Twister

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Two years after his entrance with Speed, one after his excellent action score Bad Boys, Mark Mancina is back on the saddle of the mother of all movies of the summer. Jan De Bont's thrilling and windy movie was a joy and no better than to describe the musical palette it accompanies, Twister is a joy of a score. If one needs a thematic roller coaster then by all means give it a whirl. Mark Mancina surely made his entrance really good because he inserted emotions through his action music and all the same a power of energy that suited the movie like a pair of sneakers. Jan De Bont was surely happy with the way Mancina scored his bus ride because he asked Mark to score this time the twister ride, and with finesse. Twister is an all out enjoyable score which sums up what Mancina can do with a successful movie. More, it uses Speed's electrifying pace and adds a supreme thematic voice to it, making it one of the better scores of 96'. Really, this is not a joke I'm telling because both Moll Flanders and Twister ample summed up the talent that Mark Mancina could deliver to a movie.

Do not expect the noise when something loud or messy happens on the screen, because no way is Mancina falling into the trap of providing noisy scenes with noisy music. More, Mancina adds a choral depth to it that makes it even more enjoyable. This choral mass is best described as an extra use of power when it accompanies the Twister's path and most when the scientists confront it with dangerous excursions during the Twister's core. But, what is mostly enjoyable is the playful and upbeat performances that sometimes show themselves, like 'Wheatfield' or 'Going Green' that are actually the first two pieces of music (when considering the order of the movie). And Mancina's main theme which is both emotional and adventurous is witnessed the best in the highlights 'Futility' and supported through the LA Master Chorale in 'The Big Suck'. But the most thematic fun is when Mancina underscores the dangerous attempts to lure Dorothy into the core, when Mancina underscores these scenes with a menacing and building threat, both combining the orchestral and choral sound in for instance 'Futility', 'Cow' and 'Bob's Road'. These tracks are hugely enjoyable and require special attention. The score doesn't really deliver slow moments but on the other hand the score never feels too much because Mancina throws in diversity to make the score enjoyable from start to finish.

In other words, I love Twister as score and movie. There is nothing more enjoyable when both a movie and score can deliver a pace and an energy into an amusing whole. Of course then I can not recommend this score enough for Mancina admirers' and those that got a kick out of the movie for sure. I know Mancina stays highly underrated but the man has obvious talents and when it comes down to pleasure and fun, his scores deliver that. Tarzan was good for the moments, Bad Boys was a rollicking action score and his dramatic look upon Moll Flanders was highly underrated (even if the score could have been better when it actually required an orchestral tone). Twister is just like those examples, a score that sums up all the good parts of the movie and delivers it a intelligence that makes it better than before. Even Van Halen with his contribution can not screw that up. I know some will not enjoy it as much as I do regularly but Twister still remains one of Mancina's best scores of his career, and offers both the pace and the energy to deliver your house a Twister of magnum size. So buckle up!

\도도/

Tracks

Single Disc

Oklahoma

1. Wheatfield (1.19)

2. Where's My Truck? (0.19)

3. Futility (2.13) Excellent Track

4. Downdraft (1.46)

It's Coming

5. Drive In (2.37) Excellent Track

6. The Big Suck (1.08) Excellent Track

The Hunt

7. Going Green (2.47)

8. Sculptures (3.03)

9. Cow (5.37) Excellent Track

10. Ditch (1.27)

The Damage

11. Wakita (5.02)

Hailstorm Hill

12. Bob's Road (2.10)

13. We're Almost There (2.57)

14. Dorothy IV (1.47)

15. Mobile Home (4.38) Excellent Track

16. God's Finger (1.46)

William Tell

17. William Tell Overture / Oklahoma Medley (1.04)

18. End Title / Respect The Wind * (9.16)

* Performed by Edward and Alex Van Halen

Total Length: 51.10

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

=== Link to Composer Site: Mark Mancina ===