Inspiring score that fits the movie....
922079
Horner pens a score that backs the mood of the movie on all levels.  It soars, it battles, it cries and lifts you back up again!  Now for a theatrical plug....another review mentions the great Robert A. Heinlein and Star Ship Troopers.  Watching Avatar gives me hope that someone (come on James!) can set things right and take that book to the screen properly!  The book is legend for those who grew up on Heinlein's writtings.... and now I have seen proof that it can be given a proper place on the screen, and we can then trash every copy of that horrible theatrical abortion that shares its name.  Any takers out there in Hollywood?
2310955
You will enjoy this piece of music much more, I believe if you have seen the movie. It is just an uplifting piece. Something you'll hum for sure. l
LOVED IT!!!!
1439881
Let's face it ... Jerry Goldsmith's shadow -- along with James Horner's -- loom rather large when it comes to the music of the "Star Trek" movie universe, and has, in large part, defined the movie franchise for well over two decades. Having said that, I knew Michael Giacchino would have his work cut out for him when he was chosen by J.J. Abrams to assist him in his reboot of the Star Trek film franchise, especially considering the rather eclectic collection of film scores he's done in recent years, from "MI:3" to "The Incredibles".

Has he done a good job of redefining the music of the "Star Trek" feature film universe?

My answer is ... yes, he has.

Although Giacchino's score does have a tendancy to lean toward being a bit bombastic at times (see "Nero Sighted", and "Nailin' The Kelvin"), I really can't complain too much, because this is STAR TREK, and a bit of bombast is only natural when you're dealing with an epic adventure such as this.  Another thing which impressed me is how skillfully Mr. Giacchino gave an interesting update -- incorporating his own original musical theme -- to Alexander Courage's "Star Trek" theme, which is used very effectively during the "End Credits", and I have to admit that the opening title theme ("Star Trek") had me from the first notes sounded by a solemn trumpet, accompanied by what sounded like some well-orchestrated electronic strings.

At 45 minutes long, some will complain that there wasn't more of the music which was actually heard in the film included on the album, but this particular soundtrack gives me hope that when the inevitable "Star Trek" sequel comes along that Mr. Giacchino will compose a more dazzling orchestral score.

While Michael Giacchino ain't Jerry Goldsmith (and perhaps the comparison between the two composers may be a wee bit unfair), his orchestral score for the rebooted "Star Trek" is pretty good listening, ably capturing the thrill of a great adventure beyond the stars.
3880437
And I mean that in a good way.  Though the movie wasn't as great as the book, the score is its own entity that deserves praise.  It's truly a beautiful, almost "gentle" score, with it's varios tones, melodies, and stringed instruments to make it feel very fantastical.  This is pretty much why it quickly became my favorite bit of sound to listen to before I fall asleep.  If memory serves, the tracks play in the order you hear from the movie, which is always appreciated. There's such a lush variety of soothing beats in this score, it's hard to really pick a favorite track, as they all offer their own type of beauty.

Each track is its own reward to listen to, but I'm partial to "Outer Space, Soul Inside, Into the Cave, Soul Outside, Sun Inside, Dying Soul, and Goodbye Wanderer."

Put simply, if you like subtle tones for your score, this one's for you.
555552
Let me start out by saying this: the score for TTT is hardly a carbon copy of Fellowship, no matter what you may read elsewhere!  There are a few passages that seem lifted from the previous movie's score, yes, and Shore does recycle a few themes (of course!  It's a sequal - what did you expect!?)  However, Shore adds much more new material than he recycles, including the excellent Rohan theme that forms the centerpiece of this soundtrack (whereas the fellowship fanfare from the last movie makes appearences, but is largely pushed to the side).
That said, I found it harder to get into this score than I did the last one.  A lot of the cues are underdeveloped, and leave you wanting much more when they segue into other parts of the score.  They cues aren't quite in line with where they fit into the movie, either.  For example, "The White Rider" is not taken from one part of the movie, but is instead an amaglam of various cues relating to Gandalf the White.  Other tracks appear to be concert peices rather than the versions from the movie.  However, they are arranged well on the disk, and still make for an enjoyable listen.
The good far outweighs the bad here, though.  As I mentioned before, the new Rohan theme is perfect!  The choral passages are possibly even more inspired than the ones in Fellowship (just listen to Foundations of Stone!), and the emotional sections are even more poignant.  Though Enya's voice is absent from the soundtrack, she is more than made up for be the plethora of other excellent soloists, Including Emiliana Torrini who sings Gollum's Song.  No, it ain't perfect, and May it Be was better.  The lyrics are contrived at times, and she sounds a bit too raspy at times.  Others have compared it to a Bond theme song, and I would say the comparison is accurate (though i enjoyed the homage more than most did!)  However, she has the perfect voice to portray Gollum's inner struggle, and as much as I am disappointed by the excecution of Gollum's Song, I must say that the concept is spot on - a darker theme for a darker movie.
Last, but not least, I've heard many complain that the trailer theme isn't on the soundtrack because it's recycled from Requiem for a Dream.  That happens to be a common hollywood practice, actually, and no - if the theme is recycled, of course it's not gonna be on the soundtrack!  If you want it, it's called "Requiem for the Rings" and should be easy to find on a file sharing service near you!
Overall, though this didn't strike me as quite as well thought out as the Fellowship score (holds true for the movies, too!), it still makes for an excellent listen.  Recommended!
1978288
A haunting and beautiful score from a composer with some interesting ideas.  Seeing it within the film was also an experience.  This is one of the most muted, yet dramatic scores in a film this year.  It definitely deserves an Oscar nod.

