June 10, 2013

  • Review: Epic (Elfman)

    Epic is the latest animated Fox/Blue Sky collaboration directed by Chris Wedge (Ice Age, Robots).  The promos made it feel like it was a bit of an Avatar meets Brave sort of kid flick, but it is based on the books of William Joyce.  At 102 minutes, the film’s length is certainly anything but “epic.”  The environmental, “save-the-world,” themes may have parents reflecting on their Ferngully days.  The film was released over the Memorial Day holiday weekend doing modest box office (a third of its budget) in the wake of the Fast and Furious. 

    As delightful as the opening “Leafmen” is, it’s Celtic dance rhythms and Riverdance orchestral feel is a bit reminiscent of Brave.  There are a few moments in the opening “Pursuit” where hints of the classic Elfman style peak through, and some of the action writing bears his stamp equally as well.  But, much of the musical style feels very much like a Remote Control project.  Elfman’s melodic construction though is as strong as ever in this score and has a real magical lightness that even in the score’s darker moments is a telling style of the composer’s mastery.  The wordless choir may not be “la-la”-ing as much as in the past, but the effect is the same.  The comedic writing that Elfman provides (delicious in “Meet Dad”) is one of the score’s many hallmarks.  “The Selection” is another standout cue with some magical orchestral writing featuring bells, piano arpeggios, wordless chorus (also appearing ethereally in “Rings of Knowledge”—the most Elfman-esque cue of the CD), and great solo wind lines.  The following “Ambush” is another amazing action track that also features some intriguing dissonant writing as it begins.  The music also provides a rather lengthier selection of underscore that should work well with on-screen hits.  Elfman’s score covers the bases here from tinged emotional touching moments to the menacing and everything in between.  Along the way we hear flashes of his signature writing style mixed in with the latest scoring trends for better or worse.

    Epic feels like a more successful animated Elfman score than some of the non-Burton projects he has worked on in the past.  Of course, this is not “epic” film music by any means either, though maybe some of those Zimmer-ish scoring sections are a nod to modern epic film music.  The thematic ideas are quite strong though and his ability to blend his own compositional voice into the rather common expected Hollywood style in some sections are a mark of just how great a composer he has become.  When all is said and done, it may very well be Elfman’s score that will remain the most memorable contribution and it is certainly a fine effort of the action-adventure fantasy.  Fans know this type of score, the one that needs to “save” a film that they will end up watching just to hear the music.