Starship Troopers

[Pieter Boelen 633]

Every few days I will post a thread on a random score from my collection that we can discuss and rate. I made a playlist on my computer with one track of each score I've got, so by using the random play option, I'll be able to post a truly random score each time. Hopefully this will allow us to discuss some scores that would otherwise never be discussed. Also we can record the rating so that we can create a full list of the ratings given to scores by JWFan.com.

Today's score is Starship Troopers by Basil Poledouris. Are you familiar with it? What do you like about it? What don't you like about it? How do do you think it works in the film? What are your favourite tracks?

You don't need to base your opinion on just the OST.

So far JWFan has rated:

See Soundtrack Ratings by JWFan.com.

This web page contains the ratings from all my previous polls as well as those of Blumenkohl's.

Final ratings are converted to a 1-10 rating for both rating systems so that they can be compared.

[Morlock 9]

Damn fine.

[Hlao-roo 388]

For the OST album, somewhere between 3½ to 4 stars. The main theme, while very Poledourisian in structure, peddles a kind of MV/RC simplicity -- yet it never becomes obnoxious thanks to the composer's affection for orchestra. We also get some of most thunderous action writing of his career. By the way, how much good stuff has been left off the album? (I haven't see the film.)

[Ollie 859]

Yes there is a wealth of good music left off.

I'll give this a 4.5 rating. It's fun and energetic.

[robthehand 3]

4.

Unlike most I actually really like the original album. There was some nice stuff left off, certainly, but I find it a really entertaining listen.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

4...based on the bootleg

Burga - who has never heard it in OST form.

[Goldsmithfan 3]

This is one of the few short OST albums that I can really get into. I know it's missing a great wealth of material from the film, but the album was very well put together.

Not that I'd mind an expanded rerelease.

[Marian Schedenig 5,520]

Damn fine.

Damn 5 stars fine. Among the top 3 Poledouris scores, in my opinion. Great action writing, some cool leitmotifs, and yet - as with all the great Poledouris scores - it's the lyrical moments like Asteroid Grazing that are the finest.

The album has outstanding sound quality, but is missing a lot of good material. The boot sounds fine - better than some official releases, I'd say, but not nearly as good as the album. This one definitely needs a complete official release.

[Trent B 317]

This one is definitely an easy five for me and my favorite Poledouris score. Yes Mark is right there was a lot of good music left off of the OST. The complete version (not the DVD iso but the real full score) does make it a better listening experience for such a wonderful and fun filled score.

[scissorhands 16]

Bugs!!!

I think this is Poledouris' final masterpiece, even better than Conan. It took him 8 months to write the whole score and one can notice all the effort in every single track, it's all so elaborated. Just listen to "Bugs!!!" (from the bootleg score) as an example.

5/5

[Hlao-roo 388]

Bugs!!!

I think this is Poledouris' final masterpiece, even better than Conan.

I disagree. I think Les Misérables is Poledouris's final masterpiece, and his best since Conan the Barbarian.

(Of course, I should add that, unlike for Starship Troopers, I've actually seen Les Misérables and heard the complete score as heard in film.)

[Bryant Burnette 451]

4.5

Great score, and an underrated movie, too.

[Marian Schedenig 5,520]

Bugs!!!

I think this is Poledouris' final masterpiece, even better than Conan.

I disagree. I think Les Misérables is Poledouris's final masterpiece, and his best since Conan the Barbarian.

I hold all three in equally high regard.

[Bryant Burnette 451]

I think Conan the Barbarian is clearly his best, with Lonesome Dove following it up, but really, I love all of his scores that I'm familiar with. Les Miserables, Conan the Destroyer, The Hunt for Red October, Starship Troopers, RoboCop -- great scores all. I hope to at some point be able to afford to track down the rest of his work; he's one of the small list of composers whose scores I'd definitely like to build a complete collection of.

I've always been confused as to why Poledouris didn't get better assignments. Just on the basis of the scores listed above, most of which were for very successful projects, you'd think he'd have been able to get hired for high-profile movies on a more consistent basis than he was.

[Ollie 859]

In the later years before he became ill, I think it was Poledouris' decision to get away from Hollywood. He didn't like playing the game.

But he was also loyal and one can only wonder what would have happened had he not backed out of scoring Dances With Wolves to score Flight Of The Intruder for John Milius.

[Bryant Burnette 451]

In the later years before he became ill, I think it was Poledouris' decision to get away from Hollywood. He didn't like playing the game.

But he was also loyal and one can only wonder what would have happened had he not backed out of scoring Dances With Wolves to score Flight Of The Intruder for John Milius.

Hmmm...! I'd never heard that Poledouris was attached to Dances With Wolves, but it definitely would've fit his style. Although I love John Barry's score, one of his very best, so I'd be reluctant to wish it out existence.

[Romão 1,931]

Bugs!!!

I think this is Poledouris' final masterpiece, even better than Conan.

I disagree. I think Les Misérables is Poledouris's final masterpiece, and his best since Conan the Barbarian.

I hold all three in equally high regard.

I too agree these 3 are Poledouris crowning achievements. I fully agree with Peio and Marian, 5 star score all the way.

[Carnifex 5]

Hm I think I will give it a chance. Everyone seems to like it.

[Pieter Boelen 633]

I'll give it 4,5 stars at the moment. There's a lot of really good stuff in there. I need to give this one a more thorough listen. I do think it's the most enjoyable and fun Basil Poledouris score there is though.

[JoeinAR 1,759]

the movie is brilliantly seductive. what a fun film it is to watch.

it truely has a great score, and really great Special Effects, that are "Special".

[Pieter Boelen 633]

I also really like the film. It's greatly entertaining, the special effects are really good and do show things I haven't seen in other science-fiction movies. Also I find the over-the-top fascism in the film really quite interesting, because it's obvious that the film is showing the ways things shouldn't be.

[Trent B 317]

the movie is brilliantly seductive. what a fun film it is to watch.

it truely has a great score, and really great Special Effects, that are "Special".

Indeed the special effects still look great after all these years. I can only imagine how great it will look on Blu-Ray.