well, i think that at the very least, it has to be better...

[acroyear]

My general thought when asked about what I thought of Star Wars 2 was that it was ok, but the best thing about it was the music.

I'll probably say the same thing about Star Wars 3, but already its better -- I just bought the soundtrack and cranked it out last nite and it is amazing.  A lot more action sequences (since the movie itself has more) and some of Williams's best "battle music" since Empire. 

Since Luke and Leia are effectively the key to the movie's ending, he's able to pull in more of their themes from A New Hope which is nice, and in being able to play with themes from all 6 films (there are battle moments that follow exactly the same rhythm as the ewok battle, just with completely different notes), he avoids (perhaps accidentally) ripping off some of his works from other movies (the Trade Federation theme from Phantom Menace is almost indistinguishable from his "Nazi" theme from the first and third Indiana Jones films).

So, I'm groovin' today.

back to work...

Comments

[selkiesiren.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Joe...

That is an altogether unique way of looking at it, and very refreshing indeed. Movies can fail or succeed on multiple levels, but (and this is surprising to me), I had never thought to look at how sequels tie their music together. That really does give me a fresh perspective from which to look at this and future sequels.

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

Harry Potter's been pretty good for that to a point. The second HP film was done like the second Superman, though -- "themes by John Williams" and music composed and arrainged by some other guy. (the mad-bludger Quitich game sequence is almost indistinguishable from the Corosant bounty-hunter chase in Clones, and perhaps for that reason, was actually left off the Chamber of Secrets soundtrack CD.) Williams returned to do HP3 himself, and is doing 4 himself as well, last I read.

At the time, JW was really working night-and-day to get the love theme that Lucas wanted for Clones *just right*. Personally I think he succeeded, but it did mean a change in plan for how JW wanted to build up the music for Anakin. the Anakin theme in Phantom has a 4-note motif taken from the Vader theme of Empire, and JW in interviews said that he wanted to build on that so the Anakin theme from 2 would have 2 or 3 such motifs thrown in, and by the time Vader arrives, the Empire theme can come out in full force.

By changing the focus and trying to build strength to the love story (since the actors weren't going to do it ;-) ), that plan kinda got thrown to the wayside so for familiarity's sake the Empire theme shows up at the end of Clones, much earliar than I (and JW) thought was necessary.

yeah, the thing about Williams's work is that when he's doing sequels, he's able to take the work of the first film (usually very Mahler and Holst influenced) and build it up Wagnerian style to a cycle. Shore did exactly that up front when working on Lord of the Rings, though i've heard the Symphony on tour kinda over-emphasizes the first film.

so i'm a music analysis junkie. go fig. I actually like it when albums need liner notes ;-)

[selkiesiren.livejournal.com]

By changing the focus and trying to build strength to the love story (since the actors weren't going to do it ;-) )

:::ROFLMAO!!:::

You just leveled both me and the Hubby on that one!