No matter: the intoxicating blend of typically thunderous action music, Egyptian instrumentation, creepy horror material and heartwarming romance made for one of Goldsmith’s late-career masterpieces, one that not only threw back to his earlier classics like The Wind And The Lion but a lost, lamented golden age of film scoring in general. The Mummy (1999)Ĭomposed towards the very end of Goldsmith’s career, this richly engrossing adventure score proved the master of such things still had the magic touch, although Goldsmith himself reportedly hated working on the film. Although he sadly passed away in 2004 his formidable legacy lives on, so here are his 30 greatest works that continue to inspire the soul and get the blood pumping.
EXPLORERS 1985 MUSIC FULL
Responsible for innumerable classic works, from Chinatown to Total Recall, and a pioneer in the integration of ethnic sounds and electronic samples with a full symphony orchestra, Goldsmith stakes a strong claim to being the greatest film composer who ever lived. At first glance, Explorers may not have presented much of a surface comparison to the weird and wonderful events unfolding in Hawkins, Indiana, but thematically, both worlds share a tight kinship.Upon presenting a lifetime achievement award to famed composer Jerry Goldsmith, his equally esteemed contemporary Henry Mancini addressed the assorted Hollywood crowd, claiming “he keeps everyone honest… and frankly he scares the hell out of us.” It was a humorous observation but one laced with truth, for few film composers were as mercurial, dynamic or thrilling as Goldsmith. Like the Stranger Things tribe, their combined efforts are paramount in achieving their seemingly unattainable goals, be it making first contact with an alien species, or saving a friend from the Upside Down. And this seems so much better than the Demogorgon. Here, an extremely youthful Ethan Hawke, alongside the late, great River Phoenix and child actor gone AWOL Jason Presson have to use all their resources to make the impossible, possible. That tight chemistry shared between Dustin, Mike and the rest of the gang is very much at the crux of Explorers, too. The difference being instead of having an inter-dimensional world to traverse, outer space is the destination. River Phoenix and Ethan Hawke in another scene of the movie.
Aside from the obvious period settings, Explorers channels that similar whimsical wish-fulfilment (albeit in a PG world) of out-of-the-ordinary events impacting on the lives of young nerdy teens in sleepy suburbia.
The story of a trio of geeky friends who manage to build a homemade space craft (itself a real triumph of quirky production design) and venture out amongst the stars to meet the source of an extra-terrestrial signal, it’s very much akin to the world established in Stranger Things. While not quite in the Back to the Future upper tier of 80s Hollywood fantasy fare, it has a loyal, loving fanbase. Hawkins, Indiana? No, the suburbs of Washington D.C. Despite seriously underperforming during it’s big screen release (it made back less than half of its $20+m budget), like a large number of genre features from that decade, Joe Dante’s cheery and big-hearted 1985 sci-fi kids romp Explorers has grown in stature throughout the years since it’s box office blip. Weirdly, the film in question had been mysteriously omitted from fan’s lists. While fans were quick to pick up on those nods to the likes of The Goonies, Firestarter and Stand by Me, another much-loved, though slightly less high-profile film from that decade, was unquestionably an influence on the makers. River Phoenix, Ethan Hawke and Jason Presson in Explorers. This was certainly an easy comparison to make as it was clear from the outset – and further supported by the large volume of “ spot the reference” online video content – that the show’s creators, The Duffer Brothers, had deliberately conspired to slot a whole host of 80s homages into their creation.
EXPLORERS 1985 MUSIC SERIES
During the fevered hype around the first series of Netflix champ Stranger Things when it debuted a year and a half back, many were quick to proclaim the show a heady mix of heyday Steven Spielberg and horror wordsmith Stephen King.
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