Lovely orchestration and beautifully played, particularly the harp solos. The last track is one of the album's highlights.

The second disc is worth listening to for the film's source cues.  Some fun stuff, but nothing earth-shattering.  I give it four our five for this reason.  It would have been more interesting to put more of Alexandre Desplat's score on the second disc!
1430524
Anyone who loves the movie will enjoy this delightful soundtrack.  The music is such an integral part of the film, each scene comes to life as you listen... I particularly love the song by the boys choir, and the skating music.  I've listened to it several times already and enjoy it more each time.  :)
1274167
The music on this soundtrack is brilliant.  It's uplifting and inspirational.  Alicia Keys shines on this, and her voice is stunning.  If the movie is as good as this soundtrack then it's going to be a major hit.  There is something for everyone here with a solid r'n b feel and a little fast and a little slow.  This is a great soundtrack and I can't wait to see the movie.
3312109
This is definitely one of the best movies I have ever seen and part of the reason is the musical score. I am so glad I purchased this soundtrack because now when I don't have the time to sit down and watch the movie I can still listen to the soundtrack!
3260207
I love the music on this soundtrack.  Hans Zimmer's musical compositions fit the movie perfectly. My favorite track is "Hero".  It is very exuberant and uplifting.  I also love the beat of the drums on the  track "Let The Tournament Begin".  "Oogway Ascends" has such a peaceful tone to it.  "Tai Lung Escapes" is another favorite track.  This track conveys  danger and excitement at the same time.  I love the sound of the track "The Bridge".  This track conveys  intensity in a very exciting part of the movie.  "Panda Po" is a track  with a good asian feel to it.  This track celebrates the hero of the movie.  I love the flute, drums and guitar  I love Cee Lo Green's version of "Kung Fu Fighting".  This is such a fun song.  I love the music on this soundtrack very much.
1200515
Well, I was advised after buying this one, that there was already a complete album with all the music from the film, but come on! They made us buy this selection before and I wouldn't buy the other after buying this one since I don't consider mine not so bad at all.
John Williams returns after all those years without Star Wars, and returns very well. Spite the major disppointement towards the mov, the score brings us back to the old memories, with a true gem-- "Duel of Fates" the most powerful music for a combat scene.
Other nice tracks-
A full rendition of a moving "Anakin's Theme" which some parts appear later.
Spite no one like Jar Jar, he has joyful and playful cue that appear in #4 and #7. This one also includes a magnificent march for the Pod race.
Good action tracks-#5,#12,#14(excellent cue for the droids) and #15(with the NOOO!)
The soundtrack has a lot of calm/mysterious tracks in the middle, thing that many tend to despise. Well I think they're very nice, and sometimes they have a spooky effect (10 and that beginning of #13)
Someone has already said an important thing, is that the score doesn't end with big notes at the end credits track, instead it drags to calm and peaceful notes. I found it quite original.
Overall, this soundtrack is a must, but if you haven't yet any from PHANTOM, buy instead the complete soundtrack. I have already heard it and it worths to pay a few more dollars.
3876012
This is easily one of the best scores John Williams ever did. He sets the perfect tone of this film with the music he has created for this film. I will give my personal opinion about each song in this soundtrack:
1. Theme from Schindler's List (5/5 stars)  An amazing main theme (Something John Williams is good at creating)
2. Jewish Town (Krakow Ghetto-Winter '41) (4/5) Pretty good song, but not the best one. Has the same tune as Schindler's Workforce but on the violin (which sounds great)
3. Immolation (With Our Lives, We Give Life) (5/5) Chilling song from that scene. Best part for me is when the main theme is played on the flute (Don't know the exact name of that type of flute
4. Remembrances (5/5) Almost as good as the main theme itself. This is possibly the secondary theme
5. Schindler's Workforce (5/5 stars) My favorite song out of the entire soundtrack besides the main theme. First minute and a half of this song is the main theme but then it changes up to be like a completely different song which is my favorite part.
6. Oyf'n Pripetshok And Nact Aktion (4/5) First minute of this song is in Yiddish then the rest is instrumental
7. I Could Have Done More (5/5) Amazing song for an amazing scene
8. Auschwitz-Birkenau (4/5) Haunting music but appropriate for that scene
9. Stolen Memories (5/5) A great song. Half way through the song the main theme is played on the harp (I think it's a harp)
10. Making the List (5/5)
11. Give Me Your Names (5/5) Pretty good song. Secondary theme plays throughout
12. Yerushalaim Shel Zahav (Jerusalem of Gold) (5/5) I liked this song more than I thought I would. Pretty catchy
13. Remembrances (with Itzhak Perlman) (4/5) My least favorite song out of the entire soundtrack just because I prefer the other version better
14. Theme from Schindler's List (Reprise) (5/5) Love how the main theme sounds on the piano. Very beautiful

