Lorne Balfe's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING (2023/24)

[Richard Penna 3,694]

He also says a lot about the number of players and how they didn't even realise that the total number was 500+ until some paperwork was being done.

 

Sounds like the reason was that they thought it would be nice to have some musicians doing work in the countries where they were employing lots of other crew, and that it's the total players across all the varous session. From around 7:50.

[TolkienSS 407]

This could have been done with sampling, without a noticeable difference in sound, but Dollar Store Wagner thought it was necessary to call in every studio musician in Europe to squeeze out his stock chords from hell.

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,433]

Well I prefer him to hire talented musician and pay them properly instead of using sampling. Perhaps it's proof of a big hubris but in the end it's good for the musicians.

[Mr. Who 919]

I think Balfe‘s music is usually very uninspired but kind of enjoy parts of his MI7 score.
 

However I cannot understand this fascination that some have to complain or mock the fact that he hired loads of musicians to perform the MI7 score. Who cares how many musicians performed, except probably the players who got payed for an extra gig…?

[Edmilson 7,469]

To be honest, my problem is not exactly with him paying hundreds of musicians. In their line of work, working for a major Hollywood movie can lead to recognition and a nice paycheck, even though they probably would rather be performing Beethoven, Mozart, etc. If Balfe's music is so simple that it could be performed on samples, that's his problem, not the musicians'.

 

But I do think it's weird LB's claims that he wrote 14 hours of music for this movie alone. This is more music than John Williams wrote (alone) for the entire Sequel Trilogy or that Howard Shore wrote for LOTR, and those scores had lots and lots of themes representing different characters, locales, etc.

 

Considering that, as far as I can identify, M: I 7 only had one new theme (the Entity theme), this is a really odd claim. Did he spend most of his 14 hours sketching ideas for the Entity, only to come out with the idea of inverting the original M: I theme? Or was it writing action music? If it's the latter, then why the hell it's so mediocre?

 

Still, in the end his whole PR bullshit about 500 musicians and 14 hours of work is just that: propaganda that is selling a mediocre product, not that different from a Transformers movie trailer. And it's something Balfe learned with his master Zimmer, who is a talented saleman of his own music. Remember all those claims about how Inception, Dunkirk, Dune, etc., were the most important scores he ever wrote?

[JTN 2,037]

39 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

And it's something Balfe learned with his master Zimmer

 

[Trope 527]

14 hours ago, TolkienSS said:

Dollar Store Wagner

This made me laugh out loud!!

 

In all seriousness, Balfe seems like a pretty nice guy, and M:I7 is by no means his worst score. Heck, if directors and producers want his style of music and that's what he enjoys writing and there are some people that enjoy listening to it, more power to him.

[Gabriel Bezerra 302]

[HunterTech 994]

I'm a little surprised this didn't lead into a discussion about how the DR1 booklet quote is further proof that McQ was very unhappy with how RN went, since he absolutely didn't use these words there despite arguably being more fitting.

[Jurassic Shark 12,083]

33 minutes ago, HunterTech said:

I'm a little surprised this didn't lead into a discussion about how the DR1 booklet quote is further proof that McQ was very unhappy with how RN went, since he absolutely didn't use these words there despite arguably being more fitting.

 

What was the quote? I naturally don't have the booklet. 

[HunterTech 994]

I unfortunately couldn't find any scans on a database, so I'd have to check my copy of the CD when I get home

[Jay 37,372]

56 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

What was the quote? I naturally don't have the booklet. 

 

On 04/08/2023 at 11:03 AM, Gabriel Bezerra said:

 

[MaxMovieMan 273]

McQuarrie is describing this score as like a Howard Shore LOTR level work with extreme intricacy. I think there’s literally one new theme in MI7 and besides that I could only recognize the two classic MI themes. What tools did Balfe abandon?🤣

[Jurassic Shark 12,083]

There must have been some miscommunication from Balfe's camp about those 14 hours of score. He probably spent 14 hours writing the score.

[MaxMovieMan 273]

I watched the film again and the Entity theme works so well in picture. Also the pair of cues "He Calls Himself Gabriel" and "Ponte Dei Conzafelzi" are standouts to me. They’re haunting.

[Jurassic Shark 12,083]

5 minutes ago, MaxMovieMan said:

I watched the film again and the Entity theme works so well in picture. Also the pair of cues "He Calls Himself Gabriel" and "Ponte Dei Conzafelzi" are standouts to me. They’re haunting.

