The Eagle OST [Soundtrack]

Atli Örvarsson is one of the composers who works in Hans Zimmer's studio. Whether you like the soundtrack to The Eagle is very much dependent on how much you enjoy the Hans Zimmer sound, because this score does sound like Gladiator meets Braveheart, without ever quite meeting the heights of either.

The Celtic influence throughout the score is a good addition, and the track "Return of the Eagle" is particularly enjoyable. The Celtic parts of the score also mould well within the "Roman" sections, and this mix does ensure that there is a fairly good variety of tracks present on the album. As with most scores that come out of Zimmer's studio, it is very well produced and the sound quality is impressive as always.

There are a few negative points though. The writing for the solo vocalists in some of the tracks isn't great - the latter sections of "Highlands" and "Beyond the territories" seemed particularly tame. However these sections do not last long so it is only a minor quibble. Also, the "themes" which Örvarsson describes in the "product description" above is being slightly generous in my opinion. There were plenty of nice melodies and some decent action music, however I failed to identify any particular theme that really stood out.

Overall, this is score won't likely impress you massively on the first listen, however it does get better with subsequent run throughs. The tracks which contain the Celtic elements are great, and some of the action music is pretty good. I was waiting for it to pick up a gear towards the end but it never did. If you like the Hans Zimmer style of score mixed with a bit of Celtic influence then this will probably be for you. If you like the score within the film, you will undoubtedly like this release. If, like me, you purchased the score as a stand alone listen, don't expect to be bowled over right away, it will grow on you. It would have been nice if it had stepped up a gear towards the finale, but overall it is a good release. Örvarsson is a composer who continues to improve over time, and I look forward to scores of his in the future.

I got the soundtrack to The Eagle a few days ago and have listened to nothing whilst whilst driving into and out of work since. It is full of deeply atmospheric music that truly captures and conjures up the sense of the film. Brilliant. If you like the film or this sort of music, I can't recommend it highly enough, buy it, you'll be glad you did!

This soundtrack from The Eagle (2011) is so relaxing, you can listen to it in the background or entirely on its own as an enjoyable peice of music from Atli Orvarsson. I'm a real stickler for physical copies of things like this, so the booklet with some scenes from the film and acknowledgements was an added bonus.