel in the same spirit. It's a fair bet he'll be offered a SW anthology film (his busy schedule permitting!) and if so, it'll be interesting to see his work.

 

I mentioned to my friends when I saw the film that I thought the classic JP theme was wasted in the way that it was used.

 

On the contrary, I actually quite enjoyed the score for Jurassic World. I felt it had all the right cues of JW's original score at all the right places-especially when we first enter thru the gate-fantastic!

I know some don't like Giacchino, but I am always surprised at how close he sounds to JW. I know that causes an argument of lacking originality, and so be it. But for someone who is meant to take over from a previous composer, he is great at it mirroring their original styles. This can be helpful for movies like Jurassic World, or possibly even Star Wars-if he ends up taking over for JW.

 

I really enjoyed Giacchino's scores for Inside Out and Tomorrowland, which as far as movies go, probably represent both ends of the spectrum.

His original scores are fantastic, though I'm not so sure he's one for adapting other people's work.

 

It has it's moments but it still confirms a lot of my doubts about him as a composer. I'd probably rank it last in the series.