 

Which track has your favourite representation of that theme?

[MaxMovieMan 273]

I think the whole opening sequence is honestly the best example. The high woodwinds for the motif really stick out and create an eery feeling for the sub scene. So “The Sevastopol,” “The Phantom,” and “Collision Alarm.” The use of the motif throughout the film is excellent in my opinion.

[JNHFan2000 2,967]

I also like The Entity theme. Because it's so slithery and not some grand theme it fits very well.

It's something that can be everywhere, so the theme is always sneaking around

[Jurassic Shark 12,083]

On 26/07/2023 at 3:44 PM, TolkienSS said:

Right from the get-go, Balfe’s music feels fresh and stimulating, lively and exciting, and is filled with so much dense, complex, intricate writing for orchestra and percussion that it almost becomes mesmerizing. 

 

Mesmerising indeed.

[JTN 2,037]

Perhaps some here on the forum think that I dislike Balfe as a film composer and they’re not entirely wrong. I’ve been hesitant to listen to this score mainly because I just didn’t like Balfe’s score to M:I 6, especially listening to it right after Joe Kraemer’s excellent Rogue Nation. I didn’t want to not like it, as I never sit down and listen to a score with the intention of not wanting to like it. But I just didn’t in the case of M:I6. 
But now that so many of the members have so passionately defended it, I’m really curious about it, and since I know how much effort Balfe apparently put into it, so many musicians, so many hours of music written. He deserves at least the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps I’ll like it more than his previous M:I score. 

[JNHFan2000 2,967]

I am of the opinion that neither Mission: Impossible scores are Balfe's best work. I enjoy them a lot, but Balfe has scores that are much much better.

 

My favorites of his are Black Widow, His Dark Materials (the Anthology albums), Lego Batman, Home & Tetris

[JTN 2,037]

7 minutes ago, JNHFan2000 said:

 

My favorites of his are Black Widow, His Dark Materials (the Anthology albums), Lego Batman, Home & Tetris

I like the main theme for His Dark Materials and Tetris. I haven’t seen the other films.

[Richard Penna 3,694]

M:I 6 is actually the only Balfe score I have (partially). It's not that I don't like him; he just hasn't particularly been on my radar of composers. I've heard bits of His Dark Materials which is sort of ok - meandered a bit too much for my liking.

 

I know that Balfe's music is academically not as refined as Williams (or whomever) but I like to think that we can appreciate both sides of the scoring coin. One minute you might want to listen in awe at some Williams set piece, and another minute something simpler, more power-anthemy might be your thing in that moment. I'm sure there will come a point this week where I pop on MI:7 in the background and Balfe's rhythms and textures are just the thing I want.

[greenturnedblue 372]

1 hour ago, Richard Penna said:

another minute something simpler, more power-anthemy might be your thing in that moment.

Exactly, I have a "high octane" playlist with M:I Fallout, Dead Reckoning, Top Gun Maverick, Dark Knight Rises, Rush, Tenet, Inception etc. Williams is the GOAT composer but sometimes I put on this playlist for cardio or something 

[MaxMovieMan 273]

His Assassin’s Creed: Revelations score was incredible in my opinion. It’s my personal favorite work of Balfe’s.

[Trope 527]

My favourite Balfe by far is The LEGO Batman Movie. I think there's some genuinely solid writing in that score, and it's also a great mix of serious and lighthearted. I would rank it as an A-level animation score.

[crocodile 8,018]

So I now have both Balfe albums on CD. The new one is definitely better and, with some trimming, it could be quite an enjoyable listen. I'm not sure if it needs 2 hour album as the material gets bit repetitive here and there. I suppose it is also about showing off different ensembles as well as there are hundreds of musicians listed in the booklet. It's not my type of writing, to be honest, but some rhythmic segments are not quite unlike Kraemer's The Torus sequence from Rogue Nation. It definitely bridges old and new sound way more successfully than Nolan-esque Fallout. I have become more open to different styles approaching the same material, it is quite interesting to study. My favourite scores is still Elfman though, followed by the Giacchino/Kraemer efforts and then this. But I like it more than expected.

 

By the way, anyone would like to share a chronological playlist for Fallout? To be frank, I am feeling too lazy to go through the film.

 

Karol

[crocodile 8,018]

By the way, anyone tried the 71-minute Mondo version?

