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Lunch » Tags » Music » Reviews » Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (soundtrack)

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (soundtrack)

1 rating: 5.0

An album by Original Soundtrack/John Williams (Film Composer)

Original score composed by John Williams. Audio Mixer: Shawn Murphy. Liner Note Author: George Lucas. Recording information: EMI Abbey Road Studios, London, England. You've got to love any album containing a composition entitled "Love Theme … see full wiki

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1 review about Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones...

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John Williams is to Star Wars as apple pie is to America

Jan 5, 2005

by ssjakira1
posted in Music Matters

Rating:

Pros: No one does soundtracks like John Williams.

Cons: Only one Star Wars movie left!

The Bottom Line: Star Wars fan? Yes? Good, then keep reading.

Guess what?

My cable is out. So what better to do than another review!

Once again (as many times before) John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra (and London Voices) have joined forces (no pun intended) to make yet another grand soundtrack for yet another Star Wars movie. That is correct; John Williams has produced the soundtracks to all the Star Wars films to date. Any why not? It makes perfect sense. He might as well go the distance with Lucas. Don’t know John Williams or any of his work? Take a look at these: Jurassic Park, Hook, Superman, The Patriot, and all three Indiana Jones and Harry Potter movies. Impressed yet? Come on, let’s take a audio tour of the second movie, Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones.

I’ve decided that times are a must here, considering some of these are quite long. Usually I don’t add times if things are typical song length (3-4, maybe 5 minutes). It’s interesting how there aren’t as many tracks on this CD as others, but then again there are 4 songs that combine together. Some are easy to tell where the break is (music will have an obvious change of some kind) and that will be noted. Otherwise it’s safe to assume I couldn’t tell where that break was and am just going with it.

1.) “Star Wars Main Title” and “Ambush on Coruscant” – 3:46 The main title should be a given. If you still have no idea what it sounds like, well first of all I’m wondering how you got interested in this CD, and secondly I’m sure you could easily find it somewhere to listen to. As per usual, the titles lead into the next musical piece, which always goes with what is happening in the first bit of the movie. The plan is to land with Senator Amidala safely on Coruscant. BoOM! OMG! Not so much. There’s actually no sudden surprises in this song at all – it’s pretty quiet, which is sort of surprising in itself.

2.) “Love Theme from Attack of the Clones” – 5:33 …Did he really have to say where the love theme was from? Maybe some people can’t figure it out for themselves. Anyway, this is what you’re going to hear played in some shape or form whenever Anakin and Amidala are on the screen. It’s very lovely, some think it’s cheesy, but I’m a girl so I’m allowed to be more romantic (hahaha). It’s a great mix of strings, a few flutes, and a harp, forming a loving, yet sad tale of two people who have to overcome a whole slew of difficulties to see their love realized. There are even a few hints at Duel of the Fates, a song from the first movie, in here.

3.) “Zam the Assassin” and “The Chase Through Coruscant” – 11:07 I must first say the use of the electric guitar in here was great. But that doesn’t come in yet. The track starts of relatively silent…sneaky even. A little creepy…whatever an assassin has to do, right? But once Obi-Wan and Anakin get after Zam, matters get moving pretty quickly. Horns and woodwinds link together, strings not much of an issue here, creating a great sweeping chase scene – and there’s the guitar. An interesting feel, especially if you’ve seen the movie and this part. Things take a sudden drop off into nothing more than what I believe to have read as African drums, but pick up again in no time. It’s a long scene, and therefore a long piece. But that’s okay, trust me, it has its uses.

4.) “Yoda and the Younglings” – 3:55 This is a real nice track. It’s simple and sweet – after all, we are dealing with kids in this scene. Innocence and strength. Kids are so perceptive, my family and I were just talking about that tonight. There is a bit of the love theme in there (for some reason) as well as a bit of the Jedi theme. It’s all soft harps, woodwinds, and a couple of strings here (with a couple of gentle horns when necessary). The addition of the chorus is beautiful I think, but I am biased towards choruses. Just think soft light, something mystical, or being in the middle of nowhere and just staring up at the stars…

5.) “Departing Coruscant” – 1:44 Quiet…a little too quiet (Ninja Turtles anyone?)...no, just kidding. Just a short piece here, nothing major. Just a bit of the Jedi theme again and a little flourish at the end.

