Ooo! More music!
_______
CD: Last Airbender, The (2010)
 
 
Review Rating:   Very Good
   
     
...back to Index
T to U
Label:

Lakeshore Records

Catalog #:

LKS-34152

 
Format:
Stereo
 
...or start from scratch
A
Released:

June 29 , 2008

Tracks / Album Length:

12 tracks / (66:46)

 

 
   
Composer: James Newton Howard
   

Special Notes:

(none)
 
 
Comments :    

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

 
 
Bzzz-bzz-bazzz-brzzoom!
   
_IMDB Entry______DVD Review_______Composer Filmography______CD/LP Release History
   
_IMDB Detailed Entry_____Read about the DVD!________Composer Filmography/Discography at Soundtrack Collector.com ___________Additional Related Sites
   
     
Brrr-boooshi-bzz-bazzah!
   
     
   
   
   
   
     
Vrrfpt-Voot-Voot-Voot!
   
     

Site designed for 1024 x 768 resolution, using 16M colours, and optimized for MS Explorer 6.0. KQEK Logo and All Original KQEK Art, Interviews, Profiles, and Reviews Copyright © 2001-Present by Mark R. Hasan. All Rights Reserved. Additional Review Content by Contributors 2001-Present used by Permission of Authors. Additional Art Copyrighted by Respective Owners. Reproduction of any Original KQEK Content Requires Written Permission from Copyright Holder and/or Author. Links to non-KQEK sites have been included for your convenience; KQEK is not responsible for their content nor their possible use of any pop-ups, cookies, or information gathering.

   
     
__