 

SIDE A

The Sevastopol (2:07)
The Phantom (3:05)
Collision Alarm (1:31)
A Ghost in the Machine (2:39)
The Sum of Our Choices (1:24)
Dead Reckoning Opening Titles (1:13)
The Entity (3:23)

SIDE B

Your Mission... (2:35)
This Is Not a Drill (2:13)
You Are Dunn (5:55)
Get Out Now (1:57)
A Colourful Past(3:11)
Roman Getaway (2:47)

SIDE C

Hit It (2:11)
He Calls Himself Gabriel (6:23)
You Are Done (3:28)
Chasing Grace (2:51)
I Was Hoping It'd Be You (1:42)
Ponte Dei Conzafelzi (2:19)

SIDE D

Murder and The Orient Express (3:34)
I Missed the Train (3:06)
The Moment of Truth(2:18)
Leap of Faith (1:37)
You Stop the Train (3:48)
Chaos on the Line (2:49)
Curtain Call(1:01)

 

Karol

[Knight of Ren 789]

Watched the movie a second time and I liked it even more. Truly first-class entertainment right here, and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for Part 2.

 

I think Balfe's score works quite great in many of the actions sequences, and I like that they also allowed some parts of it ro be unscored, leaving room for the action and the SFX to breathe. I still miss a bit more of variation on his instrumentations for the different cities they visit, but I realized the score truly shines in context with the more emotional and dramatic string cues, like the different variations on Grace's theme, cues like Ponte dei Conzafelzi, plus some eerie variations on the Entity motif.

 

The album is too long, but a nice small compilation of highlights could be assembled from this and Fallout.

[Jay 37,372]

On 10/08/2023 at 4:37 AM, crocodile said:

It's not my type of writing, to be honest, but some rhythmic segments are not quite unlike Kraemer's The Torus sequence from Rogue Nation.

 

Which tracks in Balfe's scores remind you of Kraemer's Torus music, specifically?

[crocodile 8,018]

16 hours ago, Jay said:

 

Which tracks in Balfe's scores remind you of Kraemer's Torus music, specifically?

I think they are more superficial similarities, stemming from the fact Kraemer was aiming for a more modern thriller sound but using only old-school to achieve this effect. Small snippets of this cue, for a example, really remind me of what he did in The Torus:

 

 

Karol

 

 

[Cerebral Cortex 3,357]

I really walked away impressed by the presence the score had in Dead Reckoning. One choice, in particular, I've been a bit fascinated by is this variation of the main theme that plays for Ethan in pivotal moments involving his character (his "theme" of sorts). I think it's a really interesting solution to the problem of being 7 movies deep into a franchise with no established recurring character themes to draw from and you also want to try and score it in a more classically leitmotific way. It's a really unique approach I feel to take the theme that defines the franchise and alter it such that a variation of it then becomes the theme for the character in a way. It's such a simple variation, sure, but I think it's really effective within the film.

 

 

[1977 1,743]

Anyone attempted a 90s-era 30 minute Varese/Sarabande style playlist for this or Fallout? 

[Knight of Ren 789]

14 hours ago, Cerebral Cortex said:

I really walked away impressed by the presence the score had in Dead Reckoning. One choice, in particular, I've been a bit fascinated by is this variation of the main theme that plays for Ethan in pivotal moments involving his character (his "theme" of sorts). I think it's a really interesting solution to the problem of being 7 movies deep into a franchise with no established recurring character themes to draw from and you also want to try and score it in a more classically leitmotific way. It's a really unique approach I feel to take the theme that defines the franchise and alter it such that a variation of it then becomes the theme for the character in a way. It's such a simple variation, sure, but I think it's really effective within the film.

 

 

Nice suite. This score has grown quitr a bit on me, and I think what Balfe does with thr main theme deserves some recognition, because he plays around with it a lot, and I think all this different variations on the same idea work quite well within the movie. I would appreciate a bit more of thematic connection between the scores of the saga, but that seems to be mission impossible!

 

2 hours ago, JTWfan77 said:

Anyone attempted a 90s-era 30 minute Varese/Sarabande style playlist for this or Fallout? 

