TV Obsessive
War of the Worlds Soundtrack
Jason: 2005, like 2002, was a busy and memorable year for John Williams. In 2002, the legendary composer wrote the musical scores to four major Hollywood blockbusters—a feat he matched in 2005.
That year Williams wrote the scores to Star Wars Episode III, Munich, Memoirs of a Geisha and Steven Spielberg’s summer sci-fi thriller War of the Worlds, which starred Tom Cruise and is considered the nightmare version to Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Based on H.G. Wells classic tale of alien invasion, this film version was tense and thrilling. There were no gentle other-worldly aliens here. These visitors were bent on destruction and wiping out the human race. This meant the music would reflect the sinister nature of these destructive invaders.
The music to War of the Worlds marked a vast departure from the sense of wonderment and awe which made Close Encounters float and the swirling strings, harp, and flute which represented the soaring, gentle-hearted E.T. The Extra-Terristrial. This music was ominous, tense, sombre and frantic. There would be no cuddly alien themes to be heard this time around.
The movie was a huge hit when it opened in June 2005 and the original soundtrack was praised by movie score lovers. However, it only contained around 65 minutes of music, omitting several cues. This week, specialty soundtrack company Intrada announced they are releasing a newly expanded two-disc edition of Williams’s score which will feature every cue heard in the film with alternates. The original 2005 release will be included as well with remastered sound. For those who own the recent Close Encounters and E.T. expanded soundtracks, this edition of War of the Worlds completes the Spielberg/Williams alien trilogy and will make for the perfect music to listen to while watching the skies.
