Curse Of The Komodo, The (2004)

Composer(s):
Neal Acree

Released in:
2004

Reviews

Terrific scoring of an awful film,
by Alex (April 5, 2007)
"Curse of the Komodo" is one of those quickies that the Sci-Fi Channel seems to squeeze from its bowels on an almost weekly basis. The films is mildly entertaining, but from a production value standpoint, a failure--with one exception, that being Neal Acree's score. And what a score it is! His writing is nothing short of excellent. The main theme (1st heard in "Isla Damas") is great, composed for full orchestra and reprised throughout the album by horns, piano, strings, or even guitar. Acree, a composer specializing in horror/sci-fi films, is keenly aware what so many composers within this genre (i.e. Marco Beltrami) forget: You can have all the action-horror-bang-boom-crash dissonance you want, but for the score to be effective, you must balance the chaotic action cues with beautiful ones. "Curse of the Komodo" has no shortages of these emotionally-inclined cues: "TheWaterfall", "Rebecca", "Love Shack", "The Trek Continues", and the bonus track ("Rebecca's Theme", which is an extension of a motif established in "The Waterfall") all offer moments of lovely, poignant tenderness. Complementing these tracks are adventurous action cues such as "Main Title", "The Trek", Back on the Trail", and "End Credits". These cues tend to focus on swelling brass notes, almost along the lines of "Jurassic Park" (an obvious comparison, though this score is in no way derivative of that one), ethic vocals, and ethnic percussion of all sorts.
Since the film *is* about a giant killer Komodo Dragon, there are no shortages of action cues either: "Reeses Pieces" is easily the best of these, though other stand outs were "Bombing Run" and "Airstrike" (these later tracks even had a hint of David Arnold in them, ala "Independence Day").
What really impressed me about this score on the whole is how Acree always manages to incorporate the main theme into each track, no matter how dynamic or intimate the particular cue is. This is strong, thematic writing.

Is the score perfect? No. While much of the synth work here is actually quite convincing (particularly the brass, sampled vocals, ethnic colors and so on), there are a few moments where the limitation of an entirely synthetic score come to light, most notably in the sampled choral work. This is but a small problem though, because on the whole this is an exceptionally well-done score.
I sincerely hope Acree gets to work with a really big orchestra one day. His writing is emotional, action-packed, and hugely dynamic. There’s no way a talent like this can remain attached to cinematic sewage like “Curse of the Komodo” for long.
Acree may be the breath of fresh air we need.
You can buy this album directly from the composer on his site, very nicely priced by the way ($15). Had this been an orchestral score, as it was written to be, it easily could have received a five star rating from me. As it stands, this soundtrack showcases just how strong Acree’s writing can be. I wish him the best of luck, but have a feeling he might not need it—not with talent like this.
Highly recommended.

Reviews on other sites:

none available

Submit a link