Last Airbender

I realize the review's title isn't very imaginative, but that's the only way to describe this. James Newton Howard was an outstanding choice for the soundtrack to this film; as directors tend to go with the ones they trust- Lucas/Williams, Burton/Elfman, etc- M.Night Shayamalan and Howard have a good relationship, blossoming in his under-appreciated effort on The Lady In The Water. The general public knows him from his collaborations with Hans Zimmer on the Batman Begins/Dark Knight scores, but as of this moment Howard is about to become a household name. Last Airbender is powerful in its composition, crystal clear in its vision and astounding in its depth and scope. This is the Oscar- right here.

Some folks have decried the lack of usage of the existing themes from the tv show; while these concerns carry a certain validity, believe me- you will never miss them. Howard delivers an outstanding piece of work that at times may well move you to tears from its sheer poetry and poignancy.

There are some resemblances to his previous efforts; he remains a master at string arrangements and makes liberal use of the two-note motif technique popularized by Batman/Dark Knight by either repeating it into a full measure or applying variants to reflect different events and personas. Multiple themes and cues are used to great effect; notable among these is Aang's motif- a string and brass rapid two-noter repeated four times that descends on the last note. Variants include a couple of six-note alternates, simple two-note leitmotifs and even a couple of 14-note extended movements. There's also a general motif for 'bending' that also differs in instrumentation and tempo to let you know what's being referred to. The Fire Nation theme excels in its percussion and brass- usually fueled by fierce snare and taiko drums, very high strings, trombones and choral chants, the last delivering a Basil Poledouris-like 'Conan' feel to the music. The Fire Nation themes appear in several different forms but are always recognizable.

By far the most dramatic pieces are what I'm calling the 'Avatar Movements'- all generally comprised of flowing string arrangements for violin, viola and cello, layering and blending with french horns and tubas. The most prominent of these is a 14-note downward cello progression introduced in 'Earthbenders'. The different Avatar Movements make several other appearances throughout the soundtrack before they're all gloriously showcased in the final two tracks 'Now We Are the Gods' and 'Flow Like Water'. These three pieces especially will garner the most attention and may well be what finally nets Howard the Oscar for his efforts. It's here that all the hyperbole clichés apply: no words in the English language, words fail, etc. They are truly magnificent sets.

Some highlights: *Potential Spoilers Alert*

Earthbenders- The cello, taiko drum and brass are strong, powerful and as solid as the element they're invoking. Befitting of the Earthbenders as they strike back against their captors, it's percussion heavy and forceful. The Avatar Movement in cello begins at 0:12 and Aang's 8-note motif debuts on tuba and string at 1:20. Here lies the best use of the 'variations on a theme' ideal; at 1:55 the 4-note Earthbender theme appears as timpani, tuba blast and cello. In comes a tension building triangle and rim shot bridge until 2:35. The tuba and timpani-based transition introduced at 2:35 to sustain the action is amazing. Staying in Earth mode Aang's 8-note motif smashes in at 2:42 as a hard-hitting snare drum, string and trumpet combo. No pun intended, it all simply rocks! The whole thing almost makes you want to try a few Bending moves, just to see...

Journey to the Northern Water Tribes- Opens with a Fire Nation Theme variant until the 0:36 mark. At 0:50 a very bold use of Aang's motif on brass leads into the search to find a Waterbending Master to teach both Aang and Katara at 1:07; from here their 'Journey of Discovery' becomes a fully realized adventure within the rim shots, snare drums and trumpets as they head north.

Hall of Avatars- Opens with and centers upon the Avatar Movements, most notably at 1:30, reflecting Aang's connection to his past lives.

The Blue Spirit- As good an action piece as you'll find. The brass use reminded me of the swashbuckler flicks from the '50s, very appropo as Zuko steals Aang from his captors in the guise of the Blue Spirit. The whole of it is an across-the-board exploration of the Fire Nation rhythms and themes, but is done very well- check out the drums at 4:08.

We Are Now the Gods- Mostly reflective and angst-laden, but never dull. More Fire Nation themes appear to help show off new string arrangements and snare drums during the first 2:30 as Commander Zhao destroys the animal form of the Moon Spirit. At 3:30 secondary Avatar Movements appear as variants at their most somber, laden and sweetly melancholic. The much under-used chorus is very evocative and in perfect harmony with the strings to emphasize Princess Yue's sacrifice.

