Sunday 15 July 2012

Soundtrack review: Avengers Assemble

This is a new series in which I, well, review the official soundtracks of suitably nerdy films. 


It's been over two months since The Avengers took to the big screen in one of the greatest superhero movies of all time and many are now eagerly awaiting the DVD release which is set for September over here in the UK.

Alan Silvestri, notable for his work on last year's Captain America: The First Avenger, takes the helm for The Avengers' score. While Captain America had an admirable soundtrack, it still felt relatively subdued, especially in comparison to Patrick Doyle's efforts with Thor, which is one of the best superhero scores in recent times. Avengers Assemble feels like a safe middle ground between the two, delivering some great cues and themes but without being risky.

The main theme is smattered throughout, reaching its zenith in A Promise, and while it's good it feels very standard as far as superhero themes go. Silvestri does a great job in creating a grand orchestral feel with a subtle electronic undertone in-keeping with the sci-fi fantasy genre. However, there are only a handful of stand-out tracks including the frantic strings of Helicarrier and the bombast of The Avengers. There is a lack of cues from previous movies, such as the amazing Thor theme or even Iron Man, which seems like a really big missed opportunity. However, there does seem to have been some effort to explore Natasha Romanov's character in Red Ledger and Interrogation, but with such big characters to work with it's surprising we don't get more.

The score plays it safe and delivers some audible gems amidst a sea of relatively standard tracks. I can't but feel that Silvestri could have done more with it but it's an enjoyable ride nonetheless.

Rating: 3 stars


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