Van Helsing

Whoever then Stephen Sommers could make a feast (at least speaking of fun) of visual mammoth adventure with a dark hero and the most notorious creatures fighting together or against each other? Only Stephen could do it so big and exciting and so over the top, for once I thought it was too much basically at the end. How much I enjoyed it the film, it was simply too much. Naturally, we thank the lucky stars that Alan Silvestri was there to back up the visuals with another exciting and large score. Ohh, we at least thought because we assumed to get something in the vein of The Mummy Returns, the score for the last Sommers film. Well, we assumed and we received a large action score that has once more all the ingredients, except for perhaps subtlety. Yes, the only thing this score misses are some relieves for the action at hand, but I don't mind much because I always love my scores loud and big. And Van Helsing doesn't disappoint, to deliver its music exciting and big, with various themes, choir all over the place and a large threatening look surrounding it, one of the trademarks any fan will easily distinguish of the music when hearing those threatening fanfares, something that for instance Judge Dredd did good too. So, it resembles Judge Dredd? Good, because that was a fantastic score. But some adventure themes aren't out of place either and luckily there are placements in the film and on the soundtrack, and so it resembles the fun of The Mummy Returns also and once more we rejoice. But of course, the more recent Tomb Raider 2: The Cradle of Life also has some things to say, and that's not bad either since that score was only destroyed because of the underscore. But underscore here is replaced by overscore and thank god, it starts from the very first second.

The opening 'Transylvania 1887' has the growling threatening opening with satanic choir, stating the Dracula theme or basically the danger theme. Its loud and the satanic choir always is better when Silvestri does it. 'Burn it Down!' continues the suspension threatening building with some amazing choral fanfares, the electronic bounces out of Tomb Raider 2 and the returning satanic music with the danger theme, making the opening at least no subtlety ride. Another theme which is a short heroic one is for Anna, in 'Werewolf Trap' and its surrounded by more choir and attacking large orchestral play. And so we come to another theme, the traveling theme for some, I call it the Van Helsing theme too, and it appears with choir and sitar in a nice swinging rhythm mix in 'Journey to Transylvania'. Alone to add some choir to it is what makes Silvestri the man for the kind of job like this. No rest for the wicked with 'Attacking Brides' with more of the attacking music, a brief return of the danger theme followed by pompous action music (with loud drums too for the pound) and a choral fanfare to add more demonic color to that. A powerful track followed by a mix of attacking music and nothing, basically because for some seconds silence is heard, or not heard I guess. 'Dracula's Nursery' at least has some eerie moments but also the danger theme, this time at the end to signal Dracula's presence. So, we had at least some seconds of respite, a track 'Useless Crucifix' does not have, thank god. The heroic tune for Anna is heard several times and so is the heroic adventure theme for the actions Van Helsing does, and its the kind of theme like The Mummy Returns presented us with when they did the bus ride. Meaning a great one.

This of course gets all the attention in 'Transylvanian Horses', an excellent track with this theme played with power and orchestral speed, signaling too the Van Helsing theme at the start and choir at the end. A track to enjoy in the film as on disc. 'All Hallow's Eve Ball' by then has something else then action music, at least for the first 2 minutes because it presents us with a hypnotizing dance that soon turns into a choral feast leading to a brief version of the heroic theme for Van Helsing. And so we reach 'Final Battle', 6 minutes of big, really big music. Both orchestral and choral with some amazing fanfares and statements and here does Silvestri once more everything right. Of course no subtlety but the film wasn't either, so try to equal that scope with the music. And Silvestri succeeded. It also has the largest sounding versions of the danger theme or Dracula's theme so enjoy that. It also ends with the adventure theme too which I find a bit strange if you consider the ending of the scene. But we wanted peace and we at least receive peace, in a non action kind of way. 'Reunited' uses solo vocal, another theme (people have said this refers to the Grail theme of Williams' Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) which soar with strings like Tomb Raider 2 ended, the short adventure theme for Anna, and then the Van Helsing traveling theme with choir, basically all that you want. So calm the score is not, but who cares, because from time to time we need scores like this from Alan Silvestri. He is still the best of the business when it comes down to this, and to think Pirates of the Caribbean could have been in this vein! Anyway, for people that have seen the movie, you don't have to think twice of getting this score. For people who haven't seen the film and know nothing of this score simply this: 5 minutes of non action music and the rest is Van-Silvestri-tastic.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Transylvania 1887 (1.25)

2. Burn It Down! (4.46)

3. Werewolf Trap (1.53)

4. Journey To Transylvania (1.33)

5. Attacking Brides (5.02) Excellent Track

6. Dracula's Nursery (5.46)

7. Useless Crucifix (2.35) Excellent Track

8. Transylvanian Horses (3.55) Excellent Track

9. All Hallow's Eve Ball (3.01)

10. Who Are They To Judge? (2.00)

11. Final Battle (6.28) Excellent Track

12. Reunited (4.23) Excellent Track

Total Length: 42.55

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons

=== Link to Composer Site: Alan Silvestri ===