Young composer Brian Tyler proclaimed himself a force to be reckoned with on his ambitious score for the cable miniseries Children of Dune. If the scale of that expansive score nearly outstripped its small-screen source m... more »aterial, he's taken a more conservative, if no less vibrant approach in his music for veteran director Richard Donner's adaptation of Michael Crichton's time-travel-themed action adventure. Much of the film's swashbuckling action takes place in the 14th century, and Tyler's music draws heavily on the rousing brass and thundering percussion arrangements of Herrmann's Sinbad/Jason adventure scores, suffused with a decidedly modern sense of melody and a few contemporary orchestration tricks (particularly in its time travel sequences) by the composer himself. The result may have its roots in the vibrant spirit of Korngold's Hollywood Golden Age swashbucklers, but it's vigorously pumped up with a dark, 21st century sense of orchestral cum electronic foreboding, tense mystery and a shrewd sense of dynamics that are Tyler's alone. --Jerry McCulley« less
Young composer Brian Tyler proclaimed himself a force to be reckoned with on his ambitious score for the cable miniseries Children of Dune. If the scale of that expansive score nearly outstripped its small-screen source material, he's taken a more conservative, if no less vibrant approach in his music for veteran director Richard Donner's adaptation of Michael Crichton's time-travel-themed action adventure. Much of the film's swashbuckling action takes place in the 14th century, and Tyler's music draws heavily on the rousing brass and thundering percussion arrangements of Herrmann's Sinbad/Jason adventure scores, suffused with a decidedly modern sense of melody and a few contemporary orchestration tricks (particularly in its time travel sequences) by the composer himself. The result may have its roots in the vibrant spirit of Korngold's Hollywood Golden Age swashbucklers, but it's vigorously pumped up with a dark, 21st century sense of orchestral cum electronic foreboding, tense mystery and a shrewd sense of dynamics that are Tyler's alone. --Jerry McCulley
"When I first heard they were making a movie out of Timeline, Jerry Goldsmith was the composer, and I was really excited. Unfortunately, his score was rejected (I have no idea by who), and Brian Tyler composed the replacement score. Having heard Children of Dune, I knew that Brian was a good composer, but I had some doubts (mostly because Goldsmith is my favorite composer). And he blew me away with this score. I thought it would turn out to be a simple adventure score, something like a medieval Indiana Jones, but what I got instead 20 seconds into the first track was something frantic, fast-paced, and violent. There are great majestic brass fanfares throughout (like "Battalion"), but also a lot of violent masculine action material I'm used to hearing in scores from Jerry Goldsmith and Elliot Goldenthal. I can imagine that Tyler wanted to give Goldsmith a little send-off with how he wrote it. Strangely enough, it has more in common with The Wind and the Lion and Total Recall than First Knight. Most of the 45 minutes of score is big battle/action music, with said majestic fanfares, and also some more romantic cues that I imagine are for Andre Marek and Lady Claire. All in all, a great score, and I see no reason that the masses of people that ran out and bought Children of Dune shouldn't do the same for Timeline. If there is one problem, it would be that Tyler used one of James Horner's motifs from Star Trek II, but since it's only in the first couple tracks, I won?t complain much. For those of you purists, there does seem to be some electronics, but they are only used in the cues revolving around the actual time travel itself, like "Enter the Wormhole." And they're always used more as background anyway. It's pretty cool, having this and The Last Samurai and The Return of the King come out on the same day. You should get all three!"
One of the best CDs of 2003
J. Irvin | 12/04/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This soundtrack is stirring and thematic. I collect scores (and I am admittedly jaded) and I even think it is an instant classic. Please do not judge this soundtrack on the movie. This music stands on its own. I am a big fan of his "Children of Dune" score but "Timeline" is even better. I have rarely heard an orchestra exude so much power. Not since the classic days of Goldsmith's "Star Trek" and Williams' "Star Wars." Get it. You won't be sorry."
Brian Tyler: The Master of Suspense
J. Irvin | 04/01/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you're a fan of Brian Tylers (such as I) you know the amazing greatness he is capable of and with Timeline, there is no exception. From the suspenseful hardships to the beautiful romances, the Timeline score has it all. I got to say that I've not yet seen the movie or even know what it is about (other than maybe traveling through time or something . . . ) but the score alone tells the story. What impresses me is not only the melodies of Brian Tyler (which are amazing) but his ability to incorporate moments of sheer horror and choas with moments which reflect the calm emotion of the plot. So I guess what I'm trying to get at is that you NEED to get this CD! Even if you are not a Brian Tyler fan (which you should be) this score is one that can be listened to over and over and never become old. Treat yourself to one of the best Brian Tyler scores yet, Timeline."
Wow! Amazing Score
Daniel DeJesus | Westchester, NY | 05/03/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Not is the movie a good action / adventure flick but the musical score composed by Brian Tyler is just fantastic. I'm a big fan of film scores and no recent movies have produced a score that stuck with me after I saw the movie. But with this score I was humming the music for days. I would like to point out the "Galvanize of the Troops" score because it holds a lot of power in it and within the context of the film the score holds the movie to epic proportions. There is no doubt in my mind that this score held this movie together brilliantly."
Wow! An Absolute Masterpiece!
J. Irvin | 01/17/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I saw the movie and loved it. Although I felt that the film could have been better if it had a few more scenes that established the 1357 period (i.e., scenes in a Church with Gregorian chants or the inside of a Medieval household), it was a very good effort. And this score is fabulous! Thank you Richard Donner, I enjoyed your movie. And thank you Brian, I loved your score."