For superhero aficionados out there, 2011 has been an incredible year. It's rare to see so many superhero movies come out in one year, and rarer still to see so many good ones. The better ones to come out this year include Thor, X-Men First C-lass, and Captain America. Depending on what you consider superhero movies, this is already 75% of all superhero movies this year (though if Green Hornet, Transformers 3, I Am Number Four, and Kung Fu Panda 2 count, then obviously not). Impressive. More impressive? All three of these movies have competent soundtracks. Thor marked Patrick Doyle's impressive first attempt at using an orchestra to emulate Zimmer's usual methods, and the results were fantastic. X-Men First C-lass saw Henry Jackman taking Zimmer's methods and also applying them to the orchestra, also with enjoyable results. Captain America, however, doesn't have veteran composer Alan Silvestri mimicking any of Zimmer's methods. Instead, he runs with the c-lassics of old - vintage Williams, and vintage himself. It sounds weird to have to say that, but Silvestri hasn't really composed anything of the caliber of his 1985 masterpiece Back to the Future, and he hasn't returned to the s-tyle since. It's wonderful to see a composer make a return to the days of old, where massive orchestral statements marked action scenes and excitement, as opposed to today's forceful percussion and over-reliance on synthetics. Captain America's score is a powerful enough brass score with theatrics and cheesiness to spare, and though its first half is surprisingly dry, it's final 20 minutes or so comprise of some of the best action material Silvestri has ever written - and that's saying a lot.
The main theme of the score - Cappy's theme - is introduced straight off, with the noble and restrained Captain America (Main Titles). This track tries to mimic standard World War II horn calls, and as a result, it's slow, it's noble, and it's apt. The light tappings of the snare drum give it a militaristic feel, and a brief string version move it along. Many reprisals are littered throughout the score, with one of the more interesting variations in Training the Supersoldier, a forceful and delightfully minor key variation. You can still tell what theme it is, and though it is brief, it's a fantastically energetic piece. Captain America "We Did It" contains a fuller version of the theme in its first minute or so, still in restrained form. Enjoyable? Yes, but a bit of a tease considering where it goes later. Small teasing in Unauthorized Night Flight eventually lead up to another huge performance in Triumphant Return, one of the more exciting ones. It's still restrained, sadly, but you can feel the energy bursting in it, as the brass crescendos throughout the first half. The second half has a saxophone, of all instruments, carrying on the theme. The final 30 seconds contain the most powerful rendition of the theme as of yet heard. The theme gets yet another reprisal in Howling Commando's Montage, albeit in its exciting minor key form. Howling Commando's Montage is one of the most exciting pieces in the score, with delightful energy and excellent instrumentation. The final score track, Captain America, is a one minute rendition of the theme. It breaks free of the previous restraint, though it still doesn't reach the soaring heights people would expect. Only in Captain America March, the iTunes exclusive track (dumb idea) does the theme finally break free of its restraint, and becomes everything one would expect. It reminds heavily of Superman and Back to the Future's End Credits piece, complete with cymbal crashes nearly every second. The brass obviously gets most of the attention here, and the massively patriotic theme finally gets the attention it deserves. Captain America March is one of the best pieces Silvestri has written, and though it is fairly short (clocking in at a mere 2 and a half minutes), it has all the boisterous energy of his best works. The theme truly is one of the most memorable superhero themes in ages, and it's wonderful to see Silvestri write such a wonderful theme after quite a while.
There aren't particularly many other themes in the score; really, Silvestri was hoping for his main titles theme to carry on the entire score, and really, it does so with relative ease. The only trouble with it is a lack of flexibility; nearly every single appearance of it is exactly the same throughout the score, with a difference in energy only. The villain theme, on the other hand, appears less and is much more difficult to find amidst the score. Essentially, it is a series of rising minor notes, and appears first in Frozen Wasteland. The theme is sprinkled liberally through the piece, and the piece itself contains much c-lassic movie influences in it, down to the fluttering strings rising above the rest of the piece and some high brass to create intrigue. The theme gets several references throughout the score, none quite as prominent as in Frozen Wasteland, a piece devoted almost entirely to the theme.