I made a shorter playlist for myself, with my favorite tracks trying to balance the action with the softer moments, and trying to have all main thematic ideas represented. It runs for around 30mins so if you do listen to it, tell me if it works well for other people as well:

 

-The Phantom

-Collision Alarm

-This Is Not a Drill

-A Colorful Past

-You're Driving

-Chasing Grace

-I Was Hoping It'd Be You

-Ponte dei Conzafelzi

-You Stop the Train

-Chaos on the Line

-This Was the Plan

-Curtain Call

[Gabriel Bezerra 302]

On 20/09/2023 at 6:05 PM, Knight of Ren said:

I made a shorter playlist for myself, with my favorite tracks trying to balance the action with the softer moments, and trying to have all main thematic ideas represented. It runs for around 30mins so if you do listen to it, tell me if it works well for other people as well:

 

-The Phantom

-Collision Alarm

-This Is Not a Drill

-A Colorful Past

-You're Driving

-Chasing Grace

-I Was Hoping It'd Be You

-Ponte dei Conzafelzi

-You Stop the Train

-Chaos on the Line

-This Was the Plan

-Curtain Call

Listened to this + Opening Titles/The Plot Thickens/Rush Hour in Rome/Leap of Faith a couple of times and it was great. 44 minutes flew by, thanks a lot for the share.

[FunnyML 82]

16 hours ago, Gabriel Bezerra said:

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning - Part 2: Electric Boogaloo

On 23/07/2023 at 2:20 PM, TolkienSS said:

Balfe's score, even in establishing shots, can't do anything more than waaaaa-Bwwwwmmmm.

TolkienSS nailed it. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning - Part 2: waaaaa-Bwwwwmmmm

 

Didn't enjoy the movie either, but I'm curious what the extended soundtrack release will bring. Here is the cuelist (the first 39 tracks are identical to the regular version):

40    Ethan's Fate            4:50
41    A Life Remembered        8:08
42    Point Of No Return        2:48
43    The World Is Changing        3:47
44    The Iron Path            2:54
45    Ink And Keys            2:50
46    The Truth Is Vanishing        2:34
47    Shadows Of Sorrow        3:01
48    Passion's Embrace        3:28
49    The Excommunication Of Autumn    1:40
50    Mission Conclusive        9:57
51    War Is Coming            9:36
52    XM9 Barren Wilderness        4:48
53    XM18 Dunes            2:27
54    XM22 Hunt            3:38

[Gabriel Bezerra 302]

Wait... an EXTENDED edition?! For an already extended album? oh my... 

 

But yeah, those titles are intriguing me.

[HunterTech 994]

So he can assemble this, and not a proper score only album for Top Gun Maverick.

 

Is it because he doesn't want to include the stuff that existed before he got involved? 

[JTN 2,037]

You think you’ve heard all? Think again.

 

[Faleel 5,359]

Half the score sounds like this

 

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,083]

Half?

[JTN 2,037]

Poor LLL, normally they’re the ones who do the expansions. Maybe this will be one of their early November titles? Or one of the BF titles?

[TolkienSS 407]

You could assemble "expanded" tracks from the existing ones, and I'd wager it would take at least a year for someone to notice.

 

And the first one to notice would be Jay.

 

And then it would take another week or so for someone to care.

[HunterTech 994]

Do I make an appreciation thread for this score so that a bunch of posts don't get deleted again?

[JTN 2,037]

[Jay 37,372]

1 hour ago, TolkienSS said:

You could assemble "expanded" tracks from the existing ones, and I'd wager it would take at least a year for someone to notice.

 

And the first one to notice would be Jay.

 

And then it would take another week or so for someone to care.

 

I'm not sure why you're including me in your shitpost here. I've never heard this score, and never seen this film. 

[MedigoScan 324]

1 hour ago, TolkienSS said:

You could assemble "expanded" tracks from the existing ones, and I'd wager it would take at least a year for someone to notice.

 

And the first one to notice would be Jay.

 

And then it would take another week or so for someone to care.

I would notice right away, but I seem to be the weirdo when it comes to Lorne Balfe anyway.

[Faleel 5,359]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

 

I'm not sure why you're including me in your shitpost here. I've never heard this score, and never seen this film. 

I guess it's a reference to your prolific (fantastic) spreadsheets

[thestat 348]

Someone mentioned Balfe's rhythms and textures - does he have some original ones and could you bring them up? I mean everything he has done is based on something else.

[crocodile 8,018]

I just popped 4K UHD disc into my Blu-ray player and realised there is an isolated score track on this disc in the audio section. Back cover only mentions commentary and featurettes. Pretty cool.

 

Karol