All in all this is a wonderful soundtrack and I highly recommend this to any fan of John Williams
3209243
This soundtrack deserves to be crowned one of the greatest musical achievements of the decade. The score flows perfectly from piece to piece, exactly mirroring the movie's visuals, from the soaring epic score of "Test Drive", to the playfulness of "Forbidden Friendship" and "See You Tomorrow", to the beautiful love song "Romantic Flight". The music fits so perfectly into the movie that I can't help watching it in  my mind as I hear the songs.
948141
I purchased this after seeing the movie and felt the songs were inspiring. I find them moving and the soundtrack is great. I believe Bon Iver has a song in the movie which is not on this sound track, which was disappointing. The would have made if more complete fro my. Still, buy the sound track and you'll feel like the way they did in the movie, young, , spirited, scared, curious and entertained by the music of their lives.
4886017
I recently saw "The Giver" in the theater and I really enjoyed the orchestral score that is featured prominently in the movie, so I made a mental note to myself to check this out. While looking into it, I found out that there are actually two different soundtracks for this movie: there is the orchestral score for the movie, composed by veteran (and prolific) American composer Marco Beltrami, and then there is this, a collection of songs from, but mostly simply inspired by, "The Giver".

"The Giver: Music Collection" (10 tracks; 41 min.) starts with the one and only song that actually plays in the movie, namely OneRepublic's "Ordinary Human". It plays over the movie's end titles, but here is featured upfront (for obvious reasons). So to be clear: the other nine songs on this collection are not heard in the movie. There are some good moments on here: OneRepublic contributes a second song, "I Lived", from their "Native" album), which closes this collection. In between we get a varied musical smorgasbord. I really like Capital Cities' "One Minute More", from their strong debut album In A Tidal Wave Of Mystery, but this very same song is also featured on the "Iron Man 3" music collection. Tori Kelly brings a new song, the beautiful ballad "Silent". I like Bruno Major's acoustic song "Children". Didn't know of him before this and I'm going to check out more of his stuff. Another new one for me is Sheppard, contributing the gospel-tinted "Shine My Way". NeedToBreathe's "Difference Maker" (from their recent "Rivers in the Wasteland" album) is quite good as well. Bottom line: there is some great music on this collection. I just don't know what it has to do with "The Giver" movie.

As to the movie itself: movie studios are desperately looking for the next "Twilight" or "Hunger Games" franchise, and the Weinstein brothers think they have found it with "The Giver". While certainly not a bad movie, unfortunately neither is it in the league of either Twilight or Hunger Games. For that, "The Giver" feels too rushed, in particular towards the end, when things are resolved way too easily. Still, it was worth checking out.
1568074
Before I begin, I must mention that Williams did incorporate some Classical Music from other composers into this score.
He did use the 1st movement of Franz Schubert's very famous "Unfinished Symphony" as the backdrop for the moments when Tom Cruise's character was in the "Pre-Crime computer".  That is, where he sees the flashes of images and tries to put them together with his hands from the Pre-Cogs' inputs as if playing the Theremin.
Williams also used some slow movements from a Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky symphony and snatches of another Romantic era composer I can't recall at this moment - perhaps Robert Schumann.
All that aside, Williams has served his craft well again with a marvelous and evocative score.  Williams is maturing finally and has demonstrated that he will not be a servant to "Sound-bite Tunes" or "Signature Tunes" to each movie - merely to add cohesion as in the symphonic fabric of a full-length classical work.  These are simply not always necessary.
The best music, it has been said before, it that which you do not hear while you are watching a movie.
Perhaps Williams has finally taken note and just scored the movie as it should be....a collection of actions and feelings..and not just Top 40 hits bundled up into an orchestral framework.
Bravo John!
3797075
Coming with a synopsis of the plot of the film this CD evokes images of beauty, romance and life itself and the array of tunes bubbles out of your stereo. Having fallen in love with the film the first time I saw it and having also started trying to explore the world of acoustic guitar - which features prominently in the film and on this disc - it was a given that I'd eventually score myself a copy of this aural accompaniment to the Woody Allen flick.

Those of you who have watched the film a number of times will rejoice in being able to recognise what scenes the various songs came from and if you enjoy the tunes here, well, you are in luck as full credits have been given as to the song titles and performers so you can use this CD as a springboard to further exploration of this style of music.

Really the only tune here that doesn't work for my mind is the lead cut Barcelona which for me is a touch too twee to survive on it's own outside the context of the movies opening scenes. But that is a minor quibble and is more than made up for given the useful liner notes and overall feelings evoked by the other numbers.

For heavens sake stop reading this review and buy the album!