A Strong Legacy

I while back, I wrote about the movie The Bourne Legacy, which continues the film franchise without Matt Damon. The lead actor wasn't the only thing to change in this new installment; after three films scored by composer John Powell, this film brought James Newton Howard in to write the music for the film.

I honestly wasn't expecting to like the music of this film very much. I think John Powell's work on the first three films was exceptional -- exhilarating music that can get the pulse racing whether attached to the film or not. I have the soundtracks of all three films in my collection, and I'm always happy when my random iPod mix serves up a track from a Bourne movie.

James Newton Howard is a composer I find hit and miss. His score for The Fugitive was outstanding, perfectly capturing the thrill of the chase at the heart of that movie. And some of his work on Christopher Nolan's first two Batman films was also strong. But in between, he contributed a lot of workmanlike scores to films that don't really command attention, and don't hold up well outside the movie.

I was pleased to find that The Bourne Legacy had one of his best scores in ages, and I rushed to pick up the soundtrack album. This score is a percussion driven, exciting collection of music. It sounds rather different than what Powell did on the earlier films, but still accelerates the pace of the film well. It also even incorporates occasional phrases of the Bourne character theme Powell created, sprinkled into scenes that tie Matt Damon's character to Jeremy Renner's.

The album definitely uses the prime cuts. There are over half a dozen strong, 5-star action cues that make for great listening, and plenty more tense and suspenseful cues that make excellent use of the full orchestra. There are a few songs meant for slower moments that don't play well without the film, and don't elicit much emotion on their own, but these are few and far between on the 26 song album.

And of course, the soundtrack includes the new recording of Moby's song "Extreme Ways," the franchise theme that concludes every film in the series.

I'd say I liked the soundtrack better than the film itself -- even more of a revelation when you consider that I went to the theater expecting the opposite to be true. I give the album an A-.