Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

It took 10 years for Jerry Goldsmith to get back on the Enterprise of the Star Trek franchise. And while James Horner had been doing marvelous results in his place, it was still a question what Goldsmith could have come up with if he scored ...? Because in the end he didn't score 2, 3 or 4 (being the better of the original cast) but a non satisfying first and a stupid fifth one. William Shatner may act the best as Captain Kirk but despite the promising script the end result is not endearing, neither inspiring and sometimes even a bit silly as laughable. So Jerry had to come up with his magic to salvage the movie from the depths of the earth. In the end, Jerry took it further beyond the great barrier because Star Trek V: The Final Frontier once more delivers us almighty atmospheric delights. Perhaps not as alienating as The Motion Picture or supernatural as Poltergeist but especially as beautiful as the planet lying beyond the barrier. And once more Jerry Goldsmith is there to create the magic, something he keeps doing with ease.

But Star Trek V is no The Motion Picture. And Horner's efforts were better at the end. This is perhaps because I was never so enchanted with the scores of Star Trek as heard outside of their context. To me the movies and scores both enticed a magic beyond it that made the score already brilliant on its own. Apart from the planet that creates its own mysterious mood it is the movie itself that fails, and sadly it drags Jerry Goldsmith's soundtrack with it. So while I find Star Trek V not the best listen, it still has its good moments. Let's skip the overall familiar main theme, it is a regularity in any Trek score. It are the two themes themselves of The Final Frontier that make an impression. First the main theme heard in 'The Mountain' and 'Life is a Dream', a wonderful soft and elegant touch portraying the stunning beauty of a mountain's top. The second theme introduces us to the fantastical beauty of a planet, unvisited before. It receives its best attention in 'A Busy Man'. But also this track has a hidden stroke of geniality. Already a lot of fans have mentioned it but I have to repeat it again. While the passengers and crew witness the almighty beauty of the undiscovered country a board computer is signaling that a Klingon Bird of Prey is nearing. And while the emotional theme of Goldsmith keeps playing, a softer version of the Klingon theme is spotted. Brilliant!

So, there you have already heard it. Making its appearance several times is Goldsmith's own creation of the Klingons (in track 3 and 9). And yet, perhaps it is the final track of the soundtrack that receives the most attention. While different from the movie's version, 'The Moon's a Window' (the seduction piece of Uhura) doesn't bother me a lot but neither is it that special to hear. Star Trek V: The Final frontier has 42 minutes of music, 38 coming of Goldsmith and the track titles are way out of order. Again I went for the right code (see the page at the bottom as usual). While it is difficult to say that the score disappointed me, because I have heard a lot better of Goldsmith, it is also the case that it turned out so much better then the movie. It is once again a case of a score rising above the quality of its movie and mainly Goldsmith fans will have a good time listening to it. But because I find it a bit soft (mainly for the real absence of action music apart from 'Open the Gates') it isn't really a favorite of mine. But if that means you have to ignore it? Forget it! You have to listen to it, simply because it is there.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. The Mountain * (3.50)

2. The Barrier * (2.50)

3. Without Help (4.18)

4. A Busy Man (4.39) Excellent Track

5. Open The Gates (2.59)

6. An Angry God (6.55)

7. Let's Get Out Of Here (5.12)

8. Free Minds (3.16)

9. Life Is A Dream * (3.56) Excellent Track

10. The Moon's A Window To Heaven + (4.00)

* Contains Fanfare from Star Trek TV Series composed by Alexander Courage

+ Performed and arranged by Hiroshima

Correct Order: (1 - 10 - 5 - 3 - 8 - 2 - 4 - 6 - 7 - 9)

Total Length: 42.27

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

=== Link to Composer Site: Jerry Goldsmith ===