John Williams - War of the Worlds

John Williams continues his longtime collaboration with Steven Spielberg in this adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel of the same name (previously filmed in 1953). Considering that the movie depicts a gigantic Martian invasion, you'd think Williams would have fully gone into his familiar bombastic mode, but he's refrained from doing so. While the composer makes full use of the outsize orchestra at his disposal, he prefers juxtaposing layers and building atmosphere rather than hitting you over the head with dramatic arias. "The Intersection Scene," for instance, begins slowly and minimally, then progressively builds into an ominous pounding; Williams then inserts spooky, otherworldly banshee-like effects that escalate into a frenzied pitch before abruptly disappearing as the track begins its descent back towards calm. The sound is genuinely scary and could lead to a spike in blood pressure among impressionable listeners without the help of visuals. "Probing the Basement" is another example of Williams masterfully building anxiety. War of the Worlds culminates with "Escape from the Basket," in which Williams methodically builds tension over close to ten minutes. And refreshingly, even when the action picks up, he mostly avoids the clichéd thundering timpani that often plague this type of score. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

More War of the Worlds

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H G Wells' the War of the Worlds on DVD	The Complete War of The Worlds	War of the Worlds : Fresh Perspectives on the H. G. Wells Classic

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A score that crawls up inside you and makes you shiver

For War of the Worlds, John Williams reached for something not of this earth and composed a score that you feel on your skin, even before you become aware that you are actually hearing it. He has laid down a musical foundation of atmospherics and textural events, achieving a rhythmic propulsion that is so utterly primal it crawls up inside you and makes you wonder how one composer could make such a radical departure of style from such masterworks of melodic phrasing as the flying theme from E.T., to the enduring themes of the Star Wars series and come up with a new sound that gives War of the Worlds much of its ultra-realism. But that is the genuine genius of John Williams and the many characters he has played throughout a musical career that will never be equaled. June 19, 2006

Williams needs to revisit earlier successes!

John Williams, like his contemporary, the late Jerry Goldsmith, is responsible for some of filmdom's more memorable scores ("Jaws," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Star Wars," "Superman-The Movie," the first three "Harry Potter" films, and so many others). Just the mention of the composer's name brings smiles to the movie fans worldwide and his album sales and critical acclaim attest to his popularity.

Williams's three-decade association with Steven Spielberg has produced some of the aforementioned as well as other scores that have been the best collaborations between director and composer since the days of Hitchcock and legendary Bernard Herrmann.

While John Williams has made beautiful and awe-inspiring music for Spielberg productions in the past, he's had a couple of subpar (for Williams) compositions; and, sadly, "War of the Worlds" falls into this category.

The measure of a movie score lies in its ability to stand alone apart from the film for which it was composed. This particular work needs the movie's images and action to support its lack of listenability. Like the earlier "Minority Report," the music to Spielberg's adaptation of the Wells' classic does not feature any distinct melodies, little drama, or even thrills that are necessary to tell a story about malevolent aliens attempting to wipe out mankind.

It's as if the composer took the term "incidental music" to heart and just provided little more than something in the background.

Maybe he was attempting to be subtle, but the story deserved something a bit more dynamic and frightening.

We, his fans, all know that he is more than capable to come up to the plate.

Perhaps, on his next pairing with Steven... March 17, 2006

Williams Displays Versatility

This score is like nothing else I have heard from Williams and that is an awesome thing! I am always impressed with the work that Williams does but this score really surprised me. The score uses many modern and avant garde classical methods to truly convey an expression of fear. Rather than focusing on charactar based themes, as Williams generally does, he instead uses musical textures to convey the emotion of the film. This textural technique of composing reminded me of the works of Gyorgy Ligeti. Though this is a great listen, this score may seem "unpleasent" to listen to if you aren't used to heavy/modern classical music, which is a contrast to the usual scores that Williams composes. Though I must say, the unpleasant feeling score was exactly what a film like War of the Worlds needed. Bravo John Williams! March 15, 2006

Great album with tense feelings

For this soundtrack, it is real awesome. It is so good to listen to it. All the sound effects in this album are so good and fill with a lot of tense moments. The composer of this album is John Williams. He is always the best for the movie music. He makes a lot of good music in his past movies. This one is no exception at all. When I listen, I feel the tense moments. So, this album is good overall and you should get it. November 28, 2005

A Brilliant Work

I will begin by telling you that this score is either for people with interesting taste, or a film score fanatic. I fit in both categories.

This soundtrack is extremely dark, atmospheric, and at times tragically beautiful.

Tracks 5 and 3 are sure to bring a tear to your eye. The others will have your heart racing, pumping your blood quickly as you EXPERIENCE the suspense of the film in a way only John Towner Williams can simulate.

A must have. October 20, 2005

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