National Treasure

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

While completely apart from the Media Ventures we think, Rabin still stays in contact with Jerry Bruckheimer who occasionally drops the Media Ventures composer in favor for Trevor Rabin, who comes up with similar MV ideas. Latest in line like Bad Company, National Treasure worked well as action adventure at the box office and Rabin got the fruitful deal of seeing his score being released, being a company not Varèse named, meaning success on that part. The soundtrack packs nearly 40 minutes of Rabin's written score, and in fact this is a sample stock affair of Rabin. The theme based on those themes of Remember the Titans and American Outlaws, the action moments on rhythm so similar to Bad Company, the rock ideas of The Sixth Day and The One, it is all here. Yet one thing is new and will take even the most non Rabin fans by surprise, which is the refreshing Thomas Newman quirky piano tones which could come out of a Newman effort like that, so similar and well executed these are. It is already heard in 'National Treasure Suite' and sets the tone well, with its beat and further use of cello, piano setting some relief before the loud Bad Company beat unleashes more the synthetic element, brief lazy trumpet and piano signal off. Not a unique deal but the piano does set a fresh tone from Rabin's previous scores. The theme as always by Rabin is good but similar to his previous works, and especially this one being a duo alike effort of American Outlaws and Remember the Titans, still its softer growing effort with soft choir is nice enough for 'Ben'. Its partly based also on the opening of the trailer and I wished that piece also was heard in the score, since it was typically MV but also typically Rabin.

And so the score continues with those ideas, 'Finding Charlotte' with a beat ala Bad Company and a sign of Ben's theme with added choir (always in the background and not as powerful as Deep Blue Sea for instance). Here especially you wonder where the orchestra is because its so similar to Bad Company, then on the other end, who knows Rabin always establishes himself with an orchestra as that? 'Library of Congress' returns with the Newman experimental piano and growing like string work (another favorite of Rabin), equally in 'Arrival at National Archives' and 'Spectacle Discovery', setting up more or less pump, stating the Newman piano theme hear more on bass. The 2 chase cues are so Rabin, perhaps here you kinda wished some new innovating ideas would appear, 'The Chase' is the best of the 2, stating here basically Bad Company in a nutshell but a little lesser on enjoyability, still its effect is pleasing enough with the overlapping string work over the rhythm. 'Foot Chase' is louder, harder, and not that enjoyable even though stating the same ideas, here especially a more eclectic use of rhythm is heard after a while. The relief is for 'Declaration of Independence' with Ben's theme with piano and 'Treasure' basically sums up Ben's theme, starting from piano to a bold version with better choir. This comes after 'Interrogation' which adds again the pounding suspense loud enough with all the ideas we heard before. Really, National Treasure is Trevor Rabin in a nutshell, covering little new except from the intriguing piano moves, but this is then taken from someone's else his repertoire. A bit disappointing considering I wanted a more heroic adventure and not the Bad Company alike action effort. But Rabin seems to remain Rabin, and National Treasure is then of course stock affair for his fans, and those which didn't hear already Bad Company and American Outlaws, I feel its becoming too much the same deal, to hear again and again.

\µµ1/2/

Tracks

Single Disc

1. National Treasure Suite (3.17)

2. Ben (4.03)

3. Finding Charlotte (1.05)

4. Library Of Congress (2.27)

5. Preparation Montage (4.53)

6. Arrival At National Archives (1.55)

7. The Chase (4.22)

8. Declaration Of Independence (1.43)

9. Foot Chase (3.34)

10. Spectacle Discovery (3.18)

11. Interrogation (4.30)

12. Treasure (3.38)

Total Length: 38.54

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

=== Link to Composer Site: Trevor Rabin ===