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Soundtrack Review: Unstoppable

December 6, 2010 at 11:00 am
Ryan Whiting
1

Soundtrack: Unstoppable
Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams
Label: La-La Land Records
Release Date: December 7, 2010

More than likely, you’ve heard Harry Gregson-Williams’s music before. Having composed for several, much-loved modern films, including 1998’s Antz, 2001’s Shrek and each of the three films in the Chronicles of Narnia franchise, Gregson-Williams is no stranger to cinema soundtracks — or soundtracks in general, for that matter; he’s also the man responsible for much of the phenomenal music in the Metal Gear Solid series. Known predominantly for meshing elements of electronica with more classical, orchestral sounds, one would more than likely expect a similar style to resonate throughout the soundtrack to 2010’s Unstoppable. Not so, it seems. Foregoing an orchestral direction in favor of one that is, almost-exclusively, ultra-electronic, Gregson-William’s score is certainly adequate for the subject matter, but, beyond that, achieves little else. Ultimately disappointing, Unstoppable’s soundtrack is a mediocre collection of music that simply fails to inspire.

Unstoppable’s main fault lies in its incessant similarity; each track flows to the next, with little to differentiate the two. While recurring motives are, of course, common practice in the realm of soundtracks, it’s also nice to hear variety, too; each track should, by its own artistic merits, stand on its own, allowing for the scenes they depict to take on unique characteristics of the accompanying music. Sure — reprises are fine, and do well to harken back to earlier themes, motifs, and significant plot events. But Unstoppable has no such reprises — only dull, monotonous and frankly repetitive sounds.

While fueled mostly by strong, techno-rock undertones, Gregson-Williams does allow time for more classical instruments to creep in every so often; soft, piano keys may dance by, and the sound of strings can often be heard juxtaposing — or complementing — a bass line or guitar riff. Sometimes (like in “Who Do I Kiss First?”), Williams lets these softer instruments lull solo, allowing for a pleasant — albeit late — switch from the majority of the soundtrack’s almost too heavy sound.

Unstoppable’s 13-piece soundtrack is by no means bad. It’s just not terribly good, either. In the end, the talent of Gregson-Williams fell victim to the norms of the genre (and, also likely, the vision of the film’s producers), where such unoriginal and bland sounds are all-too-frequent. A bass line here, a heavy hit there, and a middling orchestral serenade peppered sparingly, Unstoppable’s soundtrack is full of noise, but altogether lacking in substance.

Track Listing (with individual ratings):

  1. “Stanton, PA” (3:32) – 3/5
  2. “Frank Barnes” (2:10) – 3/5
  3. “Will’s Story” (1:56) – 2/5
  4. “Ned” (2:08) – 3.5/5
  5. “Dewey” (2:24) – 3.5/5
  6. “Not A Coaster” (2:17) – 3/5
  7. “Are You In Or Are You Out?” (6:13) – 3/5
  8. “Realign The Switch” (3:10) – 3.5/5
  9. “Galvin’s Strategy” (2:25) – 3.5 (recommended)
  10. “Playing Chicken With Trains” (1:35) – 1/5
  11. “Will Guides 1206” (4:04) – 3.5/5
  12. “The Stanton Curve” (6:02) – 2/5
  13. “Who Do I Kiss First?” (4:19) – 3.5/5 (recommended)

Overall Rating (not an average): 2.5 / 5 Stars

Harry Gregson-Williams, Reviews, soundtracks

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About the Author
Ryan Whiting lives on an island you've probably never been to and probably care little about. Bermuda, a 21-square mile land mass 700 miles off the coast of New York, is an unlikely place to find such a geeky writer. But he exists and types away, ranting about bad story-telling in video games or raving about last night's episode of 24. That is, if it was any good, of course. But contrary to what his website may say, Ryan's geekdom is not overly eclectic, and he keeps to his fandoms. He's not really into comic books or anime (save for a few exceptions) and, when it comes to that vampire craze, he'd have a hard time discerning even Jacob from Edward. So, he stays away from such areas and sticks to what he likes. Ryan's in love with serialized dramas, sci-fi shows, and video games, specifically RPGs and FPS's. He'd also like to consider himself a film critic, but only for the movies he doesn't walk out on. He won't do it again. He promises. Ryan's also a bit of a techy, and, whenever possible, tries to stay up-to-date on whatever's current or popular in the gadget-world. Yes, he has to have that latest thing, whatever it is. Outside of confining himself to either his favorite shows on DVD or the gadget blogs, Ryan has a vested interest in photography, and totes his SLR with him to most places. He even has a photoblog over at Flickr that he updates whenever he can (http://www.flickr.com/ryanwbermuda). Living on a such a small island can be tough at times, but Ryan, along with his family and friends, works out just fine. For more of Ryan, check out his website: www.ryanjwhiting.com or Twitter page: www.twitter.com/rwhiting.
One Comment
  1. Dalton December 7, 2010 at 3:32 am

    When will this be on Itunes?

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