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Appreciating an underrated gem - Don Davis' JURASSIC PARK 3

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Author	Topic: Appreciating an underrated gem - Don Davis' JURASSIC PARK 3

nuts_score Standard Userer	Something I've noticed over the past couple of months is a surge of increased interest in the works of Don Davis on many of the forums I occasionally visit. When discussions enter into the territory of scores for trilogies, many members usually reminisce on Williams' Star Wars or Shore's LotR; occasionally a brave soul will bring up Don Davis' groundbreaking scores for The Matrix trilogy. True fans, if you will. For it seems that the convuluted logic of the final two films caused the entire first film to lose most of its magic; at least Davis' music stands as a testament. Going back over my own personal Davis collection - which includes all three Matrix scores, as well as Warriors of Virtue, Bound, and House on Hanuted Hill - I constantly find myself listening to a score that I feel gets very little love and/or attention: Jurassic Park III. After all, it's hard to follow up an acclaimed and remembered work by such a Maestro as John Williams; but Davis handles it in strides. He not only creates a wonderful thrilling adventure score, but also a worthy step-up for the precedent set in Williams' first two scores. Using the basis of Williams' "Isla Nublar" theme (considered the primary JP theme, it's the most identifable) Davis weaves a very dark orchestration and arrangement. Not unlike his Matrix scores. At the time (2001), I'm sure that it felt that Davis was just stepping into John Williams' footsteps rather than creating his own, and the amount of material that's presented on the Decca album release can suggest that. Upon a re-watching of the film I was surprised by how little of Davis' original material made it on there as opposed to the standard (albeit well-orchestrated Williams' themes). "Tree People" contains one of the only new themes that Davis composed for the series (including a great deal of the action and suspense cues). It's a soft melody, as mentioned in James review that's accessed on the score's MM.com page, and it's a welcome reminder to Davis' softer side (seen most prominently in Warriors of Virtue, another underappreciated gem). The action music is another great prospect of this score, it's as bombastic and kinetic as one would expect from Davis; yet it boasts a strong level of adventure that I never got out of Williams' scores. In both Jurassic Park and The Lost World I'm constantly reminded of the ominous island themes that Williams created - especially the Holst-inspired theme for Isla Sorna (The Lost World) - but I can hardly ever recall much of the action cues from Williams' efforts. That said, a grand cue like "Billy Oblivion" stays with me for quite a while and provides very heart-pounding material. The orchestra that exists in Jurassic Park III feels massive, like the weight of a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex; like a Jurassic Park score should feel. The choir that accompanines such a large orchestra must also accomplish a feeling of mencace, and Davis doesn't stray from it. "Bone Man Ben" contains amazing rythmic action writing that really must be heard to be appreciated. Many of the softer moments of the album (which are unfortunately few) contain Williams' more melodic and softer JP themes; a stand-out being "Brachiosaurus on the Bank. But again, we run into the problem of Davis having to rely upon John Williams; after all, Joe Johnston directed Jurassic Park III and with Spielberg serving as a producer I'm sure the finger on the temp track was a heavy one. One could only imagine the possiblities that Don Davis could've done given he had more time and more freedom (many of the tracks I've mentioned can be given as solid evidence, especially "Billy Oblivion" and "Bone Man Ben"). Hopefully, some day, we can also look forward to an expanded release (or perhaps a complete promo ) of Davis' magnificent score. It would definitely take a firm spot in my collection. Does anyone else still listen to this? NP> Davis' Jurassic Park III (***/***) [Message edited by nuts_score on 04-04-2007]
posted 04-04-2007 10:19 PM PT (US)

Jeron Standard Userer	Holy crap!!! Paragraphs, please?! I have an expanded version of this score. I don't know why or remember how I ended up with it, though. Weirdness. [Message edited by Jeron on 04-04-2007]
posted 04-04-2007 10:53 PM PT (US)

TimT Standard Userer	It wasn't as good as Williams originals, but it has its moments. Tracks 8 and 9 my favorite tracks of the score. I wish something could be done about the muffled recording though. [Message edited by TimT on 04-04-2007]
posted 04-04-2007 11:09 PM PT (US)

