The Last Jedi THE LAST JEDI - Score mentions in online reviews & social media, etc

[Jay 37,269]

I don't want the OST album thread crowded with quotes from people talking about the score as heard in the film, and there really isn't another thread where it can go, so here is one!

 

Now that the premiere has happened there is gonna be more and more of this stuff, so have at it!

 

EDIT: I merged into here some earlier comments from online about the score.

[Balahkay 627]

3 hours ago, ocelot said:

So on the John Campea show on youtube today he was asked about the score.

 

"Was the musical score up to par?"

 

"I loved the music. Loved it. They new exactly when to use the recognizable Star Wars music and they knew exactly when to put John Williams's new stuff. Williams does it again. Williams totally does it again, I love the music in the movie"

 

@ 45.26 (apologies, I don't know how to clip things or make things start in certain places.) EDIT: Also at 51.48 he says somewhat the same thing.

 

Good find! I hope these guys are being truthful and not making face. It seems like the music was mixed with more presence this go 'round since they're commenting on the music and not saying what music?

[armorb 9]

I recall Campea being underwhelmed with the TFA score (or at least its presentation in that film) so his calling it out favorably is a nice sign.

[Bilbo 3,709]

2 hours ago, KK said:

 

 

Fools! Both of you!

 

I AGREE WITH KK!

[mrbellamy 6,270]

5 hours ago, armorb said:

I recall Campea being underwhelmed with the TFA score (or at least its presentation in that film) so his calling it out favorably is a nice sign.

 

I just skimmed through a Collider review he did for TFA and he said he loved the music here:

 

 

[crumbs 14,287]

It's times like these I'm eternally grateful for RLM's The Nerd Crew.

[armorb 9]

2 hours ago, mrbellamy said:

 

I just skimmed through a Collider review he did for TFA and he said he loved the music here:

 

 

You're right, of course. Maybe it was Harloff I'm thinking off?

[Jurassic Shark 12,012]

19 hours ago, BloodBoal said:

Still, finding TFA to be the weakest score in a series that has AOTC in it...

 

I find the action scoring in TFA very good, quite possibly better than in AOTC.

[Jost1 105]

I find TFA to be excellent and above the level of most of the prequel music. Reminds me of 70s Williams. Very nice leitmotif work too, more sophisticated than the prequels IMO.

[ocelot 508]

7 hours ago, armorb said:

You're right, of course. Maybe it was Harloff I'm thinking off?

Yes, I remember Harloff not being blown away at first but then loving the score after listening to it for a while and watching the movie a few times.

[TownerFan 4,983]

This from the FSM Board:

 

Quote

I saw TLJ this morning and was frankly disappointed. Overlong, redundant, despite Hamill's charisma and an impressive snow battle in the last act. Concerning the score, it's full of explosive brass but not really strong from a thematic point of view-except for the themes we already know of course. 
But I prefer TLJ's score to TFA's.

 

[Sandor 796]

1 minute ago, TownerFan said:

This from the FSM Board:

 

 

 

There’s a snow battle now..?

[TownerFan 4,983]

I think he's referring to battle on the salt planet (hehe, it looks like snow).

 

Another chap on FSM wrote:

 

Quote

While the embargo is still on I´ll just say this: John Williams ties things together very well.

 

[Kostov 58]

1 minute ago, Sandor said:

 

There’s a snow battle now..?

I think he has mistaken the Craits salt with snow.

[mrbellamy 6,270]

Yes I believe it's a salt and crystal planet but I do find it rather silly how much it looks like Hoth, especially including the AT-ATs. 

[Sandor 796]

Just now, Kostov said:

I think he has mistaken the Craits salt with snow.

 

That, or he didn’t see it.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

1 minute ago, mrbellamy said:

I do find it rather silly how much it looks like Hoth, especially including the AT-ATs. 

 

 

[TownerFan 4,983]

Press screenings started to roll today in several countries in Europe. Tonight it will be screened for journalists and internet "influencers" in Rome and tomorrow evening in Milan to a similar crowd. And of course tomorrow there's gonna be the European red carpet event with cast and crew in London. 

 

The embargo will be lifted tomorrow night worldwide, so be careful on the interwebs.

[mrbellamy 6,270]

4 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

 

 

 

Oh right, I forgot...

[Jost1 105]

Re: the FSM thread, I can't fathom why anyone would say TFA wasn't strong thematically, it's classic leitmotif Williams. Multiple recognizable, new motifs. Impossible to miss.

[gkgyver 1,645]

Impossible to miss doesn't mean engaging or appealing. 

[Pawel P. 738]

I'll watch TLJ  in less than 20 hours!

