People...
hex | Houston, Texas USA | 03/20/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"#Not a review of the actual score, but soundtrack#Look, for those of you coming to this in search for the songs appearing in the movie other than the composed pieces for the movie will find them on the release titled SOUNDTRACK. Yes, they did pull a big nasty on us with the first soundtrack release with Blade (not II). But if you [iago27sp, I understand your frustration, I can relate] would look a little closer..there is a soundtrack for Blade II, which does actually feature many of the songs appearing in the movie (yet cdnow requires searching for Blade 2, not Blade II, to find it)..take a look..they call this a SCORE for a reason =) Good luck in your search (to everyone)."
Pulsing with Dark Menace
Aranion | Dayton, OH United States | 08/23/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Mark Isham'score for Blade is not a traditionally written or conducted score. What becomes clear about the score, once listened to apart from the film, is that it's a great horror score.
The music is, more than anything, about setting or augmenting atmosphere. As such, the music throbs with deep bass while being punctuated by crashes or cymbals.
By far the best piece is the opener - "Intruder." It's probably the closest to a conventional score track as the album gets, but will rattle your windows with the thunderous drums and bass beats.
"The Temple of Light" is another memorable track, but can be a bit disturbing with its chorale elements and building sense of danger.
As mentioned before, this is NOT an action film score, but more a collection of pieces that add touches of mysterious horror to the story. It does not fare all the well on its own, as the lack of ear-friendly themes or pieces can make for difficult or frustrating listening.
I've found the score works perfectly as background music for creative work - as long as you're in the mood for something dark and kinetic. It also makes for great driving music if you're in the car in those magic moments before a storm hits, when the sky has darkened, the air is thick and the world waits for the tempest to break.
Bottom line: if you're looking for a great action movie score, keep looking. If you're wanting something brooding and dangerous to set a mood, give it a try."