That's it for themes; the rest of it is pretty much all filler material. And it's awesome stuff. Passage of Time and Farewell to Bucky are poignant, pleasant pieces for easy listening, with some small hints at the main theme. While the quieter stuff definitely isn't bad, it's far outshadowed by the action material that Silvestri writes. The action material practically screams "vintage Williams," and it's a brilliantly nostalgic return to c-lassics. The first action cue, Kruger Chase, is a delightfully intense piece with rolling movements on strings and brass representing the action brilliantly. It's frantic stuff, and it reminds massively of Williams. Silvestri tosses in a few references to both primary themes, and keeps building it up. The frantic strings around 1:30 are outstanding. The conclusion will remind hugely of Back to the Future.
Hostage on the Pier also reminds of days of old, complete with raging brass dissonance at some points and strings moving across the high and low ranges. Unauthorized Night Flight to Factory Inferno are surprisingly dry pieces, with very little actual material to enjoy, and considering that Troop Liberation and Factory Inferno are both 5 minute long cues with very little happening, it's quite disappointing. Both contain some highly impressive material, but a lot of it is fairly tuneless and is fairly inconsistent as well.
Triumphant Return marks the start of the explosive final chapter to the score. The final 30 minutes or so is an absolutely incredible return to c-lassic action material, and it ranks among the most exciting work Silvestri has ever written. Hydra Train contains some references to the main theme. The low, pumping strings underneath the brass appropriately mimics the movement of the train itself, and the brass intensity is very impressive. While a little generic, it still is appropriately impressive. Rain Fire Upon Them is more of a buildup piece, leading into Motorcycle Mayhem, an outstanding piece with some explosive brass work. The enormously powerful and intense work is downright impressive in many instances, and this track succeeds off of its intensity alone.
Invasion continues this intensity. It's hard to say whether or not there is a piano involved; in many instances it sounds as though the piano's lowering keys are being banged to create a bass note. Either way, the piece is appropriately desperate and intense, with many false buildups along the way and many brass bursts.
Fight on the Flight Deck is the piece where Captain America does battle with the villain, Schmidt. It's a fairly disjointed albeit intense piece with some highly impressive brass and string work littered throughout. The biggest issue with it is that it's simply far too in-cohesive and disjointed to be truly enjoyable. Though it technically is the climax, it lacks the power and lacks heavy thematic statements, which frustrates hugely, considering the subject matter. Thus, with this piece, Silvestri brings the action material to a highly unsatisfying conclusion.
The final few tracks are more reflective. This Is My Choice and Passage of Time are both fairly quiet pieces, with both restating the main theme a few times. Both are enjoyably noble. Captain America and Captain America March conclude the score on a highly enthusiastic note.
The Alan Menken piece Star-Spangled Man is an enjoyable, hilarious piece that, while not entirely out of place, doesn't quite fit well either. Silvestri's score simply doesn't go well with Menken's piece. Star-Spangled Man, for all its theatrics and hilarity, doesn't go too well here. As a stand alone piece, it's pretty awesome. As a concluding track to the Captain America's score, it doesn't do too well.
The Good:
- Captain America's theme is excellent
- Action beats are remarkable
- Great return to days of old
- Captain America March
The Bad:
- Not quite as excellent as one would hope
- Too generic
- Not enough statements of the main themes in the action pieces
- Poor climax
All in all, Captain America's score is great. It's impressive. It's fast. It's huge. It's expansive, and it contains a massive amount of energy throughout. The problem with it is that it isn't quite memorable enough. There's just something in it that's lacking the charisma of one of Williams' pieces, and as a result, one simply can't fall in love with it as one would with Superman. For all its thematic grace and action-packed concluding pieces, it just doesn't measure up. By today's standards, it's a welcome respite from Zimmer's stylistic choices. However, when one considers this type of score's history, it really actually is extremely generic. Nonetheless, Silvestri's approach to the score is highly refreshing, and still manages a high rating.
Considering Common Scores Today: 9/10
Overall: 8.5/10