[Jost1 105]

1 minute ago, gkgyver said:

Impossible to miss doesn't mean engaging or appealing. 

Okay let me rephrase it: it's the best leitmotif-based score since 2003's Return of the King 

[BloodBoal 7,538]

1 minute ago, RadJ said:

Okay let me rephrase it: it's the best leitmotif-based score since 2003's Return of the King 

 

Hardly.

 

You need to listen to more film music!

[Jost1 105]

Thanks dude I'll get right on that 

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jurassic Shark 12,012]

15 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

 

Hardly.

 

You need to listen to more film music!

 

Could you provide some examples of good leitmotif heavy scores?

[Jost1 105]

It's not even that crazy of a statement considering proper leitmotivic scores quite rare these days, and besides, it's my subjective opinion.

 

ANYWAY sorry to derail   Back to people being disappointed again.

[Sandor 796]

Posted on Jedi Council forums of TheForce.net

 

Quote

I'll be totally honest - I barely noticed the soundtrack. All the new character themes were there from The Force Awakens but the only new one I noticed was Rose's theme which was great. Plus there were a couple of odd bits of recycled score from the OT

 

Also read that The Battle Of Crait features music from The Asteroid Field...

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[KK 3,307]

Would it be a moot point to bring up that the leitmotivic approach is not the only valid one for great film music?

 

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[KK 3,307]

Ah, then ignore my post.

 

I guess I've gotten too used to seeing the general assumption, in some parts, that if it doesn't have as many themes/motifs as Shore's LOTR, it's no good!

[Balahkay 627]

I don't like the sound of recycled OT material. 

[gkgyver 1,645]

Up until "The Abduction" or "Kylo Ren Arrives At The Battle", aside from one or two smaller motifs, there isn't a theme in there other than Rey's. And that's about half the album or more. In fact, in numbers, it weighs towards the old themes until the concert suite of the Resistance March.

I don't want to take anything away from it, it's a great score, but I think, considering his age, we are now at a time where the name Star Wars makes the music special instead of vice versa.

Because to me, aside from the sparse new themes, at least 50-65% of the rest is the usual Williams 2000 underscore.

[mstrox 6,637]

Am I wrong, or is every major or major-ish new theme in TFA (EXCEPT for Resistance March) introduced in the first few tracks

 

Tk 1 - Kylo Ren

Tk 2 - Rey

Tk 3 - Poe (maybe strains of Finn's too?)

Tk 5 - Finn's for sure

[Jost1 105]

2 minutes ago, mstrox said:

Am I wrong, or is every major or major-ish new theme in TFA (EXCEPT for Resistance March) introduced in the first few tracks

 

Tk 1 - Kylo Ren

Tk 2 - Rey

Tk 3 - Poe (maybe strains of Finn's too?)

Tk 5 - Finn's for sure

Completely right. Kylo Ren's motif is literally introduced with a huge statement like 4 minutes into the score. 

56 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

 

Since 2003 (to keep with RadJ's example of ROTK) up to 2015 (TFA)?

 

Just to name a few, off the top of my head:

 

2004 Howl's Moving Castle, Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Village

2005 Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, King Kong

2006 X-Men: The Last Stand, Eragon, Da Vinci Code, BBC Robin Hood

2007 Stardust, The Golden Compass, Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End, Spider-Man 3

2008 The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea

2009 The Cape, Avatar, Star Trek

2010 How To Train Your Dragon, The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, Robin Hood

2011 The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn, Puss In Boots

2012 John Carter, Journey To The Mysterious Island, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2013 The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, The Lone Ranger, Star Trek: Into Darkness

2014 How To Train Your Dragon 2, The Monuments Men, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies

2015 Pan, Jurassic World, Tomorrowland

Not all of these are leitmotif scores, but it doesn't matter I guess. I still think TFA is brilliant and the closest we've gotten to a classic Star Wars score in a long time. Best one since Phantom Menace.

[Balahkay 627]

6 minutes ago, RadJ said:

Completely right. Kylo Ren's motif is literally introduced with a huge statement like 4 minutes into the score. 

Not all of these are leitmotif scores, but it doesn't matter I guess. I still think TFA is brilliant and the closest we've gotten to a classic Star Wars score in a long time. Best one since Phantom Menace.

 

I agree with this.  AOTC and ROTS are still excellent, though.

[Jost1 105]

AOTC and ROTS are great! I like 'em all   But the prequel scores are very different animals.

[Cerebral Cortex 3,357]

1 hour ago, mstrox said:

Am I wrong, or is every major or major-ish new theme in TFA (EXCEPT for Resistance March) introduced in the first few tracks

 

Tk 1 - Kylo Ren

Tk 2 - Rey

Tk 3 - Poe (maybe strains of Finn's too?)

