Deep Rain, Hardly Rising
CD Reviews by Jeff Bond
Deep Rising **
JERRY GOLDSMITH
Hollywood HR 62120-2. 10 tracks - 32:21
You know what they say: sometimes you catch the mutated octopus, sometimes
the mutated octopus catches you. In the case of Jerry Goldsmith, the mutated
octopus has come out on top twice.
While 1997 was one of the best years Goldsmith has had during this decade,
1998 starts off pretty inauspiciously with this limp adventure retread.
Although 1989's Leviathan had at least two good melodies working
for it, it was a woefully monotonous effort that clearly proved that underwater
monster movies do not inspire the composer overmuch. Given that Goldsmith's
last three projects have been high-profile, prestigious films of the sort
that the composer probably desires, one has to wonder why he would sign
onto something as lowbrow as Deep Rising, essentially a direct-to-video
Alien clone jazzed up for the big screen with CGI effects and self-conscious
humor.
Cues like "Let's Make a Deal," "Wall of Water" and
"E Ticket" hearken depressingly back to the one-note, galumphing
horror marches of Leviathan, with simple ostinatos and horror shock chords
that seem to issue more from the Roger Corman sound of the '50s than from
Goldsmith's brilliant serial writing of the '60s and '70s. To be fair,
Deep Rising is much better-performed and has a lot more energy than
Leviathan, but the basic material is far less interesting. The abundance
of twangy, mid-range '80s-style electronics is downright shocking, from
the fast-paced percussion effects of the opening to the glistening shock
chords that erupt every time a CGI tentacle jumps into the frame. There's
no attempt to characterize the monsters acoustically, as Goldsmith did
brilliantly in Alien (and as recently as last fall in his grizzly
bear motif in The Edge); the use of timpani in "Wall of Water"
is a relief from the electronic percussion, but it smacks a little too
much of the rumbling timpani motifs in City Hall and L.A. Confidential.
"E Ticket" rattles forward with synthesizers and some of the
most lifeless descending brass scales in the Goldsmith oeuvre.
Goldsmith is too good a composer to put out an album entirely lacking
in interest. His adventure theme makes little impact at the film's opening,
but it receives an effective elegiac treatment in "Leila's Gone,"
and finally begins to assert itself excitingly later in the same cue. The
album's final track ("Hang On") sets the theme against an almost
reggae-like electronic rhythm and repeating brass accents: it's cheesy
as all get-out but dammit, somehow it's pretty exciting, and I was disappointed
when it cut off too soon.
It's doubtful that the memory of Deep Rising will linger long
after the end of the millennium. At this stage in his career, Jerry Goldsmith
is a national resource that should be used wisely, not squandered on every
lame action movie that comes along. Let's hope the rest of 1998 has more
L.A. Confidentials in store and fewer Deep Risings.
---------------------------
Hard Rain HHH 1/2
CHRISTOPHER YOUNG
Milan 73138 35835-2. 20 tracks - 51:44
Action movies continue to be the most frustrating opportunities for
composers in film today. On the one hand, the epic canvas and supercharged
choreography of these films provides all kinds of leeway for rhythmic and
orchestrational experimentation. On the other hand, the pressure to recoup
their huge budgets results in such a take-no-chances atmosphere, dominated
by endless audience testing and slavish adherence to temp tracks compiled
from previously successful action pics, that it sometimes seems impossible
to produce anything original.
Give composer Chris Young credit: at least he tries. While Hard Rain's
parade of non-stop action cues wears out its welcome through sheer effort,
it's full of involving, well-orchestrated rhythmic approaches (check out
the thrusting opening to "The Jail Cell" which perfectly recreates
the effort of slogging through waist-deep water). You also have to admire
the candor of Young in the album's liner notes, where he's quoted as saying
that "not much of the character's internal lives" is fleshed
out by his music.
Young makes good use of Toots Thieleman's harmonica to give a down-and-dirty
midwestern feel to the film's villains, and the few suspense moments feature
the composer's hand at creating rich, striking dissonances. However, the
bulk of the score simply consists of Young laying down tons of heavy brass
and string ostinatos to keep the tension rolling along. Unfortunately,
even Young can't quite escape the generic feeling engendered by the inevitable
adherence to the temp track. While he notes that none of his own music
was used in the temp, there are plenty of Die Hard and Aliens
licks in here (check out "The Jet Ski Chase Part 1" about
2:30 in, and "The Jail Cell" at around 3:00) to give listeners
action-movie deja vu. This is the soundtrack equivalent of deep in-breeding;
it can only result in genetic disaster.
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