Star Wars The Force Awakens by John Williams
It has not been without anticipation (to say the least) that the new score by John Williams for The Force Awakens was … well, awaited.
John Williams found notoriety for his music to 1977’s Star Wars and became one of the most prolific film composers of all time. Only overshadowed by Hitchcock’s Bernard Hermann, John Williams literally formed the sound of movies in the 80s. So when Mr. Williams decided to return to the very space opera that galvanized his fame in the 70s and 80s, a lot of fans (myself included) were holding their collective breaths. What new amazing themes would he bestow upon us? With what musical magic would he enthrall us?
The answer has arrived in conjuction with the release of the original motion picture soundtrack.
So how does it fare? Well in one word: greatness!
As soon as the most recognizable fanfare in the world ends, the score ascends into a string of marvelous tracks that not only are a joy to listen to, but also serves the movie impeccably as its backdrop. It’s not an accident that the score just got oscar nominated.
The absolute stand out track is the new theme for the main character of Rey.
Her character in the movie is one of contradiction. Yearning and awaiting something greater, until she finally embraces that what she’s looking for is ahead, and not behind her.
The music paints the portrait of a fragile soul with resourcefulness beyond her own comprehension. Perfectly orchestrated with lush strings and an amazing playful ostinato embellished by the flute section, you can’t help but feel romantically hopeful on her journey.
Hollywood movies these days don’t sound like they used to. Star Wars The Force Awakens DOES, and that may very well be due to the fact that John Williams grew up with “old Hollywood”, and almost singlehandedly brought that sound into the 80s, which brought on a myriad of composers that were inspired by him.
Since he’s been missing in action for the greater part of the last 10–15 years, aside from his collaborations with Steven Spielberg, the sound of Hollywood has changed into a more clinical, compressed, and generic sound. Listening to the soundtrack of Star Wars The Force Awakens harkens back to the memories of going to the movies as a kid, and I’m almost tempted to say that this soundtrack could be his best work on a Star Wars movie yet.
Aside from the theme for Rey, the character of Kylo Ren has his own little dark sinister introduction in the horns section. As Kylo is so obviously trying to emulate Darth Vader, who had his own dark nefarious march theme, Kylo’s theme is not entirely as intimidating as Darth Vader’s. This underlines the character of Kylo, as he’s trying so hard to be as bad as Darth Vader was, but not quite getting there. I love that it’s reflected in the music, albeit very subtly.
By establishing these motifs early in the movie, Williams masterfully interweaves these themes in varies ways. Especially impressive is when Rey’s theme works counterpoint to the theme of Luke Skywalker (Binary Sunset on the original 1977 Star Wars soundtrack). The movie leaves with an open ended question of Rey’s heritage, but hints can be found by listening to the musical cues.
I can’t wait to hear what Williams has in store for us next, and I sincerely hope he will be able to finish what he started, because it is in the truest sense of the word: An opus.
A+