Flow Like Water- Aang defends the Northern Water Tribe against the Fire Nation. The Avatar Movements and themes are displayed in their full harmonies, the overall effect much like that old Maxell commercial set to Wagner- blowing you away while you're still sitting in your chair. There really are no words for this one: starting with the now-familiar Avatar cellos to 1:38 when the full string arrangements are layered starting at 2:40 and continues while the orchestra pulls it all together with Aang's horn motif sitting atop it all like a cherry on ice cream- at that point you're in another world and can almost see the Waterbending happening. It all ends with a strong alternate of the Fire Nation taiko drums and a Bending reprise mixed with Aang's motif on brass as Aang accepts his role as the Avatar.
*End Potential Spoilers*

I freely admit to being blown away by it all; until now my favorite and Oscar front-runner for the year had been Elfman's Alice in Wonderland, both for its sheer brilliance and the fantastic Alice's Theme- which should still take Best Song. The only real complaints here are once again the tracks aren't laid out in sequential order to get a sense of the film and the flow of the score, and equally important is the minimal use of choral arrangements on the cd, since revealed as a corporate decision so as not to have to pay them royalties. Penny-pinching and randomness aside, the Best Soundtrack of the year is unmistakably the one before you right now.

The Last Airbender, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, is a fantasy adventure film based on the extremely popular Nickelodeon animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which ran from 2005 from 2008. The film is set in a world where civilization is divided into four nations based on the elements - water, earth, air and fire - and the concept that, within each nation, people called "benders" have the ability to manipulate their element by practicing different kinds of martial arts. In addition to elemental benders, there is also one person who can manipulate all four elements simultaneously - the mythical Avatar of the title - and his presence brings peace and stability to the world. In Shyamalan's film, the current Avatar, an air nomad named Aang, has been missing for almost 100 years, and in the intervening period the ruthless Fire nation has begun to dominate the other three elemental kingdoms. After Aang is discovered frozen in ice by two young members of the Water Tribe, the three set off to stop the Fire nation and restore balance to the elements.

All of this sounds quite fascinating and potentially entertaining, but unfortunately Shyamalan's film is awful on almost every level. The acting by the leading trio of children - Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz and Jackson Rathbone - is uniformly terrible, while Shyamalan's screenplay contains dialogue so stilted and unnatural as to be almost laughable. The only on-screen talents to escape with their integrity intact are Slumdog Millionaire's Dev Patel and Shaun Toub as the film's complex antagonists Prince Zuko and General Iroh, and although the film looks stunning, no amount of beautifully framed landscapes or wondrous architecture can counteract the shockingly realized story, logic or performances elsewhere in the movie.

In addition to cinematographer Andrew Lesnie, the only other member of the filmmaking team who manages to escape from this debacle intact is composer James Newton Howard, working with Shyamalan for the seventh time, having previously collaborated with the director on such excellent works as The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Village and Lady in the Water. The creative partnership between Howard and Shyamalan is one of the most fruitful in Hollywood today, but only in musical terms: whereas Shyamalan seems to inspire Howard to write some of the best music of his career, unfortunately the quality of those films seems to be decreasing exponentially with each new project. Case in point is The Last Airbender: it is the best Howard-Shyamalan score, but accompanies the worst Howard-Shyamalan film to date.

The score is an amalgam of several recurring thematic elements, each wrapped in a fine casing of huge orchestral forces, rich and interesting orchestations, and immense action sequences incorporating lavish percussion performances and eastern flavors. One of the clever ideas Howard works into his score is giving each element its own section of the orchestra as its dominant sound: woodwinds for air, strings for water, percussion for earth, and brass for fire. Not content with simply presenting themes and variations, Howard also imbues his score with a number of distinctly Oriental touches in the orchestration, from Tibetan glass bowls and sacred chimes and gongs to tinkling metallic percussion, tapping woodblocks, and enormous Taiko drums.

