ROTS Soundtrack, a MUST have!

[Darth McBain]

They have posted track samples at amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...samples#disc_1

[JMK]

Some of the samples are not working at the moment...


Now they seem to be there....

[Darth McBain]

Listening to the samples - I like... They're all really good and have that "Star Wars" sound we've come to know and love from John Williams. The one track labelled Padme's Ruminations sounds quite interesting - pretty creepy actually, and a bit different from what I'd expect in a SW score, but I like it and can't wait to hear the whole track... Now, hopefully Amazon will get it to me somewhat quickly after the release date...

[Darth McBain]

My copy just came in from Amazon - I'm listening to it now... Thoughts so far - I really like it. It is both quite familiar with a lot of the themes involved, but at the same time, it is rather different from a lot of the other scores. Very operatic and dramatic. There are a few tracks that are quite different from what we'd expect to hear in Star Wars, notably in Padme's Ruminations and to a lesser extent in Palpatine's Teachings.

I remember, though, when listening to the soundtrack for Episodes I and II, I had similar feelings. I remember especially when I heard Duel of the Fates for the first time, I thought it was great, but very different from what I'd expect in a SW movie. Yet, now it seems to fit so perfectly. I'm sure after listening to this new soundtrack for a while, and having seen the movie, this music too will seem like it fits right in with the rest of the soundtracks.

As usual, John Williams does it again - The Star Wars Universe wouldn't be the same without his music...

[Figrin D'an]

I'm really loving this soundtrack. It's the best of the prequels thus far, IMO. It's such a wonderful blend of the traditional Star Wars themes that we have come to know and love and new material that is, like McBain said, somewhat unexpected for a Star Wars film. My initial impression is that if the film links together the prequels and originals as well as the soundtrack music intertwines old and new, we're in for one heck of a motion picture. (I know that is an awful big "if" from the POV of many... )


My favs so far:

- opening theme and Revenge of the Sith: I absolutely love the new military march style using familar themes. It really stands out as indicitive that this is to be one of the finest hours for the Jedi, particularly for Anakin and Obi-Wan, who have reached the very height of their powers.

- Battle of the Heroes: Like Duel of the Fates from TPM and Across the Stars from AOTC, this will be the primary theme fans will come to associate with ROTS.

- Anakin vs. Obi-Wan: No more holding back, this is to be the greatest single duel in the entire saga... apprentice vs. master, Dark vs. Light, and the music accentuates this with the incorporation of the Imperial March fighting for dominance against the Battle of the Heroes theme.

- The Birth of the Twins and Padme's Destiny: Taken from the Qui-Gon's Funeral music from TPM, except moving from sad to heartbreaking.

- A New Hope and End Credits: The "A New Hope" portion of this just paints such a powerful mental image in my mind. It would seem to perfectly fit with Obi-Wan delivering an infant Luke to Owen and Beru on Tattooine, then having the Jedi walk off into the sunset, to watch and wait for this final hope for the galaxy to come of age. This alone almost makes me regret buying the soundtrack, because I know now that I'm going to be really disappointed if this scene doesn't live up to what I envision it could be. If it works though, it'll be one of the most emotional moments in the entire saga for a lot of fans, and an incredible way to have the movie come to a close.


And, if that isn't enough, the DVD that comes with the soundtrack CD is terrific. A musical tour of the Star Wars saga in about 70 minutes, filled with everyone's favorite on-screen moments.

Man... two weeks from tomorrow can't get here fast enough.

[Jedieb]

The DVD is just amazing. My son and I watched it this afternoon. He kept asking me to play the Battle of the Heroes clip over and over and over!

[Darth McBain]

I just finished listening to the soundtrack a second time and it is really growing on me - excellent music that will only get better having seen it with the film. I haven't had a chance to watch the DVD yet - hopefully I'll get to watch some of it tonight, otherwise I'll probably bring it with me to work tomorrow and sneak a few peeks at it throughout the day.

The only thing that I'm not sure about with regards to the soundtrack is the inclusion of the throne room music in the last track. To me, that seems a bit too triumphant and optimistic for Ep. III, which I envision to end rather tragically and downbeat. But hey, it's all good - that happens to be one of my favorite themes from the original movies and it is nice to hear it in this score.

[JMK]

At first I wasn't blown away with Battle of Heroes, but this soundtrack is just fantastic. Like Figrin said, the way it intertwines old familiar themes with new ones is just out of this world. Again, as Figrin said, if the images in the movie don't measure up to what the images in my head are right now that will be a tough pill to swallow. That being said, it just goes to show what a tremendous job Williams has done.

Raise your hand if you think this movie may move you to tears as the end credits roll!

[Darth McBain]

[Jedieb]

I've been spoiled rotten and what I've read and seen has broken my heart. I really feel sorry for Anakin. He ends up losing EVERYTHING he holds dear. But aside from the characters, I think I will feel the same kind of sadness when I watched the credit of ROTJ roll all those years ago.

[JMK]

I think once this movie has time to sink in, we will have no choice but to change our view of Darth Vader. I think we will see him much more as a tragic figure who was swindled, taken advantage of. He just wanted the power to make things right and his intentions were good, but Palpatine will twist him in such a way that he lost the ability to tell the good guys from the bad, and that the ends do justify the means....except he never really gets to his 'ends'. Poor guy. Palpatine just played him like a fiddle.

[Marga Alton]

Money is bad. If you have money, you'll spend it. That's what I did this weekend. I was out for lunch with some friends, and on our way home, I bought the soundtrack for EpIII Still haven't sat down to listen to it yet, but I figure I'll do so in the next couple of days. Haven't seen the bonus DVD which came with it yet either.

[Jedieb]

Don't watch it unless you want to be spoiled. The intros by Ian are pretty good, and after a few viewings they can be conviently skipped.

[Marga Alton]

I'm trying to hold off until I've seen the movie.