Patricia H. from ANDOVER, MN Reviewed on 11/27/2010...
i dnt know it doesnt sound like it has l'arc en ciel in it
CD Reviews
Would've been a four except for the last two songs
Skye Knighton | Los Angeles, CA United States | 07/10/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"First off: This is an excellent soundtrack. Secondly: Its not Uematsu, or even remotely Final Fantasy sounding.Granted, this isn't our first taste of non Uematsu FF music. The music of Final Fantasy tactics was our true first, and it was incredible. This leads me to believe that square thought long and hard before choosing Goldenthal, as they wanted to maintain the quality of their other composers. Most of the tracks vary from good to excellent, and although I haven't seen the movie, i can see where they would fit in.But the last two tracks are just incredible. I can't stress that enough, these last two tracks alone are worth buying the CD. Heck, I'd love to see a FF:TSW video game with the 17th track as its theme. If the movie maintains the quality of this soundtrack, I'd have to say its earned the FF name.So, I give the instrumental tracks a 4. They are sci-fish without being cliche, which is nice. However, I give the last 2 tracks a 5, stressing the excellent vocals and well written music."
An excellent movie soundtrack
catz_clawz | British Columbia, Canada | 07/17/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I liked Final fantasy but I LOVE this soundtrack. Firstly its an instrumental soundtrack (I hate those song inspired soundtracks) and the orcestrated portion is masterfully done. The creme on the cake however are the last 2 tracks (as everyone has said). "The Dream Within" is absolutly beautiful. Lara Fabien has an AMAZING voice. "Spirit dreams inside" is also quite good (i'd never hear of the band that does this one till now) but not as good as "The Dream Within".Heck, just buy it for "The Dream Within". This CD has been spinning in my CD player non stop since I got it and it'll be spinning in my CD player for many years to come."
Final Fantasy to Movie Score
thezerg | Chicago, Il. | 07/13/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wow, simply the best movie soundtrack I've heard in a long, long time. Only playing a handful of the games and listening to a good amount of the music produced by the composer (sorry, don't know how to spell his name) I have gathered the movie to be a hit but I had a certain expectation for the music. Knowing that the composer of the games really makes a landmark every time he makes a game soundtrack I hoped that the film soundtrack would be nothing less. Thus, I present to you my opinion that the soundtrack meets those hopes and then some. In a way, the soundtrack didn't sound like the game music in a sense because it's not a game rather a movie soundtrack. But don't let that discourage you, because I've heard Elliot Goldentahl's last soundtracks and they were amazing also. So it would seem that Square would pick him for the job since he has the background of a real composer that could fit the criteria of an emotional and beautiful movie. He has some really "big sounding" tracks in the score and some really soft and emotional pieces also. Without a doubt, Goldenthal has captured not only my imagination, he's made me buy a soundtrack without even seeing the movie, which is something I've never done and I'm happy with my choice. Buy it."
Perspective perceptions...
Andrew W. Cunningham | Indianapolis, IN United States | 07/09/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm not a great fan of the gaming series. With that said, I can only lead the average (or otherwise) soundtrack patron to believe that I am basing my opinions of the series and the film on the previews I've seen, and it seems phenominal. The subject alone, with the marriage of philosophical, scientific and cult-fiction elements, has caught my attention and now, with the release of the score to this cinematic marvel, I am fully resolved to enjoy this film.Now I don't know the mystique surrounding this Uematsu fellow, who I gather scored the games, but Elliot Goldenthal surpasses my own expectations as to the substance of music in the film. He has surprised us all before with his Heat, Alien 3, Titus and even the ill-fated Batman scores, but with this he invites us into a further developed example of his art. The score lavishes the senses with its own method of melodrama and genuine excitement, which has been evident before in only a few tracks from his latter scores, such as Alien 3's ''Adagio" and the orchestral accompaniment to the alien creature's death, with lightly falling violins and heavier, magnanimous brass. Particularly for this score, track 9 and 16 fall into the range of heavier emotion, while tracks 2 and 5 give a lighter appeal to the action in the film. On a whole, the score is a marvel, with its only shortcomings being the final two tracks, both lyrical and depressingly inadequate, and its short running length, the entirety being just shy of an hour. A must have for any Goldenthal or film score enthusiast."