The score's main theme is a simple ascending two-note motif which seeks to illustrate the heroic nature of the protagonists' quest, and as such features prominently in many of the score's main cues. It is an impressively malleable motif: at the beginning of "Earthbenders" it is played choppily by the brass section, in an almost militaristic fashion, and during these moments it is clearly intended to give the score a sense of decisive forward motion, resilience and purpose. Later, in cues such as "The Four Elements Test" and "Journey to the Northern Water Tribe", it is performed on warmer, more sensitive strings, and has a nobler feel, almost like a musical invocation of destiny. It eventually grows into an enormous manifestation of the power of the Avatar in the stunning "Flow Like Water", by far the best cue on the album, which shimmers with a sense of power, dignity, and a great deal of thematic beauty.

The second theme is for the Avatar himself, his fate, and the re-discovery of his powers, and is illustrated by a beautiful cascading string effect that starts in the cellos and gradually works its way around the section with effortless ease. The theme's performance in "Hall of Avatars" makes that cue one of the score's highlights, and its later reoccurrence in the aforementioned "Flow Like Water" allows that stunning cue to establish itself as a unifying force, playing off the primary theme excellent effect.

The Fire people get their own musical motif, a mix of low, penetrating brass and brutal percussion hits, which emerge into a staccato, almost comical martial march halfway through the amazing "Airbender Suite" (which opens the score, but is actually played over the film's end credits), and appear later with interesting variations in "The Blue Spirit" and "We Could Be Friends". The soaring, noble theme at the beginning of the "Airbender Suite" is also one of the score's high points, but somewhat unusually this is the only place this theme appears: perhaps it is intended to be a foreshadowing of a theme which will appear in a fuller form in a possible Last Airbender sequel.

There has been quite a bit of criticism aimed at Lakeshore Records for apparently not licensing the full choral elements heard in the film for release on CD; having seen the film, I can honestly say that whatever choral elements exist in the film are not especially missed on the CD release, and the final cue - "Flow Like Water" - sounds exactly the same here as it does in the theater. Listeners who have problems with such things will undoubtedly complain loud and long about the "missing" music, but I can honestly say that if there are any choral elements missing from the CD mix, their absence didn't dampen my enjoyment of the CD in any way.

For all its faults as a film, the score for The Last Airbender is a triumph in every way - easily one of the best of the year - and can probably be considered James Newton Howard's most impressive score since Lady in the Water in 2006. It's constantly pleasing harmonics, interesting orchestrations, and powerful and heroic themes are thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish, making it one of the most satisfying musical experiences from 2010's summer season. The only downfall is the fact that, due to the universal disdain poured on the film it accompanies, it is absolutely guaranteed to be entirely overlooked come Oscar time.

James Newton Howard is my favorite film composer. His music is ageless and maintains the environments created in the corresponding movies, something most film scores fail to do.

The Last Airbender is a perfect example of this. Each song is perfect (which is the case with many of his scores) and the album starts and ends on high notes which makes the experience of hearing the soundtrack even better.

The first track is the longest, though It flies by rather quickly. It starts slowly, but then slowly builds as the song progresses, introducing the new themes and giving a summary of what the album might bring. Halfway through the suite the music becomes very triumphant, and you suddenly realize that James Newton Howard has created one of his best film scores of all time. And you're only in the first song.

Track 2 introduces my favorite theme, a loud and epic set of notes that I believe is in one of the film's trailers, and which will make more appearances throughout the album.

Like I said before, each track is amazing. You won't have to skip to your favorite song, because you probably won't be able to pick one! This is the power of James Newton Howard. He has a sense of, not just excellent music writing, but powerful editing. The album flows smoothly and quickly, clocking in at around an hour or so.

If I did have a favorite track, I'd say its the last one, Flow Like Water. It is honestly a perfect song, and is one of James Newton Howard's best he has ever composed. I won't spoil how it goes, or should I say flows, because the sweetness of hearing it for the first time is priceless. Its also the perfect way to end the album.

If The Last Airbender is the start of a trilogy, like the television show, then I'm extremely excited to hear what James has planned in that brilliant head of his.

Bravo James. Bravo for this excellent film score, and all the previous. And bravo for the albums to come in the future, because I know they'll be fantastic as well.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 12 reviews  4.8 out of 5 stars