Around The World In 80 Days

Soundtrack

Walt DisneyRecords, 2004

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 06/28/2004

Critics around the country have been dumping negative reviews on the re-make of Around The World In 80 Days like so much toxic waste into Love Canal. Audiences have been staying away from this film as if it were contaminated with an infectious disease.

Really makes you want to spend an hour listening to the soundtrack, eh?

Composer Trevor Jones, I'm sure, tried his best, but the natural limitations of the film seem to spill over into the soundtrack, and this disc ends up nosediving, crashing and burning like an experimental aircraft gone horribly wrong.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

If there is indeed a hell, the song "It's A Small World" is undoubtedly the soundtrack for eternal damnation. Baha Men (aren't their 15 minutes of fame up yet?!?) do nothing for the cause by providing a modern-day take on what could well be the most annoying song in existence. The other two songs meant to keep the soundtrack somewhat planted in the modern age are throwaway pop fluff; neither David A. Stewart's "Everybody All Over the World (Join The Celebration)" nor Tina Sugandh's "River Of Dreams" seems to serve any real purpose to the story or the disc.

Jones, to his credit, does try to craft his music around the basis of the story, though it doesn't completely provide the listener with enough to help them follow along. (In this reviewer's mind, the score of a film should be able to tell the story to the listener in notes, not words.)

And while some examples like "Jetpack Journey" have their moments, the bulk of the score to Around The World In 80 Days falls terribly flat. Did we really need a snippet of "Can-Can" interspersed into "Rendezvous In Paris"? Did "Lost In America" really have to be so schizophrenic in terms of style? Most importantly, did score pieces like "Return Of The Jade Buddha," "Prince Hapi Escape" and "Around The World Overture" really need to be so boring?

Regrettably, that last word amply describes this soundtrack. There is precious little excitement contained in Jones's score and the pop-laden tracks, and listeners will soon find themselves almost bored to tears with this disc.

Movie-goers have been passing on Around The World In 80 Days in droves. You'd do wise to do the same with this turkey of a soundtrack.

Rating: F

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


Comments

 








© 2004 Christopher Thelen and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Walt DisneyRecords, and is used for informational purposes only.