Mimic (Expanded Score)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

By the time Marco Beltrami stepped into the horror genre with Scream, he was not to be thought away for everything that followed thereafter. And rightly so, Scream was good. But not so impressive as what would follow next. Scream 2 was scored the same year but that wasn't it what I was referring to. It was actually Guillermo del Toro's monster movie which made more of an impression if only forgotten because of the hard to find copy today. And this is sad since this practically shows all the qualities of Beltrami in one piece, ferocious Goldenthal esque brass to bittersweet finales to eerie vocals to brutal dissonance. Yet the quality of Mimic is, you don't hate a second of this score. And that is why I personally find Mimic to be the best Beltrami score so far. Its as someone said about horror music, the best action score with an edge and that brutality shows its perks from the second you start the score. Mimic in fact opens already with an impressive piece, 'Main Title' uses a sole vocal to state the human link before the dark strings and brass collide, stating the monsters link. It is in fact this sole power of the orchestral clash which makes this opener impressive and states what to expect in the next tracks.

There is also a healthy doses of pure orchestral chase music which in fact you have to listen like action music with a rhythm and a dissonant effect. 'Race to the Subway' is like that, 'Josh's Dead End' is like that and 'Chased by a Bug' is like that and they are ferocious in their power. Luckily we have also some lighter material and a theme which is not out of tone for the horror genre, appearing in 'Time to Separate', which is a lovely flute theme. This theme at the end receives the biggest finale you could ever expect of such a lovely tune and 'Reunited' is brilliant the way it presents the more relieving feel with a climatic finale. But actually Beltrami has more up his sleeves. Even a track which normally would have been boring (especially if you think back at the scene) is capturing impressive music with it, 'Chuy Steps Out' uses every orchestral instrument (together or apart) to create the creepy looking building and danger that lurks behind the corners, it grows on occasions and it explodes at the end with terrifying brass, but every time that sole human voice is present to state the human link between man and beast. 'Judas Breed' is another track which brings more then it should and while the vocals return, it is the collision of brass and choir which reveals the horrendous truth behind the existence of the breed of monsters.

Even a tango piece during the middle of the score doesn't weaken the mood, listen or atmosphere and therefore I accept its inclusion in the score. But Beltrami's material rocks more power then that little tango. 'Confronting Terror' is the best track along with begin and ending, here the biggest talents of Beltrami shine the way they never shined before, its action music served on brass all the way with first almost climatic brass work as heard in Poltergeist of Goldsmith before a terrifying fanfare reveals the monster's hideout and population with tremendous power before rhythmic suspense ends the score like Horner's finale did in Aliens. This track moves from rhythm to fierce brass work to finales to back to rhythm, a sign of a track even Terminator 3 didn't carry the brilliance nor the resilience of. And 'End Credits' even has a different idea with a great choral theme giving a bit more hope. The score ends with a classical tune and a different mix of La Cucaracha, the voice and style reminds me a bit of U2 but its quite effective so again the inclusion is not so hideous. All this and actually more is what Mimic exhibits, a thrilling horror score with action stamps, climatic fanfares and vocal representation which puts many horror scores to shame. That a horror score so dissonant sometimes can still thrill me so much is simply the sign that this is one of Beltrami's best works. Scream might work but Mimic is orchestral carnage in such delightful power that its easy to like and love. I hope the soundtrack receives more attention and praise since stuff like Terminator 3 and Scream might work well and good, its Mimic's impressive collection of powerful material which blows them out of the sewer for good.

\도도/

Tracks

Single Disc

1. Main Title (2.51) Excellent Track

2. Race To The Subway (1.36)

3. Time To Separate (1.00)

4. Chuy Steps Out (3.18)

5. Manny Searches For His Son (1.47)

6. Josh's Dead End (1.56)

7. No Sweat (1.10)

8. Manny In The Sewers (0.54)

9. Judas Breed (2.12)

10. Chased By A Bug (1.16)

11. Susan Meets Chuy (1.05)

12. Fausty Scaffolding (1.21)

13. Three Years Later (3.19)

14. Manny's Tango (1.56)

15. Evil Among Us (1.09)

16. Confronting Terror (2.17) Excellent Track

17. The Lucistic's Alive (1.28)

18. Reunited (2.50) Excellent Track

19. End Credits (2.02) Excellent Track

20. Slow Tango (2.16)

21. La Cucaracha: Dillon Dixon (3.36)

Total Length: 42.13

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=== Link to Composer Site: Marco Beltrami ===