Search - Brian Tyler :: Alien Vs Predator: Requiem (Score)

Great score

Trevor Merris | Carmicheal, CA USA | 12/25/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A Great score. Many are underwellmed because of its unoriginal sets but i think it only adds to the movie and the Alien and Predator franchise. It has parts from both films and puts them together for one great film soundtrack. The film was a knock-out by itself and this only adds to it."

Either a loud, violent, ode to the previous Alien and Predat

T. C. Deans | Whistler, Canada BC | 03/06/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"With AVP2 Brian Tyler proves his versatility again by demonstrating another skill: That he can reference previous scores to a franchise without relying on them verbatim and make it sound easy. It's no fluke either as his score for Rambo perfectly blended new themes with Jerry Goldsmith's memorable score.



AVP2 starts off strong with `Aliens Vs Predator - Requiem,' which, as it's title suggests offers a take on Clint Mansell's highly referenced `Lux Aeterna' from Requiem for a Dream. He does so again (sort of) with `Opening Titles' which also plays on the military snare drums for James Horner's score for Aliens. `Decimation Proclamation' is vintage Tyler that would sit wonderfully in Darkness Falls. Also worth a mention is the 13 minute `Taking Sides' where Tyler simultaniously references John Frizzell's Alien Resurrection and also gives James Horner a run for his money in the extended-track-length-stakes.



I could go on through each track but suffice it to say most of the pieces have a delicate balance of Goldsmith's Alien, Horner's Aliens, Goldenthal's Alien3, Frizzel's Alien Resurrection and Silvestri's Predators 1&2. Remarkably not once does it sound forced or a lazy rip-off which speaks volumes to his skill as a composer. Other reviewers clearly disagree with this assessment but it's a matter of interpretation. I will say I own the scores to every Alien film and while I definintely hear the homage (read influence), I can't see the claim of plagarism as justifiable. Tyler should be commended for not abandoning where AVP came from. He chose not to run from the franchises history.



The problem with Requiem is that at 77 minutes long, the best tracks are crammed at the front while the second half is not nearly as memorable or interesting. It's an odd critcism to say there's too much music provided on an album and it's not one I'm making. What I'm saying is that the soundtrack release could of benefited from some better track arrangement and pacing."

Relentless action score which tips its hat to its precedesso

Jon Broxton | Thousand Oaks, CA | 09/26/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's interesting how the careers of Brian Tyler and the late Jerry Goldsmith have dovetailed: Tyler replaced Goldsmith on Timeline in 2003, and is scoring the fourth Rambo movie in a series which Goldsmith made his own. On Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, Tyler is not only following in the footsteps of Goldsmith, but also James Horner, Elliot Goldenthal and Alan Silvestri, each of whom left an indelible musical mark on their respective entries into the franchises. What's most impressive about this score is how Tyler has managed to pay homage to all the composers who preceded him by incorporating some of their compositional stylistics into his own music, while still retaining a great deal of his own voice throughout the score. This tightrope must have been a difficult one to walk, but he has succeeded admirably. The film itself was a critical and commercial disaster: with an unknown cast, debutante directors (Greg Strause and Colin Strause), and hackneyed plot involving aliens and predators descending on small-town America to wreak havoc, really the only thing to concentrate on is the quality of Tyler's music. Tyler doesn't waste any time setting his stall out, going for the jugular from the outset. The opening "Alien vs. Predator - Requiem" is a massive collision of Goldenthal and Gustav Holst, with the famous ostinato overlaid with throbbing, apocalyptic brass. Elsewhere, the creeping, metallic, sub-industrial chords which so typified James Horner's Alien music can be heard in the militaristic beginning to the "Opening Titles", which effortlessly segues into a neat twist the icy isolation of Goldsmith's classic original score. Similarly, the instantly-recognizable percussion elements, chord progressions and rhythmic devices from Alan Silvestri's Predator scores are immediately noticable in cues such as "Skinned and Hanged". The score's many action cues, such as the two "National Guard" tracks, "Power Struggle" and the angry, vicious "Searching the Poolhouse" are wholly exciting. However, by far the most impressive piece on the album is the 7½-minute "Decimation Proclamation", a loud, cacophonous, relentless, utterly thrilling action set piece which is amongst the most impressive single cues of Tyler's entire career. It nods it's head to `Bishop's Countdown' and `Futile Escape', but embraces a broader orchestral palette, resulting in a singularly stunning piece through-composed action music. If one was to make one criticism of the album it's that it lasts too long - even with score as good as this, 77 minutes of relentlessly pounding action music can tax even the most hardy listener. A little bit of judicious pruning could have made a good score better; nevertheless, in purely musical terms, this is a winner."