“Gojira” Review
January 29, 2013
“Super Monster Gamera” Review
January 29, 2013
Composer:
Riichiro Manabe
Running Time:
72:35
Number of Tracks:
68
Wow! And that’s not a “wow” of disappointment or of feeling like I banged my head against a desk for ten minutes, it’s a “wow” of “I can’t believe how much I enjoyed this!”
Let’s face it, Maestro Manabe’s two Godzilla scores (Godzilla Vs. Hedorah & Godzilla Vs. Megalon) are not really a favorite amongst most fans. Sure, some fans may pick out a track or two they enjoy, but, for the most part, these scores are shunned.
So let’s get into this score review and find out why I enjoyed this particular outing by Manabe!
Track Length: Many Godzilla scores, if you aren’t too familiar with them, tend to have fairly short track times. Sure, there are exceptions to this here and there, and many of the movies, starting with the Heisei era, tended to have longer cues.
But many tracks in the Showa era tend to run quite a bit shorter. Godzilla Vs. Megalon is no exception. I would guess the average track length is about a minute and a half, with a handful of the 68 tracks running an extra minute or two over that average. Heck, and I kid you not, there are three tracks that last no more than 2-3 seconds. Seriously. They are quick buzzing/whirling sounds that were used as transitions in the film.
Some of the longer tracks include the “Main Title,” “Underwater Kingdom” (and it’s many variations later in the disc), and “Godzilla & Jet Jaguar Punch-Punch” (and it’s variations on the disc as well).
Don’t expect too much in length on here. In some cases, that can be good, although I did find myself on a few occasions wishing some of the tracks were extended a bit.
Depending on whether you like short tracks or not depends on how high of a score you can give this. For me, it depends on the situation. Here, I was surprised that I enjoyed as much of the music as I did, but also found, for the most part, the track lengths to be just right. This particular score will get a nice score as a result…
Repetitiveness: Some Godzilla scores are known for their repetitive tunes and motifs Depending on the frequency, I can tolerate a fair amount of repetitiveness…unless much, or all, of an entire tune is repeated throughout (Destroy All Monsters easily comes to mind). And, to be honest, particular tunes/motifs do need to be repetitive in scores, because they help set the tone of the film and help the audience identify that sound with particular characters and a particular film.
With Godzilla Vs. Megalon, outside of the extra tracks on this disc, motifs tend to see the repetitiveness. The repetition isn’t so much to the point where it’s annoying either; which surprised me because, honestly, I’ve never been a fan of Manabe’s work.
Here, we get repetition with such motifs as the “Godzilla & Jet Jaguar Punch-Punch” (which works really well for the “Main Title” track) and some “bing-bing-boing” synthesizer effects that tend to anchor some of the various other tracks.
Repetition is kept to a bare minimum, but the music is so enjoyable, as well, that it doesn’t matter so much in this case.
Signature Tracks: Signature tracks can make or break a Godzilla score. If the score, or maestro, doesn’t deliver unique-sounding tracks, the likelihood of people re-listening and praising the score is extremely low.
Akira Ifukube is the definitive maestro, in the minds of many fans, in this franchise because of his production of many signature Godzilla tracks.
Manabe’s work, to say the least, is unique and is a signature staple in the Godzilla universe; but for the wrong reasons in the eyes of many fans. Fans know of his Godzilla theme, which is what he’s known for the most in the two Godzilla films he scored.
That theme returns in this score, but without the length and repetition that was heard in the Godzilla Vs. Hedorah score. I used to have mixed feeling about this theme, then hated it, now I am actually enjoying it a little. Such a theme is signature, and, of course, who can forget the awesome “Godzilla & Jet Jaguar Punch-Punch”?
His use of plucking a few strings in Godzilla’s theme make some appearances here and there, but without the frequency. Also, the subtle “bing-bing-boing” motif I mentioned above does help separate this score from Godzilla Vs. Hedorah.
While Manabe is no Ifukube (nor Masaru Sato in most cases), he has left his mark. While this score does have a couple of signature tracks, only one particular theme will be the one people will remember him the most for: “Godzilla’s Theme.”
Stand Alone Listening Experience: Outside of some of the extra tracks, which were variations of some of the actual tracks used in the film, I tended to have a very fun listening experience with this score.
Usually, with movie scores, the stand alone experience doesn’t work, because the music is so unique in how it works with the film, that it doesn’t sound right unless you have the movie in front of you. Part of the problem, too, is that the music is either too short or structured in a way that it takes away from having a wonderful stand alone listening experience.
While Godzilla Vs. Megalon isn’t completely immune, I was shocked to hear how much of this music could stand on its own and how much of it I enjoyed without watching the movie itself. If I were to make a list of all the Godzilla scores, and rate them from Best Stand Alone Experience to Least Stand Alone Experience, initially, Godzilla Vs. Megalon would be placed in the bottom five; that’s without having listened to the score.
Of course, there are some tracks that don’t work well here. Some suffer from the problems I mentioned above: too short, or structured in a way that it doesn’t work well as stand alone music. But that is kept to a minimum.
Overall: I kid you not, definitely check out this score. While the extra tracks do bring in repetition, I am not counting that as part of the overall score since those tracks never made the final product.
While Manabe’s music may not be the best in the franchise, his score for Godzilla Vs. Megalon is definitely a step up from Godzilla Vs. Hedorah. Any annoying motifs and tunes are tremendously cut down this time and Manabe has learned from his previous outing. Godzilla Vs. Megalon is a score worth checking out!
