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A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

Deep Rising is an entertainingly trashy horror film with a satisfying habit of making fun of itself (there's nothing worse than a silly, trashy movie that takes itself so seriously - as the two Matrix sequels testify) and the same could be said of Jerry Goldsmith's score, the first of two he wrote for director Stephen Sommers before (some may say thirty years too late) he decided that he didn't want to work on silly films any more.  The movie's about a giant sea monster that takes over a luxury cruise liner and does pesky things like sucking nubile females down lavatories (something guests on board the new Queen Mary II should take care to avoid) and only Treat Williams can save the day.

Fortunately, he proved himself up to the task, as did Goldsmith, injecting the requisite amounts of excitement and tension, all with a knowing nod and a wink.  The main theme is delightfully trashy (presumably - hopefully! - deliberately so), an anthem-like piece for brass backed with drum machines that is catchy and camp.  It doesn't occur all that often (and the longest, and best, version is saved for the finale, "Hang On") - the rest of the score is more serious, with Goldsmith going in a somewhat similar direction to the similarly underrated Leviathan, building the suspense with low-key writing for strings backed with atmospheric synth noises.  There's a lot more action in Deep Rising than Leviathan though, and it's as satisfying as the composer's almost always is, with "Boarding" being an early highlight.  "Wet Repairs" is a particularly effective suspense cue, full of creeping-around music which builds up to a loud and fairly scary brass burst.  The longest cue is the seven-minute "Let's Make a Deal" which is a great piece, opening with some of that thrilling action music; it's a lot simpler than Goldsmith usually provides, but that's entirely in keeping with the movie, and it's a marvelous, driving piece that no other composer could have come up with for a film like this.  It's followed by another solid action cue, "Wall of Water", breathlessly exciting.  The one real moment of calm reflection in the whole score comes in the brief but lovely "Leila's Gone" in which a melody closely related to the main theme is stripped down to a nice oboe solo backed with subtle strings, though even this cue has some frantic action in its second half.  "E-Ticket" is another thrilling piece, quite similar to The Mummy (which was, of course, the second collaboration between the composer and director).  Then things come to a nice conclusion in "Hang On", great fun.

This score got a lot of flak when it was first released because people seemingly didn't think it was as good as Planet of the Apes or The Sand Pebbles.  Well, I hate to break it to those people, but neither was the movie, and Goldsmith can only score what's before him.  This is perfect music for the film and it's really good fun to listen to, with Goldsmith getting the all-too-rare chance to sit back a little and not have to take things so seriously.  An underappreciated score.

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Tracks

1. Underwater Grave (2:38)
2. Lost Communication (2:57)
3. Collision Course (1:15)
4. Boarding (3:47)
5. Wet Repairs (2:26)
6. Let's Make a Deal (6:54)
7. Wall of Water (3:19)
8. Leila's Gone (2:05)
9. E-Ticket (3:37)
10. Hang On (2:55)