MovieChat Forums > The Mummy Returns (2001) Discussion > Alan Silvestri's music beat Jerry Goldsm...

Alan Silvestri's music beat Jerry Goldsmith's


As much as love Jerry Goldsmith's work, Alan Silvestri's music in this movie was far superior to Mr. Goldsmith's score to the original. Anybody agree?

__
http://www.phpbber.com/phpbb/index.php?mforum=allscifi

reply

No. Jerry Goldsmith's score for The Mummy was far better.

reply

Even though I've loved Mr. Goldsmith's work for years (especially his "Our Man Flint" score), I don't think it's as good as the one for the sequel to the aforementioned film.

By the way, have you clicked on the link below lately? You'd be welcome there.

__
http://www.phpbber.com/phpbb/index.php?mforum=allscifi

reply

Alan Silvestri and the late Jerry Goldsmith are two of the best the business has ever seen, and it's hard to pit one against the other, but I'm inclined to agree with you. And while the original Mummy was decent action score, it still seemed like Goldsmith was capible of more. It fit the movie fine, but didn't really stand out. Then along comes Mummy Returns. It's very rare that I have to stop at Best Buy and grab the soundtrack as soon as I leave the theater, but Mummy Returns just had that effect on me.

I remember hearing something about Goldsmith having a miserable experience scoring The Mummy, though never understood exactly why. I think his lack of enthusiasm shows. Silvestri pulled out all the stops and arguably delivered the most expansive score in his already illustrius career.


PS if you can track down the 2-disc complete score, do it. The original soundtrack is pretty bare bones by comparrison, and the end credit music alone makes it automatically worth the buy.

reply

I have both extended scores. Both really good.....but damn, this (returns) score made Silvestri my all time favorite composer ever.

reply

I like the fact that, intentionally or not, each Mummy movie has a different composer. I'm a huge fan of soundtracks, and notice that nine times out of ten, composers just coast through sequels without writing anything new. Mummy went from Goldsmith, to Silvestri, to John Debney for the Scorpion King, and now to Randy Edelman with the next installment coming out this summer. Having an entirely different sound gives each movie its own identity.

I agree that Goldsmith and Silvestri both did outstanding work for this franchise. And you're right; the Mummy Returns soundtrack is one of the most amazing scores I've ever heard.

reply

From the two tracks I got from iTunes...they have nothing to worry about....yeesh.

reply

Do you know where to find these extended scores, cuz that has always been one of my main problems with The Mummy Returns soundtrack, they don't have the music for the final act of the movie...kinda sad

reply

You have to get a torrent. Theres one with both Jerry's extened, and Alans. I have that, and its probably the best thing i've ever downloaded...ever.

And yes, if they SOLD this, I'd buy it. But they dont, so I didnt.

reply

okay...how do i go about doing that? just curious

reply

I second that... go and download it! I would have paid good money for the extended score, but its just isn't around eh.

Seven years later, and its still one of the most overplayed tunes on my iPod.

reply

how?

reply

Is the extended score on iTunes? Sometimes extra tracks are available for a buck or two.

If any of you Mummy music afficionados are still around, I wonder what you think of the score to III? I probably shouldn't really post yet as I haven't really listened to II. I thought the music to Mummy I had great moments (especially Evie's theme) but there wasn't really a rousing recognizable theme that tied the thing together. I'll be obsessing on Mummy II soon and I'm really looking forward to it now that I've heard such great comments. Rather than soundtracks, my habit is to download the film onto my iPod and listen to the actual score. Soundtrack CDs are usually very disappointing--it almost always sturns out that my favorite tracks are excluded.

Anyway, I thought the soundtrack to Mummy III was one of the best things about it, especially the main theme. It's as though the franchise, in its third and weakest (as a film) installment, finally came into its own music-wise. I love the way the theme is modulated for the scene when the near-dead Rick is being carried to be healed at Shangri-La. Finally, a Rick theme.

Hope someone's still looking at this thread . . . I should go over to MIII and poke around but mostly there people are just bitching, bitching bitching about the movie.

until the female utters a loud, piercing cry of ecstasy

reply

While the score for The Mummy certainly has all the building blocks of a five-star score (or at least a solid four star one), it stumbles due to its total lack of organization. The sequel score by Alan Silvestri, interestingly, used none of Goldsmith's material but was arguably more consistent.

reply

I'd say that I enjoy both scores, and they have their strengths. I'd say I give the edge to Goldsmiths' score, but Silvestris' score is an excellent one too.

And by extension, I've yet to pick up the Edelman score, and I haven't heard it outside of the context of the movie.


Faith can move mountains, but dynamite works better.

reply

Yeah sorry, but Goldsmith's music was WAY better and more emotional. Tho Silvestri's music wasn't bad tho.

reply

Silvestri made a fantastic soundtrack here, the sense of adventure on the track "My first bus ride" is hard to surpass. One of the most adventurous tracks I have ever heard.

reply

Towards the latter part of Goldsmith's career his scores were very repetitious and uninspiring. All of them from Basic Instinct, Star Trek Nemesis, Ghost and Darkness,Congo, Mummy all sound alike. He was excellent with his previous work.
Silvestri added a bit more punch to the score. I like the fact he used Goldsmith's main score and gave a it fresh twist. I wish I could say the same about Mummy 3!!!!!

reply

Goldsmith's score was pretty awesome. I've also got both 2-disc versions of each, but I've gotta admit Silvestri's work surpassed Goldsmith by a mile. "The Mummy" seemed to retain a lot of Goldsmith's older works, but Silvestri, being a newer composer, and having not done too much action in the past, brought out his full fast-paced musical capabilities. Never before "The Mummy Returns" did Silvestri compose such spellbinding action cues...