Al Standard Userer	I think I recall "The Hunt" being a pretty fantastic action track from The Lost World.
posted 04-05-2007 12:41 AM PT (US)

nuts_score Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by Jeron: Holy crap!!! Paragraphs, please?! And I didn't include pictures, either. How's the expanded release?
posted 04-05-2007 12:44 AM PT (US)

nuts_score Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by Al: I think I recall "The Hunt" being a pretty fantastic action track from The Lost World. It's a good one. Not "Billy Oblivion"-good, but it stands as some of the better action material that Williams wrote for Spielberg's dinosaur flicks.
posted 04-05-2007 12:46 AM PT (US)

Southall Standard Userer	I really liked this score. It's a pity that Davis had the constraint of having to work around Williams's themes (the irony being that if Williams himself had scored the movie, the themes would probably have been heard for only the briefest amount of time) but even given that, he delivered the goods. It's not as satisfying as his finest work (ie The Matrix scores, which are a phenomenal achievement, not given nearly enough credit) but is still very impressive. And I might just listen to this one, now.
posted 04-05-2007 01:44 AM PT (US)

Mark Olivarez Standard Userer	Davis did a good job scoring the film. The only gripes I have are with some of his arrangements of Williams' themes. I agree with Southall that if Williams had scored it we wouldn't be constantly bombarded with the JP theme. And I find the family theme that Davis wrote to be a bit cheesy. The action music is top notch though. If you happened to stumble across the "promo" I'd say you wouldn't be disappointed.
posted 04-05-2007 08:41 AM PT (US)

gkgyver Standard Userer	I don't really recall any standout moments from Jurassic Park 3, but I have to admit that it's been ages since the last time I listened to it. My fragmented memories only include "Brachiosaurus On The Bank", and I know I thought that it seriously lacked a more subtle performance. Plus, the choir somehow doesn't sit well. I'm a huge fan of it when included properly, but often I think the choir is only there to signify "I'm a better score than my predecessors", when the rest fails at doing that.
posted 04-05-2007 08:48 AM PT (US)

rkeaveney Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by gkgyver: Plus, the choir somehow doesn't sit well. I'm a huge fan of it when included properly, but often I think the choir is only there to signify "I'm a better score than my predecessors", when the rest fails at doing that. That's unfair because JURASSIC PARK also had a choir and what was IT trying to sound better than? Haha. Ryan
posted 04-05-2007 10:47 AM PT (US)

gkgyver Standard Userer	Yes, yes, but don't you think the choir is nowadays used far too often to hammer the message "power!" into the brains of the listener?
posted 04-05-2007 11:49 AM PT (US)

nuts_score Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by gkgyver: Yes, yes, but don't you think the choir is nowadays used far too often to hammer the message "power!" into the brains of the listener? Definitely in John Powell's X-Men 3; but I've always felt that Davis has had a unique gift working with choir. Take The Matrix Revolutions for example: the cue "Neodammerung" requires a massive effort by the choir, but the orchestra never feels weighed down by the tremendous amount of vocal work. It's a fairly simple contrast, and Davis handles it well. Same with JPIII. I never feel exhausted by the choir like I do in efforts like X-Men 3, or, to lesser extent, Silvestri's Van Helsing (though I do quite enjoy this score). And, after all, it's a score in relation to a Hollywood big budget epic starring DINOSAURS! It seems that a choir was created for just a thing. Powell could've pulled off X-Men 3 without a choir and I'm sure it would have garnered more fans. It did seem portentious.
posted 04-05-2007 02:07 PM PT (US)

BigT1981 Standard Userer	Awesome thread nuts_score! I love Don Davis' work for The Matrix Trilogy (love the movies too!) and Jurassic Park III's score. It's such a shame that members from another board slam JP III's music down so much. I think Don Davis did a fantastic job with it and it was Williams who recommended Davis for the job if I recall the stories I read about it. Personally I feel Don Davis doesn't get a lot of appreciation from film score fans. I mean yes there are those like you and I who like his music but it's kind of far and few in between... By the way nuts_score what's your email address? [Message edited by BigT1981 on 04-05-2007]
posted 04-05-2007 04:24 PM PT (US)

