Pacific Rim (Ramin Djawadi)

Synchrotones’ Microtones Review… all of the opinion, less of the words.

PACIFIC RIM

Ramin Dwajadi, 2013, WaterTower Music
25 tracks, 57.23

What is it? An epic ‘monster’ battle movie written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. One of the greatest sci-fi successes of the year. To some surprise, Del Toro turned to Ramin Djawadi for the music.

What does it sound like? Tongue firmly in cheek (or so I hope) Djawadi employs plenty of string ostinati, percussion and rollicking electric guitars. It’s surprisingly cheesy, seemingly not taking itself too seriously, which is the album’s strongest point. A film about boys and their toys, so the score tries to be ‘cool’ most of the time. Percussion is often augmented with rock drum kits.  Electronics and chanting choir are also present. The main theme, which I can’t help but think sounds a bit TV-ish, recurs several times through the album. Various other motifs are repeated, making for a coherent and consistent album. Though, even as early as the halfway mark I can’t help but feel like I’ve heard everything there is to hear.

Is it any good? Fans responded positively to this romp of a score. Personally, I fail to engage with (most of) it. It has some exciting moments; and the quieter ones almost have a JNH-like quality to them. Overall though I find the score lacking in substance; not transcending beyond its basic cool-ness. The writing feels thin, though luckily the orchestrations are varied. I would have preferred a shorter, tighter album.

Rating [2,5/5]

Review by Pete Simons, (c) Synchrotones