Michael Giacchino: His Music
From 'Medal of Honor' to 'Lost' to 'Ratatouille': Star Composer
Jul 1, 2008
Michael Giacchino has been storming his way into film score buffs’ collections over the last decade with his numerous videogame, television and film scores, and his recent score for the Pixar film ‘Ratatouille’ has been recognized by the Academy Awards with a nomination for 2007’s ‘Best Original Score.’ He is rapidly becoming a much sought-after composer in Hollywood and his music never fails to entertain. Here is a quick list of some of his most engaging and popular scores to date.
Medal of Honor
This score to the 1999 videogame is heavily layered with orchestral techniques often heard in works by film composer John Williams. Intelligent themes are developed for both the game’s main character and the Nazis, while solid action scoring punctuates the album regularly. The action is furious and the recording is expansive and bombastic. It’s the best John Williams score that John Williams never wrote.
The Incredibles
This score to Brad Bird’s Pixar film put Giacchino in the public spotlight with his beefy, slick Bond-style score. This music is extremely in-your-face and many might even find it irritating, but it’s exceptionally well written and recorded, with all the musicians present for each take. It’s a grand, exhilarating ride, well worth an investigation if you’ve never heard it.
Medal of Honor: Frontline
His third contribution to the famed videogame series, this is perhaps the best score in the franchise thus far. By the time he composed this thrilling, touching score, Giacchino’s musical voice was gaining a recognizable uniqueness, and it blossoms in this work, one of epic and highly entertaining proportions.
Lost
Eclectic, chilling and wide-ranging in emotion, Giacchino’s scores for JJ Abrams’ television smash hit are as good as it gets for modern TV. These albums also showcase Giacchino’s talent for witty track titles, such as ‘Shannonigans’ and ‘Thinking Clairely.’
Mission: Impossible III
JJ Abrams brought Giacchino along for the ride when he signed to direct the latest Tom Cruise escapist thriller. The score is the best of the series, using not only retro scoring techniques from the 70s and a host of themes from the original TV show, but also an intelligent system of orchestration which honors the spirit of the original productions and gives the action on screen an extraordinarily organic, natural feel. The thrills are mad and many here. Highly recommended!
Ratatouille
This movie reunited Giacchino with director Brad Bird, with whom he collaborated on the very popular ‘The Incredibles.’ ‘Ratatouille’ is extremely Parisian in flavor, with zesty accordions and harmonicas adding an upbeat, exotic flair to an already very strong score. A plethora of well-developed themes are introduced and expanded during the runtime, a rarity for modern scores, as is the fully orchestral, zero-electronics nature of the recording. Would that more scores were made like this.
Roar! A Cloverfield Overture
Another project by JJ Abrams which involved Michael Giacchino, ‘Cloverfield’ featured no score during the body of the film. But Abrams had Giacchino compose a lengthy piece for the end credits sequence, and the result is ‘Roar!’, a 12-minute suite consisting of throaty brass punches, thudding percussion and a wailing soprano. The piece is an obvious homage to the famously corny monster scores of yesteryear, and it is delightful fun. A welcome surprise for film score fans!
Speed Racer
The Wachowski Brothers, famous for their productions of the ‘Matrix Trilogy’ and ‘V for Vendetta,’ made a surprising move when they hired Giacchino for their live-action adaptation of ‘Speed Racer,’ a popular anime cartoon. Giacchino mixes high-adrenaline pacing and retro orchestration with statement of the original cartoon theme to create an extremely active, pumping score. It’s certainly one of his most energetic scores to date, and it will certainly please action music fans, as well as fans of the original series. His music is loyal, thrilling, and very enjoyable.
Upcoming Projects
Michael Giacchino has been assigned to write the score for the upcoming JJ Abrams film, ‘Star Trek,’ premiering in May 2009. He is also slated to score Brad Silberling's ‘Land of the Lost’ as well as the documentary ‘Earth Days,’ directed by Robert Stone.
This is an age where genuine ingenuity and depth is overlooked regarding film music, and composers such as Michael Giacchino are to be congratulated for their consistent output of excellent, multi-dimensional music. Look forward to his new works and enjoy those he has already composed: he is an artist of the highest order and his work is not to be missed.
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