6.) “Anakin and Padme – 3:56 Here’s where some of the cutesy, Anakin & Amidala (or Padme, whatever) music comes in. From time to time things get a little darker – that’s probably when Anakin is fussing about not getting any. Ok, that’s not what he’s doing but that’s the way my dad always makes fun of it. He is whiney though…

7.) “Jango’s Escape” – 3:48 Since “escape” is in the title, of course we’re going to have fast, anxious music here. Much like track 3. Almost too much like track 3 actually…minus the guitar thing.

8.) “The Meadow Picnic” – 4:14 Anyone besides me think this part of the movie was hokey? Man, even if I had a hot guy on my arm and I was in a pretty meadow, I still wouldn’t be frolicking around like a deer that’s high on life. But whatever. I think this is happy-go-lucky, “yay!” as anything in any Star Wars movie is going to get (thank God). That’s pretty much this track in a nutshell. Of course the love theme is going to come into play too.

9.) “Bounty Hunter’s Pursuit” – 3:23 Hmm…the first minute is a lot like tracks 3 and 7…But hey, go see the movie because this was a really cool scene. =D The rest is fairly quiet – so much so that you might have to turn up your speakers, but shhh! Obi-Wan is busy sneakin’ around… The very end you get a tiny taste of the future empire’s theme, and it leaves you with that.

10.) “Return to Tatooine” – 6:56 Another fairly quiet track. This time Anakin is skipping (ok, he wasn’t skipping at all) back home to find his mother. Hey, it’s music from the first movie! Duel of the Fates! Oh, sorry, haven’t heard that? I highly suggest it. Very apprehensive with a heavy emphasis on deep chorus. Good stuff. Things end just as quietly as they began.

11.) “The Tusken Camp” and “The Homestead” – 5:54 Near silence…it isn’t until the middle Anakin goes into a bit of a frenzy and kills all the sand people he can. But that part isn’t very long – because it’s not in the movie. They don’t want you seeing all that gore. Heh. The rest is quiet once again – only this time a darker form than usual.

12.) “Love Pledge” and “The Arena” – 8:29 Naturally as the title would lead you to believe, the love theme is going to be involved. It is, and a lot. Cue the drums! Ready for the execution! Ok, so the execution didn’t turn out as planned. Instead the rest of the track is mostly drums, brass, a few quick love theme interludes, and then more chase-like paces and instruments. Considering the place this is in the movie, one would think the music would be a bit more exciting, but that’s okay, it does get interesting near the end with a desperate version of the Jedi theme.

13.) “Confrontation with Count Dooku” and “Finale” – 10:44 Haha, Dooku. What a name. *ahem* Sorry. The beginning is a whirlwind of strings and voices, leading into the Jedi theme. Then it gets darker, and a little ominous at that with one lone voice singing a looming sort of melody. The confrontation apparently isn’t very long, because soon we jump right into the growing theme of the empire, though it isn’t as strong as it is in the other movies, but the empire itself is still young, so that’s okay. With a swift transition into the love theme, the movie nears it’s end, immediately switching over into the end credits music (which needs no explanation – no, seriously. If you don’t know what they sound like, go watch one of the movies like you already should have). The rest is just a recap of the previous tracks above, like most movies do in their credits.

So, is it good? Yes. Is it really 5 stars? No. I think it’s more like 4.5, but I decided to just round up instead of down. So what’s going on?

Why the 4.5: John Williams has talent, no doubt about it, and it shows here. He knows what he’s doing. The music goes pretty darn well with the movie (as it should), and to be totally honest, I just really like Williams’s work. All these tracks are in relative order so it’s very easy to go along with them and know what’s coming up next.

Why the -0.5: For some reason it just felt as though he didn’t seem to utilize the whole orchestra the same way he did for the last one. Listening to it separately from the movie, it’s almost as though he’s missing just that much of a tiny slice of tailoring the music to the places the characters went and what was going on there. For example, in the very first movie when they met Jar Jar, things sounded curious, simple; Jar Jar-ish. Or in the very last movie when the Ewoks got involved. Everything was very, well, Ewok-like. I still think it’s some of the cutest music I’ve ever heard. Here though, sometimes it was as though Williams didn’t take things to the limit like he could have. It’s really good. But it could have been really awesome.

But 4.5 stars is still good enough to say that you should give it a try. Or just get the Love Theme and go from there. Your money, your eardrums. You decide.

NT

"I see you becoming the greatest of all the Jedi, Anakin. Even more powerful than Master Yoda."

Enjoy this? Then check out the first one, Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace.

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Yes

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