Southall Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by gkgyver: Yes, yes, but don't you think the choir is nowadays used far too often to hammer the message "power!" into the brains of the listener? Yes, without question, but I don't really feel that's the case in JP3. They're not just "oohing", it's properly-written choral music which adds a different flavour.
posted 04-05-2007 05:35 PM PT (US)

NeoVoyager Standard Userer	Nuts_score, I might not let it on, but I love Davis' Matrix scores beyond most stuff in my collection. I certainly prefer it over any Star Wars installment any day, and I must admit..... I listen to it more often than the Lord of the Rings, too. So, even though I did start that LotR vs. Star Wars thread and kept the discussion off the Matrix scores, I have a tremendous respect for them. That said, YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ME BUY ANOTHER CD! Gosh...... I'm going to have to wean myself from the internet; my CD purchases have been reaching a truly alarming rate of late! At least it's available from iTunes. Actually, are there any liner notes of importance (like composer commentary) in the physical disc? Maybe I'll search out the CD if that's the case.
posted 04-05-2007 06:56 PM PT (US)

nuts_score Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by NeoVoyager: That said, YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ME BUY ANOTHER CD! Gosh...... I'm going to have to wean myself from the internet; my CD purchases have been reaching a truly alarming rate of late! At least it's available from iTunes. Actually, are there any liner notes of importance (like composer commentary) in the physical disc? Maybe I'll search out the CD if that's the case. The disc has been OOP for a short time; I managed to nab it at a used store for around seven bucks (good steal if you ask me). The disc is sans liner notes so if iTunes has it for around $9.99-$13.99, I say go for it.
posted 04-05-2007 08:08 PM PT (US)

NeoVoyager Standard Userer	quote: The disc has been OOP for a short time; I managed to nab it at a used store for around seven bucks (good steal if you ask me). The disc is sans liner notes so if iTunes has it for around $9.99-$13.99, I say go for it. Yes, it's available for $9.99. I'll go for it soon. On another note, I went to Don Davis' website after it was mentioned here......... it's really great to see an artist that isn't afraid of posting decent length samplings of his music! It's a pity that more of them don't realize that all this does (in my opinion) is generate more interest in their work. Marco Beltrami does this too. I downloaded a bunch of his Hellboy score, and now it's on my "to purchase" list.
posted 04-05-2007 09:42 PM PT (US)

nuts_score Standard Userer	Hellboy is Beltrami's best score . . . you should be ashamed for not owning it. [Spank]
posted 04-06-2007 12:17 AM PT (US)

sean Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by rkeaveney: That's unfair because JURASSIC PARK also had a choir and what was IT trying to sound better than? Haha. Ryan Hans Zimmer's Backdraft music in the trailer.
posted 04-06-2007 01:27 AM PT (US)

Ken S Standard Userer	A nostalgic look back at the year 2001 when I found the best movie music discussion forum in the net: quote: Ken S wrote: I finally saw JURASSIC PARK III and, in fact, I was positively surprised because the movie was indeed better - more gribbing, more violent - than the disastrous kiddie-cutie LOST WORLD: JP II ( - although I don't have anything against kiddies and cuties generally speaking). Yet one thing really bugged me. In fact, the same thing bugged me already on LOST WORLD - the use of John Williams' original JP themes. Because the both themes were associated WITH THE "THEME PARK", I didn't see any reason for Williams incorporating them into LOST WORLD's score - well, except on the end credits for "commercial purpose". In JP III the Williams-themes are again used just because of the "commercial purpose", not because of the content of the movie. Yes, I understand that this movie is a sequel and they want the familiar themes back - BUT in my opinion the movie would have worked musically much more better, if the Williams-themes were dropped off and replaced by Don Davis' originals - in JP III there is even lesser need for the "theme park" themes than in LOST WORLD. With his beautiful cues Don Davis shows that he could have composed his own imaginative main themes for Isla Sorna and its inhabitants. Am I alone here, or is there others who feel this way? After more than five years, apparently I'm NOT alone with those thoughts anymore. Look at the entire thread here: http://www.moviemusic.com/mb/Forum1/HTML/006852.html KEN
posted 04-17-2007 02:08 PM PT (US)

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