Search - James Newton Howard :: The Last Airbender

Musicbending

John Green | Brooklyn, NY USA | 06/29/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I realize the review's title isn't very imaginative, but that's the only way to describe this. James Newton Howard was an outstanding choice for the soundtrack to this film; as directors tend to go with the ones they trust- Lucas/Williams, Burton/Elfman, etc- M.Night Shayamalan and Howard have a good relationship, blossoming in his under-appreciated effort on The Lady In The Water. The general public knows him from his collaborations with Hans Zimmer on the Batman Begins/Dark Knight scores, but as of this moment Howard is about to become a household name. Last Airbender is powerful in its composition, crystal clear in its vision and astounding in its depth and scope. This is the Oscar- right here.



Some folks have decried the lack of usage of the existing themes from the tv show; while these concerns carry a certain validity, believe me- you will never miss them. Howard delivers an outstanding piece of work that at times may well move you to tears from its sheer poetry and poignancy.



There are some resemblances to his previous efforts; he remains a master at string arrangements and makes liberal use of the two-note motif technique popularized by Batman/Dark Knight by either repeating it into a full measure or applying variants to reflect different events and personas. Multiple themes and cues are used to great effect; notable among these is Aang's motif- a string and brass rapid two-noter repeated four times that descends on the last note. Variants include a couple of six-note alternates, simple two-note leitmotifs and even a couple of 14-note extended movements. There's also a general motif for 'bending' that also differs in instrumentation and tempo to let you know what's being referred to. The Fire Nation theme excels in its percussion and brass- usually fueled by fierce snare and taiko drums, very high strings, trombones and choral chants, the last delivering a Basil Poledouris-like 'Conan' feel to the music. The Fire Nation themes appear in several different forms but are always recognizable.



By far the most dramatic pieces are what I'm calling the 'Avatar Movements'- all generally comprised of flowing string arrangements for violin, viola and cello, layering and blending with french horns and tubas. The most prominent of these is a 14-note downward cello progression introduced in 'Earthbenders'. The different Avatar Movements make several other appearances throughout the soundtrack before they're all gloriously showcased in the final two tracks 'Now We Are the Gods' and 'Flow Like Water'. These three pieces especially will garner the most attention and may well be what finally nets Howard the Oscar for his efforts. It's here that all the hyperbole clichés apply: no words in the English language, words fail, etc. They are truly magnificent sets.



Some highlights: *Potential Spoilers Alert*



Earthbenders- The cello, taiko drum and brass are strong, powerful and as solid as the element they're invoking. Befitting of the Earthbenders as they strike back against their captors, it's percussion heavy and forceful. The Avatar Movement in cello begins at 0:12 and Aang's 8-note motif debuts on tuba and string at 1:20. Here lies the best use of the 'variations on a theme' ideal; at 1:55 the 4-note Earthbender theme appears as timpani, tuba blast and cello. In comes a tension building triangle and rim shot bridge until 2:35. The tuba and timpani-based transition introduced at 2:35 to sustain the action is amazing. Staying in Earth mode Aang's 8-note motif smashes in at 2:42 as a hard-hitting snare drum, string and trumpet combo. No pun intended, it all simply rocks! The whole thing almost makes you want to try a few Bending moves, just to see...



Journey to the Northern Water Tribes- Opens with a Fire Nation Theme variant until the 0:36 mark. At 0:50 a very bold use of Aang's motif on brass leads into the search to find a Waterbending Master to teach both Aang and Katara at 1:07; from here their 'Journey of Discovery' becomes a fully realized adventure within the rim shots, snare drums and trumpets as they head north.



Hall of Avatars- Opens with and centers upon the Avatar Movements, most notably at 1:30, reflecting Aang's connection to his past lives.



The Blue Spirit- As good an action piece as you'll find. The brass use reminded me of the swashbuckler flicks from the '50s, very appropo as Zuko steals Aang from his captors in the guise of the Blue Spirit. The whole of it is an across-the-board exploration of the Fire Nation rhythms and themes, but is done very well- check out the drums at 4:08.



