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LAND OF THE LOST
Madcap comedy adventure score irritates more than it entertains
 A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

Music composed by
MICHAEL GIACCHINO

Rating
* * 1/2



Performed by
THE HOLLYWOOD STUDIO SYMPHONY
conducted by
TIM SIMONEC

Orchestration
TIM SIMONEC
MICHAEL GIACCHINO
JACK J. HAYES
LARRY KENTON
CHAD SEITER
ANDREA DATZMAN
PETER BOYER
BRAD DECHTER
MARK GASBARRO
CAMERON PATRICK

Engineered by
DAN WALLIN
Music Editor
STEPHEN M. DAVIS
JOE E. RAND
ALEX LEVY
Produced by
MICHAEL GIACCHINO

Album running time
60:54

Released by
VARESE SARABANDE
Catalog number
302 066 975 2

Album cover copyright (c) 2009 Universal Studios; review copyright (c) 2009 James Southall.

A scientist and his assistant are thrown back in time to a world of dinosaurs and fantasy creatures in Land of the Lost, the latest movie from Brad Siberling, who made the Lemony Snicket film.  It's a comedy (well, allegedly) with Will Ferrell and Anna Friel; and it's safe to say it didn't set either critics or the box office on fire.  It's the second time in as many years that Michael Giacchino has scored a movie remake of a tv series I've never heard of (last year's was Speed Racer); in between, he scored a movie version of a tv series I have heard of, along with two other movies, two video games and two tv series.  Does the guy sleep?

This is one of those scores that quite legitimately attempts only to serve its film - not its album.  Comedy films often have scores like that, and this one flits between all sorts of different ideas - crashing adventure music (think of the monster stuff from Lost), banjo-led suspense music (yes, really) - everything but the kitchen sink, in truth.  If you're in the right mood, it can be very entertaining; if not, very irritating.  It must be very difficult to write this kind of busy, chameleonic music (perhaps why there are so many orchestrators listed).

In the film it doesn't really matter than all the different styles don't fit together that well; it's a bigger problem on the album, where the sudden shifts in tone are rather jarring.  And I shall make my predictable comment, which is that at 60 minutes (and it feels much longer) the album just goes on too long.  That's no real surprise - the art of producing a good soundtrack album seems to have deserted most people about a decade ago - hopefully some day someone will take the bold step of not just putting every single note on the album.  This is, as I said, entertaining if you're in the right mood for a madcap score such as this; but very difficult to sit through if you're not.

Tracks

  1. Swamp and Circumstance (1:25)
  2. The Lighter Side of Archaeology (1:03)
  3. Food Coma for Thought (1:01)
  4. A Routine Expedition (:48)
  5. The Greatest Earthquake Ever Known (3:12)
  6. Matt Lauer Can Suck It (1:22)
  7. Chaka Chasedown (:43)
  8. The Ones that Got Away (4:17)
  9. Enik Calls for Marshall (1:16)
  10. Sleestak Attack (2:01)
  11. Enik the Altrusian (3:20)
  12. The Cosmic Lost and Found (1:34)
  13. When Piss on your Head is a Bad Idea (3:54)
  14. A New Marshall in Town (1:37)
  15. Pterodactyl Ptemper Ptantrum (:42)
  16. The Crystal Cave (1:43)
  17. In Search of... Holly (1:34)
  18. Undercover Sleestak (2:18)
  19. Never Trust a Dude in a Tunic (4:17)
  20. If You Don't Make It, It's Your Own Damn Fault (2:40)
  21. Holly Mad as Sin (:50)
  22. Sleestak Showdown (:53)
  23. Stakbusters (2:33)
  24. FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT (1:27)
  25. Crystal Clear (2:31)
  26. Mystery Cave Reunion (1:22)
  27. Ready and Will (1:36)
  28. End Credits Can Suck It! (3:26)
  29. Pop Goes the Sleestak (:16)
  30. A Routine Expedition (alternate) (:50)
  31. The Devil's Canyon Mystery Cave (alternate) (2:04)
  32. Crystal Clear (alternate) (2:19)
    33.