Unfortunately this experience and new-found ability Silvestri discovered in himself didn't do too much good, as he went the way of Horner, bringing many similar cues into future action scores like "Van Helsing", "Beowulf", "Night At the Museum", etc., all obviously inspired originally from his "Returns", because no other score done prior incorporated the elements he did there. Even "Back to the Future" was nothing like it. "Returns" was his turning point in action score.


-------------
"Rescue the damsel in distress; kill the bad guy; save the world."
--Rick O'Connell

reply

What a joke. Basic Instinct is one of the best score ever. And The Mummy sounds nothing like it. Goldsmith is on the same level of awesomeness with Williams. Silvestri is far from it.

reply

Silvestri's pretty good. He's no Jerry Goldsmith, but he's not bad, either.

Courage, men! We've not sunk before, and we'll not sink now!

reply

The love theme in the first was hard to beat. But i liked the mansion scene music in the second film as well, as well as the mansion scenes.

reply

Jerry Goldsmith's score is, well, more. The action theme is more epic, the love theme is more romantic, the horror theme is scarier, etc. Alan Silvestri's score is excellent too, but in comparison to Goldsmith's, it comes across as "The Mummy Lite".

reply

I would also add, I think the Mummy Returns main theme, the one used in all the action cues, is the greatest theme ever produced by man. Crazy. I know. While Indy is so very very close, TMR is what got me into soundtracks. The theme is so orgasmic. :D

reply

Jerry Goldsmith's action theme for "The Mummy" is very memorable as well. Alan Silvestri's action theme is more playful-sounding, and not as powerful or epic. It's very catchy, but not as heroic sounding as Goldsmith's.

reply

In terms of seriousnes = Goldsmith

In terms of adventure = Silvisti

reply

[deleted]

but I thought his adventure music was too old-fashion and dark in sound
It is, after all, for a movie about a monster, set set in the 1920s.

Courage, men! We've not sunk before, and we'll not sink now!

reply

[deleted]

Since we don't know what ancient Egyptian music sounds like since they never wrote it down, the composers over the years have resorted to the "gypsy scale". The Gypsy scale for sure was not used by Egyptians but its what Maurice Jarre used to fake middle eastern music in Laurence of Arabia . Both Alan and Jerry both copied from Maurice Jarre. Here's a piece from Laurence of Arabia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUS_SwThbGE

reply

[deleted]

I'm a huge Goldsmith fan and his body of work and quality of his scores is unbelievable, but with the Mummy he was sadly on autopilot. Aside from a slightly eastern feel he didn't manage to infuse the score with anything particularly remarkable or memorable.

That's not a knock on Goldsmith at all, who composed some of the best scores ever. With such a huge body of work like Jerrys not every score can be a masterpiece. Silvestri has composed not nearly as many scores and also produced some unremarkable work.

But Silvestris score for The Mummy returns is an absolute masterpiece! I'd say this is one of the best scores ever written. Every piece has a memorable theme and awesome orchestration. Sadly it is for an absolute shitfest of a movie.

And to the person saying Goldsmiths later scores all sound alike and then listing the absolute Masterpiece Basic Instinct, Ghost and the Darkness, Congo and The Mummy? Got tomatoes in your ears? These scores sound nothing alike!

reply

Nope, the soundtrack of the first movie is fantastic. The second movie is forgettable in every way.

reply

Forgetable? Are you kidding me? you even listen to the Soundtrack? Its the exact opposite of forgettable. Tons of gorgeous, memorable themes.

Again, I'm not talking about the movie, which was shite.

reply

Yes, I find it pretty forgettable. Just not as much character, authenticity and variation and too bombastic. I don't even recall a theme.

reply

OK, I suggest you listen to The Mummy Returns Suite, which has a blend of all the best themes. Its simply incredible, don't know how anyone could call this forgetable.

reply

Most movie music leaves more of an impression if you listen to it seperately. I'm judging the way it appears in the movie. I'm not saying it's a crappy piece of music, but as a movie soundtrack it could be better. It definitely fits the style of the movie, which I do not enjoy at all.

reply

Well, I have both soundtracks and as a stand alone experience Returns beats the score for the first movie by far. As for the scores working in the movies I can't really say, since it's been ages since I've seen them and I don't really have any intention of revisiting them, though the first one was mindless stupid fun, I guess.

reply

Well, it didn't work in the movie, which was horrendous. The first movie was a fun adventure flick with decent cgi.

reply

To be fair, not even Mozart, Beethoven and Bach combined working on the Soundtrack could have saved this movie. :)

reply

Ha! I think you're right about! That computer animated Dwayne Johnson still gives me nightmares!

reply

Jerry Goldsmith's score wins hands down, it's a shame he died.

reply