Patrick Doyle is no stranger to composing epic fantasy scores, and his previous efforts for
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and
Eragon: Music From The Motion Picture were both brilliant, however his name is probably not that familiar to the general public. For those who are familiar with Doyle's previous work, this soundtrack is somewhat of a departure from what you might expect. Stylistically, it certainly sounds much closer to the work of Hans Zimmer and Co than Doyle's own previous soundtracks. However, the quality of Doyle's writing really shines through and has turned what could have easily been a rather mundane album into a fantastic one. I had hoped Doyle would deliver the goods for Thor, and he has exceeded my expectations.
This soundtrack is an absolute orchestral powerhouse full of of fantastic action tracks, and a few slower emotive tracks. The heroic main theme is absolutely brilliant, but is not so overused that it becomes dull. The main point of focus should be on the action portions of the score because it is of the highest quality. So many films these days can have pretty mundane action writing - but not in Thor. It's almost like Doyle has found a 6th gear from somewhere and the result is pretty epic.
At 71 minutes, this is a pretty lengthy release and it certainly feels like you get your money's worth. One thing I particularly liked about this release was the track order - this may sound slightly dull, but the album really seems to flow well because the action sections do not become to overpowering or long because they are interspersed with the slower emotive tracks.
I can find nothing to criticise with this release. It cranks epic up to the max and Doyle's orchestral writing is simply stunning. If you like the soundtrack within the movie, you will love this release. However it also works brilliantly as a stand alone album if you are a fan of some top quality epic action writing. I cannot recommend this highly enough.