Graeme REVELL
Pitch Black. Bride of Chucky 
PROMO GRCD 01 [66:13]
(Available from Supercollector at www.supercollector.com)
Looking up a list of Graeme Revell's credits
I realise that I have seen rather more productions for which he
has written the music than I realised. Eleven to date, and only
once prior to reviewing the Red
Planet (2000) and hearing Frank Herbert's Dune
(2000) albums had I ever so much as noticed his contribution with
anything approaching pleasure. That previous occasion was The
Crow (1994), for which Revell wrote a striking score incorporating
numerous ethnic instruments. Since then he has developed something
of a niche scoring mid-budget, second-rate science fiction and
horror movies. Pitch Black (2000) is typical of this sort
of fare. An entertaining but nonsensical Alien franchise
rip-off. The "music" is appalling. This "promo" is filled out
with music from Bride of Chucky (1998). It is a little
better.
Revell's music for Red Planet left much
to be desired. His work on the Dune mini-series was better
than the dreadful album suggested, but still remained perfunctory
and far less than the production deserved. But both of those were
masterworks in comparison to Revell's "score" for Pitch Black.
When I saw the film Revell's work made me angry. This disc makes
me more angry still. Why? Because of what it says about the current
state of film, that any director, producer or film company can
find the organised sound Revell delivered an acceptable audio
accompaniment to a commercial motion picture, especially one making
no attempt to disguise the fact it is following in the wake of
Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, Elliot Goldenthal... Angry that
popular taste and film music have degenerated to such a level
that this perfunctory sequenced noise can find its way into a
multiplex and onto CD. Without exaggeration, it is the sort of
work anyone familiar with a sequencing programme and a sampler
could create in a few hours. It is the lowest common denominator;
off-the-shelf atmospheric samples for the suspense sequences,
pounding sequenced drum samples for the action scenes. With the
film the "score" generated tension in the most obvious of ways;
uncanny sounds and relentlessly pounding rhythms will do that.
On album it is so devoid of musical content as to be simply pointless.
It is not music. As composition it's child's play.
Bride of Chucky (1998) aka Child's
Play 4 predates Pitch Black but is more of the same
with a little snarling orchestral brass and what sounds like real
strings, but again may be samples. It is more varied than Pitch
Black, but away from the film almost as hard to endure. With
Tomb Raider also to his "credit" it is rapidly becoming
obvious Graeme Revell is the least deserving of his position of
all current "name" film composers. Given the distinguished history
of science fiction and horror film music, his lazy, utterly uninspired
work for Pitch Black is nothing but a disgrace. That he
continues to be paid to churn out this cacophonic pap is almost
beyond belief. What is truly saddening is that there are many
fine composers constantly being denied the opportunity to show
they could do infinitely better.
Gary S. Dalkin