Tk 5 - Finn's for sure

Well, we do get that hint of the Resistance March at the end of Track 4, so technically every major new theme is featured in some way by Track 5. 

 

 

 

 

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

1 hour ago, BloodBoal said:

 

Since 2003 (to keep with RadJ's example of ROTK) up to 2015 (TFA)?

 

Just to name a few, off the top of my head:

 

2004 Howl's Moving Castle, Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Village

2005 Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, King Kong

2006 X-Men: The Last Stand, Eragon, Da Vinci Code, BBC Robin Hood

2007 Stardust, The Golden Compass, Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End, Spider-Man 3

2008 The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea

2009 The Cape, Avatar, Star Trek

2010 How To Train Your Dragon, The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, Robin Hood

2011 The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn, Puss In Boots

2012 John Carter, Journey To The Mysterious Island, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2013 The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, The Lone Ranger, Star Trek: Into Darkness

2014 How To Train Your Dragon 2, The Monuments Men, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies

2015 Pan, Jurassic World, Tomorrowland

 

It is a bit charitable to call many of these leitmotif scores right? At best many are multi-thematic scores.

 

Like Tommorowland is an outstanding score and I love it to bits but it is not leitmotivic in the Wagnerian sense.

[gkgyver 1,645]

1 hour ago, mstrox said:

Am I wrong, or is every major or major-ish new theme in TFA (EXCEPT for Resistance March) introduced in the first few tracks

 

Tk 1 - Kylo Ren

Tk 2 - Rey

Tk 3 - Poe (maybe strains of Finn's too?)

Tk 5 - Finn's for sure

 

If we are talking about 4:20 in the first track, then I didn't forget it. I said "one or two smaller motifs" besides Rey's theme. That short brass spike is a small motivic idea that is hardly significant in the big picture of the album, and when I first heard it back then, I thought to myself how untypical it is for Williams to write an uninspired theme-ish motif like that.

Then there is the brass motif starting "The Abduction", same category as the previous. Reminiscent of Seven Years In Tibet.

And whatever Finn's theme is, it doesn't have a lasting impression.

 

There are two major themes on the album that deserve the name: Rey's and March Of The Resistance. The rest of the album is a handful of minor motivic ideas that aren't expanded upon, held together by more or less inspired underscore and references to the original trilogy.

 

A piece like Scherzo For X-Wing is great, but it's not original. 

[mstrox 6,637]

I agree about Scherzo.

 

But man, Kylo, Finn, and Poe's themes all get a chance to shine - and while they don't get concert arrangements, they all get a full reprise during the end credits!  (I also like all three themes better than March of the Resistance, so maybe I'm biased). 

[Taikomochi 1,136]

25 minutes ago, Cerebral Cortex said:

Well, we do get that hint of the Resistance March at the end of Track 2, so technically every major new theme is featured in some way by Track 5. 

 

 

 

 

 

I think you mean track 4.  I'd argue that's not entirely fair since that bit of the march is actually from much later in the film, when the characters arrive at Maz's castle, and was tacked on by Williams there, so that theme is actually introduced fairly late in the film, even if it appears early in the album.

[Cerebral Cortex 3,357]

Yeah, Track 4, my bad. 

[Chen G. 3,942]

55 minutes ago, gkgyver said:

And whatever Finn's theme is, it doesn't have a lasting impression. 

 

That's because its not Finn's theme, per se. Its a recurring motif for the comedic beats of the early action scenes, which tends to coincide with Finn's "scared-out-of-his-living-mind-of-what's-happening" behavior.

 

It really is a very single minded score. Rey's theme is the absolute centerpiece, to a fault.

[Cerebral Cortex 3,357]

Maybe Thor has cause to be excited for The Last Jedi after all...

Did I imagine it or did John Williams drop a cue from his score for THE LONG GOODBYE into THE LAST JEDI? Even as a massive Altman fan, this bugs the hell out of me.

— Hamburger Hillis (@HillisEric) December 11, 2017

Supposedly it plays in...

Spoiler

the casino.

I noticed that too. In the casino. Nice catch!

— Luke Maxwell (@LukeMaxwell) December 11, 2017

 

 

[mstrox 6,637]

looooooooooooooool wow - Quartet Records better be prepared to pay overtime to their shipping monkeys, because the nerd completists are coming for them!

[Jay 37,269]

I don't think they meant it was tracked in from that score, but rather that he wrote new music that sounds like like something he'd written before

[mstrox 6,637]

Ah, I read "drop a cue from his score" and figured it was needledropped, but I agree that's a less likely option.  Seems like something Johnson would dig though.