The Adventures Of Tintin [CD]

This is John Williams first score since 2008 when he wrote the music for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I liked that score, although it was far from his best work. I do feel that the problem was with the film (duh) and not so much with his music. The opportunities for writing a big epic score just weren't there like they are with Tintin. This movie is fun, playful, and features numerous quirky characters and exciting action scenes. The scale seems somewhat larger than the latest Indy with adventures in Brussels, a 17th Century sailing ship, Bagghar (a Moroccan city), and a dockyard. On the whole this album is good. Very good. This film seems to have rejuvenated Williams in the same way it rejuvenated Spielberg. The tracks are exciting and memorable and the style is distinct enough that it sets the tone for the series.

To go into more detail on some of the tracks:
"The Adventures of Tintin" sets up some of the themes which will be displayed later in the album. It seems very jazzy and chaotic, changing tone numerous times throughout. If I had to describe this track in one word it would be "fun." They use this for the opening titles which are a quite excellent traditional animation and tell an entirely unrelated story of the theft of some sort of glowing globe.

"Snowy's Theme" is a nice an perky number that hopefully fits in quite well. It sounds like a theme set up to establish a cheerful and innocent setting shortly before everything goes crazy. It has a screeching violin giving just the right hint of excitement popping up when needed. I really like this one and am glad to see that hints of it appear throughout the album.

"The Secret of the Scrolls" is a moody and mysterious piece which kind of reminds me of his theme for the Crystal Skull. It is still its own piece and it feels more versatile given how they mix it in with some of the other themes. In fact it is used later in some quite good action scenes in a way which I could never imagine the Crystal Skull theme being used.

"Introducing the Thompsons and Snowy's Chase" is the first real action track. It starts off with a dull, plodding number which I can only assume represents the Thompsons. Then it goes into the action music which features "Snowy's Theme" rather strongly. The violin from that theme pops up a lot more in this track as befitting the exciting nature of the scene.

"Sir Francis and the Unicorn" is my favorite track in the album. It starts off slowly and mysteriously with the theme from the "Secret of the Scrolls" which then rises in tempo and becomes all out action music. It's followed by a superb action piece which is similar to, but different from, the Tintin theme. It's all very epic and exciting and just feels booming and important. You can actually hear this music in the trailer as you watch the attack on the Unicorn which is exactly where it shows up in the finished film. The Unicorn fight is one of the best in the movie and the music goes perfectly with the scene.

"Captain Haddock Takes the Oars" is one of the quieter tracks that really works. It feels somewhat whimsical and pedantic which fits with a very drunk Captain Haddock. Somehow this sounds the way I think when trying to reason something out while hammered.

"Red Rackham's Curse and the Treasure" is a lot like "Sir Francis and the Unicorn." They are both definitely action themes and they do their job well. This one uses a lot of the main Tintin theme to good effect.

I really dislike "Presenting Bianca Castafiore." In fact, it's the only track here that I can't stand. I get that she's supposed to be irritating but the track doesn't have to add breaking glass sound effects. It's very annoying. This is basically just an opera track with Bianca singing at the top of her lungs.

"The Pursuit of the Falcon" is another good action theme. What's really great about all these themes is that while they're similar in style the tunes are completely different. And yet they're all quite catchy. Really, this music is as good as anything Williams did for Indiana Jones. Which isn't to say that it's the same style, although there are similarities. It's even more playful and direct which fits Tintin's more simplistic character.

"The Return to Marlinspike Hall and Finale" is sort of a wrap up. It calms down several of the earlier themes and feels very reflective.

"The Adventure Continues" is basically Tintin's theme played without distraction. This is the end credit music. As you'd expect from Tintin it's thrilling and seems to promise the hope of further adventures. I had sort of figured based on this that there'd be some kind of animation during the end credits but there isn't.

I do have to admit that there is no theme here so instantly catchy as the Harry Potter theme or the Raider's March, but that should not diminish what is in all respects an excellent score. The music is catchy and exciting and seems to effortlessly capture the lightheartedness and whimsy that makes the series so endearing. Many of the themes seem bound to become classics. I didn't realize until I heard it again how much I had missed John Williams' music. It is very nice to have him back. After a break of four years to get this and War Horse is a real treat!

The first track on this CD would be enough to make the purchase worthwhile. The inventiveness of the orchestration, the development of the opening thematic idea, plus the way in which John WIlliams presents all the major motifs with sleight of hand is mesmerizing. This is a master craftsman and major intellect at work. The rest of the score is just as stunning. Brilliantly conceived, the usual colorful orchestrations, amazing turns of melody. There are overtones of Harry Potter, but the material can only be described as Harry Potter on steroids. What always amazes me is the unexpected harmonic shifts I've come to know and love in John's music. They are ALWAYS surprising. The pirate music in particular is extraordinary. The restraint he gets out of the orchestra on the final track is magical. And yet it still delivers a punch. This was worth every penny, as is the War Horse score. If only the majority of contemporary film music were this well-conceived. It's thrilling to have the Maestro back in full swing!

This is the first score by veteran composer John Williams since his effort for Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull back in 2008. Whilst some people liked this score, I wasn't a huge fan, and was hoping after a three year absence, that he would produce the goods for The Adventures of Tintin. I can assure you that he certainly did, and has written one of my favourite scores of 2011.

Firstly, for those who are familiar with John Williams' style of writing, his mannerisms saturate the score for almost it's entire duration. I won't go into every track (needless to say the majority is outstanding), but will mention some tracks I found noteworthy. The album opens with "The Adventures of Tintin" which has a very jazzy sound to it (and is slightly out of kilter with the rest of the album), whilst "The Milanese Nightingale" had a nice (if somewhat cheesy) accordion accompanied by strings.

The latter parts of "The Secret of the Scrolls" and "The Return to Marlinspike Hall and Finale" reminded me very much of a type of inverted Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter. My favourite track on the album is "Sir Francis and the Unicorn", which is one of the best pieces of action music I have heard from John Williams since his scores for Star Wars Episodes 2 & 3. "The adventure concludes" with some great up tempo writing and finishes off the album on a high.

The only thing I didn't appreciate that much was the track "Presenting Bianca Castafiore" because of its operatic nature. I like the use of choirs and sopranos in soundtracks, however the opera style did nothing for me (it might work better within the film).

The score runs for approximately 1 hour and I thought this was a perfect duration without it outstaying its welcome or ending prematurely. On a sound production note, the recording sounds exceptionally crisp and the album presentation has a good flow to it which makes for a great listening experience.

One thing that always astounds me about Williams' writing is the complexity and the number of layers to the music using purely the orchestra. Unlike more modern composers who like to fill out the soundscape with electronic elements, Williams' scores are always saturated by the sound of the orchestra and The Adventures of Tintin is no exception. Whilst some people may think this causes the music to sound dated, I challenge anyone not to be impressed by his skill, and I think Tintin is a great example that John Williams is still the most talented composer film composer alive.

Overall, if you are a fan of John Williams, this album will be a taste of heaven. All of his mannerisms are present and in a highly listenable form. Although I am a fan of more "modern" scores by the likes of Hans Zimmer and others, Tintin is a welcome reminder of how proper "orchestral" scores can sound without the need for additional electronic elements. The Maestro is back, and I can't wait for his score to War Horse in early 2012. Until then, The Adventures of Tintin will wet your appetite perfectly and is film scoring at its best.