M:I:III

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

After successful directors Brian de Palma and John Woo, the Mission Impossible franchise needed a new fresh twist. And considering its Losing Alias appeal, J.J. Abrams was just the man for the job. And if there wasn't the famous MI theme, who knows if he would have composed the main theme himself? Hehe, inside joke. Anyway, with J.J. Abrams now comes (and who knows forever will be) Michael Giacchino. You could say Abrams rescued Giacchino from the depths of obscurity when he introduced Michael to such winning series as Alias and Lost, making sure the voice of the composer was heard on television and not merely in games. Now it has brought the composer to the big screen fans so desperately wanted him to go from the time he amazed us with Medal of Honor, now 7 years ago. With Mission: Impossible 3 its fair to say the mother of all assignments has just introduced itself to Michael and his fellow orchestrators. And he wasn't going to let it go to waste. However with Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer, he was following such notorious names into a franchise that is defined by Tom Cruise and no one else. Now with the tone of what you hear after just one listen, you come to the conclusion themes are not of an issue here. The main theme is naturally present to make its occasional appearances but don't expect a cool version ala Hans Zimmer to appear soon. No Spanish rhythms are there to flair up the occasion and I guess electric guitars are a hazard after Zimmer made them so loudly infectious or disastrous (you pick) in Mission: Impossible 2. So Michael goes for the road he took in Call of Duty and you can say Lost, that of sharp fierce rhythm in a aggressive style. M:I: III thereby becomes the score I didn't expect at first, and it takes time to get used to it, but speaking of interesting rhythms, fierce ideas and sharp attacks, Michael delivers another set of thrills in the rawest sense. Perhaps not what you want, but it suffices if you take the time to get into the flow.

The inevitable theme in 'Mission: Impossible Theme', 'See you in the Sewer' and 'Schifrin and Variations' aside, Giacchino pumps up the adrenaline easily with 'Factory Rescue', 'Evacuation' and 'Helluvacopter Chase', stating gritty action music ala Medal of Honor, Call of Duty and Lost, with flutes, percussion and dark brass setting no bar high enough. It isn't really thrilling but it sure begins a feisty listen on the edge. And in 'Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall' he variates just the main theme with ingenious flutes and rising brass into a 5 minute suspense play, quite fun actually. In between you have him setting up a restrained love theme in 'Ethan and Julia' while all the time watching out for some Elfman in 'Masking Agent' and suspense in 'Voice Capture'. At then end you come to 'Davian's Brought in', where a moment of a David Arnold fanfare is noticed. But the real thrill ride starts with 'Bridge Battle' where Giacchino shows how well he can put a rhythm on track and let it finish with the force it deserves. And in 'Davian gets the Girl' he adds further the excitement of suspense building with eerie strings and rising brass. Lost shenanigans in 'IMF Escape' rise too in suspenseful brass and luckily there are such pit stops as 'Disguise the Limit', which is some underscore with an eerie twist. With 'Shang Way High' you receive a returning suspense theme, and this leads to another brass rising and a percussion blast like 'The Chutist'. With 'Hunting for Jules' the finale arrives, here yet from atonal piano to a sheer brassy rhythm builder, how feisty its all described here is how you get it, amazing in other words! In 'World's Worst last 4 Minutes to Live' Giacchino patiently builds his dark underscore to a gritty finish and in 'Reparations' its all time for the love theme on gentle strings, meaning a happy feeling arrives. That Michael got potential was inevitable the moment you heard the Medal of Honor franchise. That the man has talent is inevitable when you hear his non thematic rhythms and accept them for their thrilling edge. Mission: Impossible 3 isn't for everyone, but its got what the others lack a bit too much, which is action music. And despite its raw taste, you want Ethan Hunt to triple pace the chase with Michael setting impossible rhythms, sorry impossible missions.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Mission: Impossible Theme * (0.51)

2. Factory Rescue (4.14)

3. Evacuation (2.45)

4. Helluvacopter Chase (3.14)

5. Special Agent Lindsey Farris (2.44)

6. Ethan And Julia (1.23)

7. "Humpty Dumpty Sat On A Wall" (5.53)

8. Masking Agent (3.38)

9. Voice Capture (2.39)

10. "See You In The Sewer" (1.42)

11. Davian's Brought In (2.04)

12. Bridge Battle (4.10) Excellent Track

13. Davian Gets The Girl (2.41) Excellent Track

14. IMF Escape (2.41)

15. Disguise The Limit (3.21)

16. Shang Way High (3.37)

17. The Chutist (1.57)

18. Hunting For Jules (3.52) Excellent Track

19. World's Worst Last 4 Minutes To Live (4.08)

20. Reparations (3.32)

21. Schifrin And Variations (3.04)

* composed by Lalo Schifrin

Total Length: 64.58

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

=== Link to Composer Site: Michael Giacchino ===