Hulk - OST Music By Danny Elfman label: Decca / Universal released: 06.17.03 our score: 2.5 out of 5.0

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I have two major complaints about the Hulk soundtrack. One, is the fact that Danny Elfman has been tapped too many times to score high-profile comic book film adaptations. He's been behind the music for both Batman and Spider-man, and now for Hulk as well. And it's not that scoring two superhero films is all that much, it's that their the two highest-profile superhero films in recent history - and the fact that most of Elfman's compositions tend to tread very similar musical water.

Now don't get me wrong, Elfman is a terrific composer. He's written some marvelous themes and scores, including "Beetlejuice," "Men in Black," and the simply fantastic "Nightmare Before Christmas." The problem is that, like John Williams, Elfman's music eventually starts to rehash old themes.

This isn't to say the Hulk score is bad, however. In fact, as far as scores go, it's quite good - and a slight change of pace in parts for Elfman. The addition of haunting vocals by Natacha Atlas in tracks like "Betty's Dream" give the score a bit more emotional depth. What's more, the score seems to do exactly what it's set out to, set the mood for a theme without really working all that well as a separate piece of music. "Main Title" aside, the score remains the emotional backdrop for what's going on onscreen. Quick, hard percussion hits hint at future machine gun battles, slow driving beats hint at military confrontation, soft strings bring out the more "emotional" themes.

The biggest problem with the Hulk soundtrack, however, isn't Elfman's work, but the ridiculous need to include a hard rock song from Scott Weiland, Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum, and Dave Kushner entitled "Set Me Free." Not only is the song completely out of place, it's really not all that good. Still, as any film marketer knows, you have to get all the tie-in sales you can - and this will undoubtedly sell heaps of Hulk soundtracks since this is the only place you can get the song. Nevermind the fact that it's a completely unwarranted addition to the soundtrack, likely appearing over the end titles and having really nothing to do with the movie itself.
20-Jun-2003 9:30 AM

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