We Are Now the Gods- Mostly reflective and angst-laden, but never dull. More Fire Nation themes appear to help show off new string arrangements and snare drums during the first 2:30 as Commander Zhao destroys the animal form of the Moon Spirit. At 3:30 secondary Avatar Movements appear as variants at their most somber, laden and sweetly melancholic. The much under-used chorus is very evocative and in perfect harmony with the strings to emphasize Princess Yue's sacrifice.



Flow Like Water- Aang defends the Northern Water Tribe against the Fire Nation. The Avatar Movements and themes are displayed in their full harmonies, the overall effect much like that old Maxell commercial set to Wagner- blowing you away while you're still sitting in your chair. There really are no words for this one: starting with the now-familiar Avatar cellos to 1:38 when the full string arrangements are layered starting at 2:40 and continues while the orchestra pulls it all together with Aang's horn motif sitting atop it all like a cherry on ice cream- at that point you're in another world and can almost see the Waterbending happening. It all ends with a strong alternate of the Fire Nation taiko drums and a Bending reprise mixed with Aang's motif on brass as Aang accepts his role as the Avatar.

*End Potential Spoilers*



I freely admit to being blown away by it all; until now my favorite and Oscar front-runner for the year had been Elfman's Alice in Wonderland, both for its sheer brilliance and the fantastic Alice's Theme- which should still take Best Song. The only real complaints here are once again the tracks aren't laid out in sequential order to get a sense of the film and the flow of the score, and equally important is the minimal use of choral arrangements on the cd, since revealed as a corporate decision so as not to have to pay them royalties. Penny-pinching and randomness aside, the Best Soundtrack of the year is unmistakably the one before you right now.

"

James Newton Howard has done it yet again

Colby Fairbourn | UT | 06/29/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"James Newton Howard is my favorite film composer. His music is ageless and maintains the environments created in the corresponding movies, something most film scores fail to do.



The Last Airbender is a perfect example of this. Each song is perfect (which is the case with many of his scores) and the album starts and ends on high notes which makes the experience of hearing the soundtrack even better.



The first track is the longest, though It flies by rather quickly. It starts slowly, but then slowly builds as the song progresses, introducing the new themes and giving a summary of what the album might bring. Halfway through the suite the music becomes very triumphant, and you suddenly realize that James Newton Howard has created one of his best film scores of all time. And you're only in the first song.



Track 2 introduces my favorite theme, a loud and epic set of notes that I believe is in one of the film's trailers, and which will make more appearances throughout the album.



Like I said before, each track is amazing. You won't have to skip to your favorite song, because you probably won't be able to pick one! This is the power of James Newton Howard. He has a sense of, not just excellent music writing, but powerful editing. The album flows smoothly and quickly, clocking in at around an hour or so.



If I did have a favorite track, I'd say its the last one, Flow Like Water. It is honestly a perfect song, and is one of James Newton Howard's best he has ever composed. I won't spoil how it goes, or should I say flows, because the sweetness of hearing it for the first time is priceless. Its also the perfect way to end the album.



If The Last Airbender is the start of a trilogy, like the television show, then I'm extremely excited to hear what James has planned in that brilliant head of his.



Bravo James. Bravo for this excellent film score, and all the previous. And bravo for the albums to come in the future, because I know they'll be fantastic as well."

Shyamalan Made The Right Choice

Christopher Price | 06/29/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I personally was waiting for this soundtrack. James Newton Howard always does a phenomenal job with scoring the music for movies. Howard has created a score that is in your face action and tension building eerieness. The songs are filled with horns, drums, and tense strings. Howard made the music to sound like it takes place in the real world, but yet with a foreign element. "The Avatar Has Returned" is an excellent example of the eerie side of the music. It has a lone wind instrument playing with strings playing quietly in the background. He also made songs like "The Blue Spirit" and "The Spirit World," full of brass and drums quickly beating to create a loud and powerful action music. There is one song that has a lot of emotional power and elegance: "Flow Like Water." This piece uses strings in layers, each playing a simple tune to make it powerful, deep, and emotional. The song "Flow Like Water" alone makes this soundtrack fantastic and worth buying. This cd is overall a very well-done action score that adds nice pieces of calm to make it more complete and diverse. Overall, a fantastic action score. I recommend this score to soundtrack lovers of any age."