Word: soundtracked
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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John Williams' soundtracks were my first passion in music as a child. My first cd's were of JAWS and Return of the Jedi; Mr. Williams now has an entire section devoted to his works on my shelf. And while composers like Alan Silvestri and James Horner have vied for the soundtrack crown, John Williams is still the Alist composer in Hollywood...
...what is the Star Wars: The Phantom Menace soundtrack like? Quite dissimilar from its predecessors, actually, though it does share a few things in common with other John Williams soundtracks...
Before going on, I should note that the soundtrack apparently has huge spoilers in the track listing; that is, the titles of the tracks give away key parts of the plot. I say apparently because I have avoided them assiduously, and listing them here would only, of course, tempt the reader to spoil it for him/herself as well. So while I will discuss the few pieces that won't give anything away (such as "Anakin's Theme"), you'll have to buy the soundtrack (or glance at the back in Newbury Comics) to find out what the rest...
...course, the traditional Star Wars main title opens the soundtrack. And after the opening fanfare, there's the traditional subsiding into a more subdued theme. In this case, it is not the sound of a threatening attack of a Star Destroyer on a tiny vessel or the thumping triad notes of Darth Vader's theme but a grand, sweeping piece that is reminiscent of the Indiana Jones films. Mark my words: the opening scene of the film judging simply from the music, will have some sort of advancing army or caravan, be it droid, human or beast, across a plain...
However, the soundtrack of The Phantom Menace is somewhat disappointing in its lack of energy. Quirky, dainty and mysterious themes abound, but there is little of the excitement of a "Battle of Yavin" from the original film or the track titled "Return of the Jedi" from that film's soundtrack. There is something that sounds suspiciously similar to "The Emperor's Theme" from Return of the Jedi, but I can't be entirely sure. Of course, the familiar Obi-Wan Kenobi/The Force theme is present from time to time; but they are mere gestures that haunt the soundtrack, which actually...