- Composed by Volker Bertelmann and Dustin O’Halloran
- Lakeshore / 46m
A rather dull action movie which doesn’t feature much action, Netflix’s The Old Guard is currently benefiting from a kind of captive audience scenario because people can’t go to the cinema to see new movies. I doubt many people would have watched it otherwise. It does offer some intriguing musical opportunities though: a small band of immortals who go round righting various wrongs, protecting the innocent and so on. On all levels, these musical opportunities were not taken: the film has some of the worst song placement I can ever remember (they’re the wrong songs, used in the wrong places) and sadly the score, by Volker Bertelmann and Dustin O’Halloran – who picked up a fairly unlikely Oscar nomination for Lion a few years back, a decent if unmemorable drama score – has very little to offer.
The score essentially has two states: either simple chords offering some sort of ambient aural wallpaper, or occasionally action music where lots of drums appear and endless blasts from the good old HORN OF DOOM. (Actually, it’s been a while! But I haven’t really missed it.) There is much more of the former than the latter, it has to be said, and for the most part it’s barely-audible even with the volume turned right up. It’s very hard to comprehend exactly what the intention was behind the music – its placement in the film seems almost random, and there is no response at all to whatever is happening on-screen – it’s just there, in between the lousy songs. On disc it’s not offensive or anything – just nothing happens.
Rating: *
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