A.I - Score by John Williams (1 Viewer)

[Dan Brecher]

Anyone else picked up the CD yet? The film is not set to open here until September 21st, but never one to resist buying a John Williams score prior to seeing the movie I went and grabbed it this morning.
I've got to say I am somewhat in awe of this, it is both beautifuly simple and extrodinarily complex at the same time and I don't think I've been so impressed with a Williams score in a long time.
It seems to me to have a feel of ETs sentimentality without being overly slushy in any way and alongside this it becomes rather dark here and there, often sinister. Incredibly haunting music (partly in thanks to the enchanting Barbara Bonney vocals), it is perhaps far from what Kubrick would have ever gone with had he have made A.I, but another typical superb candidate showing how great the Spielberg/Williams colaboration truly is.
13 tracks, two of which are the song 'For Always' in solo and duet form (Lara Fabian performing, then again with Josh Groban respectively). Nice Artwork for the disc, nice box with short and sweet Spielberg liner notes.
Warner Sunset/Warner Records
9362-48096-2
Choice cues:
07) The Moon Rising
11) The Search for the Blue Fairy
Overall:

/

I am truly in love with this music,
Dan (UK)
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[MichaelPe]

It's too bad that A.I. won't be playing there until September, but the score works beautifully with the film. Hearing techno music in a John Williams score was surprising at first, but I really like it.
Lara Fabian is starting to get a lot of exposure lately: first A.I., now Final Fantasy. I bought her first English album a couple of years ago, and I thought to myself: she's going to be the next Celine Dion. "For Always" is a beautiful track, and Lara is the perfect voice for this song. Josh Groban (from a memorable Ally McBeal episode) singing with her in the duet version also has a lot of potential.
My favorite tracks are #7, #11, #12, and "For Always". Apparently, this soundtrack will be available on DVD-Audio later this year, so this may be the perfect reason to upgrade my system.

 

[Dan Brecher]

Yes, there is a DVD-A version coming from Warner, that's going to sound incredible I am sure, but alas, no such system within my HT. Another incredible cue I have to say, more haunting Bonney vocals and sweeping strings, is track 8 from about the 7:30 minute onward. Beautiful, it really is, incredibly moving.
'For Always' is certainly not what I expected, I like the solo version more kind of feeling the duet is more 'disney movie end titles' like, but the song I like the more I hear it.
Dan (UK)
PS: Yes, I had heard the 'Moon Rising' cue a little while ago before the CD actually came out, totally taken aback upon first hearing that burst of techno, but it works in the scores favour, the images I have in my mind listening to this, epic cityscapes towering over the waters and so on. Loving it.
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