Original Motion Picture Score composed by John Williams | Soundtrack Review

A New Beginning
by: bill aicher

When most people think of a John Williams score, they are immediately met with remembrances of such sweeping grandiose themes as Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Jaws, and (more recently) Harry Potter. Still, there is that darker side of Williams that is sometimes called upon, as it is in Steven Speilberg's latest film - Minority Report.

Building on a style more reminiscent of his own Close Encounters of the Third Kind and last year's superb A.I., with Minority we find a much more disjointed style than what we generally find with Williams. True, there are those instances where we find hints of past themes, such as in the opener "Minority Report," where here and there you'll find hints of the lighter strings found often in scenes where Williams is striving to imbue a heartwarming feel (at times very similar to the more emotional parts of a Star Wars film). And let's not forget the wonderfully beautiful "Sean's Theme," with a piano arrangement that is nothing short than Williams' most poignant simplicity

Still, Minority's director, Steven Speilberg, has described this score as Williams' first in black and white. There's good argument for this assertion, as the frenetic disjoint construes a more oppressive Hitchcockian feel than ever before found in a Williams score. It's most evident in pieces such as "Greenhouse Effect," "Anderton's Great Escape," and "Leo Crow... The Confrontation" - where "Psycho" strings are highly prevalent. Yet it's on tracks like "Spyders" that Williams truly gets inventive, especially in the percussive interlude.

This being said, although this is a relatively non-melodic offering, there's no mistaking the sense of wonder and mystery Williams is so established at creating through his music. This score sets the scene for the film so perfectly, one hardly needs to see the film to understand it; and it's at times like this when one realizes a composer is at the top of his game.

With Minority Report, Williams is at the top of his game. 20-Jun-2002 10:45 PM