Truly Epical Music by Shawn Watson (February 28, 2004)
James Newton Howard is probably one of the most under-rated composers in Hollywood. Most of the time he's given dull assignments of scoring romantic comedies and indifferent drama movies. But once in a while he shows just how great he is at composing music for action movies. As with Marked For Death and Falling Down, Waterworld has moments of soaring, high-adventure and gentler, more relaxed moments for the quieter passages of the film. The music is lush and tropical which totally matches the look of the movie. It's perfect listening for winter because it'll make you feel warmer and it's perfect for summer because it'll match whatever sunny day it is.
The main Waterworld theme is featured frequently throughout the CD and never fails to excite. It's really very rousing stuff. Action movies these days for some reason fail to have strong themes (I blame Hans Zimmer overexposure of Media Ventures) so when you come across one as good as this you have to snap it up as soon as possible. As sure way of telling whether or not a score is good is if it is used in zillions of trailers. This is surely the case with Waterworld.
The more peaceful tracks such as 'Swimming' and the music box theme juxtapose the driving action music and add a serene and mellow mood and an undeniable touch of class. Whether you want adventure or calm Waterworld has them both. It's a great soundtrack CD and one you cannot be without.