Star Trek VIII: First Contact

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

A long history in the movie franchise, Star Trek has listed movie after movie with each time a different enemy and story. This time we are facing the Borg, a fearless and resistant enemy that frankly scared the living shit out of me when they were fighting against the brave crew of the Enterprise. Along with the sixth, I find this movie to be the best out of the series because it both holds a fine development of story and acting and all feature incredible suspension scenes. To see it, the two movies I hold the closest in my heart are also the two darkest ones of the series but the scores that follow it aren't the ones I treasure the most. Of course, put them in their respected movie and they work like clockwork but on disc I'm having trouble to actually like them as the entertaining side of movie music. Truth, the music works so much better in the movie because there it has to represent the danger and threat of an enemy that is emotionless and fearless, an enemy that will assimilate any human aspect from your body. Jerry and son Joel Goldsmith's work makes the movie so much better but on disc it somehow fails to really impress me. Still, when compared to other efforts, First Contact still shines in its highlights.

That highlight is the main theme (the composed theme for the movie) of First Contact, a beautiful heroic and sweeping theme that brings tingles to the spine. It opens majestically the score with 'Main Title / Locutus' and it ends the exact way the original soundtrack portion with the obvious 'End Credits' which as expected closes the soundtrack with the actual main theme of the original movie and this movie's main theme. For the rest we have the grace of the main theme on occasion ('Welcome Aboard') and the enjoyable performance of Goldsmith's own Klingon theme in 'Red Alert' and 'Temporal Wake', this time representing Worf's character. Also the threatening fanfares during the last mentioned track works like magic in the movie and creates really an environment more of mood. The main portion of First Contact is the music representing the enemy, The Borg. The main theme itself always worked so well in the movie and I loved it and appears shortly in 'Retreat' and for the most part, the enemy receives a complete soundwash of effects, metallic clangs and bangs. These work very well in representing the Borg but they aren't really sensational to listen to, even if Goldsmith (father and son) makes good melodic use of it. The son Joel keeps the style close to his father's one but adds still a different tone to his work and mostly, he is saddled with the Borg's music and texture.

More, First Contact has two songs which is quite unique for a science fiction film and most importantly for a Star Trek film and score. But they are not intrusive because they make the movie very fitting with the time and place of the story. But if you summarize everything, you have to mention that First Contact as a movie score works superbly in its context, but loses entertainment outside of it. I never had problems with it but during the listen I feel that the score misses a lot in melodic mastery. The main theme is superb, the inclusion of the Klingon theme is nice and welcome and the score overall doesn't bore but when it comes down to actual highlights (those that make a score grand or just normal), there is still much missing. Star Trek: First Contact is a fine Trek score and has both the grace of the Enterprise crew as the threat of the Borg but it isn't something that makes the music that good in the first place. Still, credit to the Goldsmith boys to give the film the biological and technological distinctiveness it required. Making sure that the fan will adapt to the culture. Meaning resistance is Futile. We are the film music generation.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Main Title + / Locutus * (4.17) Excellent Track

2. Red Alert ++ (2.13)

3. Temporal Wake (2.07)

4. Welcome Aboard (2.40)

5. Fully Functional (3.17)

6. Retreat * (3.58)

7. Evacuate (2.19)

8. 39.1 Degrees Celsius * (4.44)

9. The Dish (7.05)

10. First Contact (5.52) Excellent Track

11. End Credits + / ++ (5.24) Excellent Track

12. Magic Carpet Ride: Steppenwolf (4.24)

13. Ooby Dooby: Roy Orbinson (2.21)

* Composed by Joel Goldsmith

+ Contains TV Theme composed by Alexander Courage

++ Contains Theme from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, composed by Jerry Goldsmith

Total Length: 51.20

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

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