The Ultimate War or Adventures on Earth

[Demondm810 399]

Film music doesn't get much better than these two ridiculous JW finales. BUT..which one is better?

The alien gets my vote....but only just barely.

[Faleel 5,346]

The Land Race...Oh wait.....

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Adventures on Earth is far...far better. It is about 200 times more emotional.

I love The Ultimate War, but it is mostly just action, action, action.

Adventures on Earth is THE John Williams piece.

[alicebrallice 134]

adventures on earth, without a single doubt.

[Thor 7,494]

Adventures on Earth is far...far better. It is about 200 times more emotional.

I love The Ultimate War, but it is mostly just action, action, action.

Adventures on Earth is THE John Williams piece.

Yeah, that.

[The Dark Trilogy 39]

Of course Adventures on Earth.

[KK 3,307]

Little doubt about it, easily Adventures on Earth. That piece is true Williams magic.

[Richard Penna 3,684]

I'll go against the grain: The Ultimate War

It's just so much damn fun, and when the flying motif comes in during the first part, I find it really emotional for some reason.

[Wojo 2,453]

Adventures on Earth is almost a religious experience.

[Red 75]

It's not really apt to compare the two. "The Ultimate War" isn't a finale piece, it's an action one.

[Thor 7,494]

It's a pretty unfair match. Perhaps the finale from CLOSE ENCOUNTERS would be a more equal contender to E.T. Or other setpieces that aren't necessarily finales (like the Helicopter music from JURASSIC PARK or the Luke/Vader duel or something).

[Faleel 5,346]

well, the first half is an action track...

[Red 75]

It's a pretty unfair match. Perhaps the finale from CLOSE ENCOUNTERS would be a more equal contender to E.T. Or other setpieces that aren't necessarily finales (like the Helicopter music from JURASSIC PARK or the Luke/Vader duel or something).

If I were to compare "Adventures on Earth" with a piece from Hook it would either be "Farewell Neverland" or "Remembering Childhood".

[gkgyver 1,645]

But none of the pieces mentioned beats the Close Encounters finale. Williams has yet to do a piece that works better on any thinkable level.

[Datameister 2,042]

"Adventures on Earth" for me, but that's not a slight on "The Ultimate War." If we were doing just action music vs. action music, I might call it a draw - one is more swashbuckling than the other, but I'd say they're equally thrilling. But "Adventures on Earth" also includes the jaw-dropping finale, to which there is no correlate in "The Ultimate War" or Hook as a whole, and which obviously stands as one of the best film score sequences of all time. Some would say THE best.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Only one of these is worthy of the vote and robin williams is still awful.

[Faleel 5,346]

Hey, I would take The Ultimate War over any post-2002 action cue from Williams.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

it's cool that some like hook that much.

[Compiler411 0]

Adventure On Earth. BUT, I must comment: some say that The Ultimate War is mostly action upon action. 'Tis true, but,

a.) these are two very different finales that in some ways don't deserve comparison, although the comparison being made here is totally understood.

b.) we must remember what action upon action means to A LOT of other composers. Johnny's got the melodic drive, which adds heart to the most action-driven sequences. I always feel like in a spielberg action sequence, we're drawn in not simply by the thrills (and we sure as heck are), but the mix of wit, humor, and stakes involved on a human level (even in - actually, ESPECIALLY in the jungle chase sequence in Indy 4. That's right, I said it.)

Nothing can beat the emotion that Adventure On Earth is worth. But if I was stranded on a desert island with just Ultimate War on my iPod, I would have absolutely nothing to complain about.

[Trent B 337]

The Ultimate War.

[Hlao-roo 389]

Neither one matches the subtlety and maturity of "Escape from the Basket," which is really the standard by which any finale should be judged.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Don't ever leave me!

[Incanus 5,714]

Adventures on Earth is my choice. I would say it is the model of JWs gradual thematic build-up reaching such a glorious and emotional conclusion which makes it all the more satisfying. E.T. for the most part is a subtle score and when Williams in the end unleashes all the emotion on grand operatic scale you can't not be affected. It works so perfectly in the film but rings emotionally just as true outside it on its own.

It is as other have said a bit unfair to compare Ultimate War with Adventures on Earth just based on the fact that they run 15 minutes or more. Farewell to Neverland would have been a better comparison when Hook is concerned.

[Josh500 1,615]

THIS:

Adventures on Earth is far...far better. It is about 200 times more emotional.

