In each of his scores for director M. Might Shyamalan, James Newton Howard’s written some of his best work, writing music with extremely differing moods, as expressed through diverse orchestral instrumentation, be it the moody tones in The Sixth Sense (1999), the raging prelude that percolates the otherwise inert Signs (2002), and the rich chamber strings for the director’s clunky The Village (2004).
The Last Airbender has Howard continuing some of the steady doom and gloom harmonies of Batman (co-written with Hans Zimmer), with a thick use of strings and low brass, as well as thunderous organic percussion with metallic flanging (“Earthbenders”), and banks of heavy ethnic drums that capture the sense of a primal battle between an unlikely hero and an otherwordly menace.
Howard uses woodwinds – namely flutes – to emphasize a child grappling with mature endeavors, and regal harmonies for the vital battle the kid must ultimately face to save his world. “The Avatar Has Returned” is a fine example of the traditional classical sounds that have been just lightly sweetened with electronics, and it’s a creative choice that ensures the emotional content of the story doesn’t feel like a videogame. There’s also an effective use of solo flute over furtive strings which beautifully capture the sense of a mystical quest taken by a small figure in a large and foreboding location.
The Airbender action cues are typically grand, and Howard’s brass and bass-friendly percussion are closely packed together to deliver a maximum boom factor, and the periodic use of wordless choir add to the child character’s desperation. The Airbender theme is very expressive, particularly in the semi-tragic version in “Hall of Avatars.”
Lakeshore’s album presents a meaty 66 min. album, and the theme variations are well-balanced by the action cues and Howard’s big-sized orchestra. Track lengths tend to hover around 4+ mins., a sign Howard’s score was composed as a series of tight movements meant to capture the Airbender saga. An 11 mins. suite starts the album, whereas the character’s emotional journey is given a full-blooded salute in the final cue, “Flow Like Water,” punctuating another solid Howard- Shyamalan collaboration.
© 2010 Mark R. Hasan
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