Superman II (Bootleg)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

When the comic book filming of Superman became the blockbuster hit of Warner Bros, the parties believed a new superhero was born to grace the movie screen. After all it made Christopher Reeve legendary and above all he is known as the one and only Superman. However what Superman II did so outstandingly was make Superman human. Human to love, human to care, human to bleed. The wonderful story of Superman being vulnerable and pairing him up against the 3 villains of the first film was what director Richard Lester understood perfectly. It didn't got wonderful critic as the the first but I believe it carries all the charm, all the strengths and the cast of the first to make it as legendary as Richard Donner's version. However composer John Williams didn't return but he left a plethora of themes to aid composer Ken Thorne aplenty. After all what is the Superman movie with its super themes? Ken Thorne made sure he used them well and only a handful of secondary motifs and underscore was needed to glue the main themes together with his own material. Thereby the score became a musical partner very similar of the first score. And truth be told, perhaps it sounds very unoriginal but it works to help the movie considerably regaining that first movie's classic appeal. So does the krypton planet theme sound as good as Williams version in 'Preface', so does the main fanfare theme follow exactly Williams' styles in 'Main Titles', so surfaces the villain theme in the same style in 'Moon Escapades'. Its Thorne using the master's material well. Only the end music with the brass fanfares in 'Moon Escapades' is new and thrilling. Or 'Lois Enters the Tower' with its new suspension music eerie setting the danger down. With 'Lex Escapes' we humorously receive a sign of the villain march before Thorne's traverse theme (a variation on the villain march) is heard in 'Lex to the Fortress'. A great air of heroics is saved for 'Niagara Falls Save' where the Superman theme flourishes again in the style we remember it. Basically nothing much is new but Thorne adds his own small touches to Williams material and actually it works very well.

With 'Clark Fumbles Rescue' we get another pairing of superman versions with playful string suspense that sounds very similar. And 'You are Superman' is the first airing of the love theme working its softly charm upon us. With 'He will Answer to Me' and 'President Resigns / Clark to Fortress' we have more villain statements (sometimes reaching a nice crescendo, like the choral mass at the end so wonderfully states). Furthermore 'Mother's Advice' is the nice moment of choral rising over mysterious strings, but again this is heard and used by Williams in the first score that it sounds good but tested. With 'The Aerial Battle Begins' and 'Catching a Bus' we reach the more adventurous music where Thorne basically uses the villain theme vs. the main theme. And with the flourishes of adventure vs. danger we reach the more explosive material of good vs. evil. I especially like the Star Wars feel during the second part of 'The Aerial Battle Begins', showing Thorne can do a mean Williams too. Sadly the other track is suffering from real poor sound quality and considering the entire scpre is not that strong either really brings the performance done. However my favorite moment in the movie musically (apart from the revenge scene in the diner, god classic scene) there is nothing more cool then to hear the main theme rise gloriously in 'Villains Defeated' when General Zod gets his worthy handshake. With the love theme a final time in 'Powerful Kiss' and the main theme rising for the last time in 'Flag Flying High & March' we reach the sign for Thorne's Williamesque to end. Seriously, if you wouldn't know it any better, the master could have written most of Superman II but then we do know better. We know Thorne at one end perhaps didn't take any chances, then again he did do the honorable deed of all which was compose Superman the way it should be heard. But then that makes another album with most of the material already heard kinda foolish. Seriously, you could be right and you could be wrong, I'm here to tell you Superman II has a meaning, and that's keeping the spirit alive of the classic first 2 films. And sadly its done in hideous quality music, but if ever it revives from the ashes of cinema vaults, we will find out Thorne's music is all about reliving the magic, not just recopying it.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Preface (2.54)

2. Main Titles (5.27) Excellent Track

3. Lois Enters The Tower (2.43)

4. Lois Elevator Ride & Rescue (2.12)

5. Moon Escapades (3.12)

6. Lex Escapes (2.04)

7. Niagara Falls Save (2.34)

8. Lex To The Fortress (2.18)

9. Clark Fumbles Rescue (3.26)

10. You Are Superman (3.55)

11. He Will Answer To Me (2.52)

12. Mothers Advice (1.48) Excellent Track

13. President Resigns / Clark To Fortress (4.27)

14. The Aerial Battle Begins (5.41) Excellent Track

15. Catching A Bus (4.17)

16. Villains Defeated (3.37)

17. Powerful Kiss (3.23)

18. Flag Flying High & March (5.16) Excellent Track

Total Length: 62.15

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