I love The Ultimate War, but it is mostly just action, action, action.

Adventures on Earth is THE John Williams piece.

And THIS:

It's a pretty unfair match. Perhaps the finale from CLOSE ENCOUNTERS would be a more equal contender to E.T.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,515]

"Hook" take on the mighty "E.T."?! Are you having a giraffe?!

Nice to see you used "AOE", and not...er...whatever else it's known as!

[Faleel 5,346]

"ECG" richard.

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

The Ultimate War. Best action music after TOD and Jedi. AOE is nice but too much emotional crap in it.

Hornist-testing mobile device

[Jilal 569]

AOE is nice but too much emotional crap in it.

I agree.

[alicebrallice 134]

AOE is nice but too much emotional crap in it.

I agree.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Alice, are you a Niner?

[alicebrallice 134]

Alice, are you a Niner?

not really, no.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Pity...

[alicebrallice 134]

I like dennis mccarthy though!

[Incanus 5,714]

I like dennis mccarthy though!

You know the name of Dennis McCarthy! I am impressed. Very impressed.

[MSM 126]

T-Rex Rescue and Finale might be my fav JW finale.

Of those two, Adventures on Earth, but if Sword Fight was edited in Ultimate War (like it was heard in the movie), I definitely would have preferred that one. Adventures on Earth is btw a Herbert Spencer arrangement, and it has some pretty bad transitions but overall is very nice.

[avalanche 0]

Adventures on Earth is the cue I'd play for someone who'd never heard Williams, and wanted to know what the big deal was. It has everything I love about Williams within it's fifteen minutes.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I like dennis mccarthy though!

You know the name of Dennis McCarthy! I am impressed. Very impressed.

Especially for a girl...

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

These are too different to compare. I enjoy the finale of E.T. more, but I enjoy them both greatly. This is certainly not a classic JW match-up.

A better comparison for Ultimate War would be those other great climactic 30-40 minute finales of JW music like Return of the Jedi or Temple of Doom.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

'Escape/Chase' (since 'saying goodbye' in not part of the action finale and would be the 'farewell neverland' equivalent) vs the 20 minutes of pure orchestral bliss of 'Ultimate War', the latter wins.

Now, as a film finale, ET Beats Hook to pulp...

musically, farewell neverland and end credits is a close contender for Saying goodbye and end credits. But the images + music is so superior in ET that 'there is no comparison'

[TownerFan 4,983]

A better comparison for Ultimate War would be those other great climactic 30-40 minute finales of JW music like Return of the Jedi or Temple of Doom.

I agree. A better comparison would be the full "Ultimate War" sequence vs. "Saving Willie/Slave Children's Crusade/Short Round Helps".

[Charlie Brigden 7]

Adventures, of course.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Musically, farewell neverland and end credits is a close contender for Saying goodbye and end credits. But the images + music is so superior in ET that 'there is no comparison'

No....no....just no!

Saying Goodbye is far better, structurally, emotionally...everythingly.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

in the end i said that E.T. was superior...without comparison...

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

You should be whipped with many lashings for suggesting Goobye Neverland is almost as good.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

It is very beautiful, musically.

[wanner251 17]

When one asks which cue is better, and includes quite possibly the best cue ever written, it makes me think so much lower of the other. The Ultimate War is a great cue, but not even on the same level as Adventures on Earth. Adventures on Earth is such a great cue that Spielberg altered the cuts and length of the film to accommodate it. That never happens...

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

Stefan discovered the music in the film is comprised of several takes so that story is not as true as it sounds

[wanner251 17]

How is the story not true just because the cue was cut up? The story goes that the timing wasn't working, and Spielberg said, Ok John we'll turn off the screen, and you conduct the way you think it should be, and we will go from there. Sure, perhaps the cue was cut up, but the point is that the music was moving enough to go against the grain of conventional technique and elicit a non-conventional response. Even if they didn't use that take, it doesn't matter because it just shows how amazing the cue itself is.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

they tell the story as if the 15 minute finale was played in one row. And since it is comprised of several cues and edits of several takes of each, its unlikely any result of 'switching off the film and play the music alone' is heard in the movie...

in the end Spielberg had several takes of each piece and Ken Wanberg or whoever edited it to fit the film.

its a lovely anecdote to tell though...

[Datameister 2,042]

Yeah, that musical sequence comprises three different cues, each of which was recorded separately, so there's no way the whole thing was recorded in one take, anyhow.