A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

Comicbook adaptations are now so frequent that a new one seems to come along every few weeks and, unless you're a devotee, chances are you won't even have heard of it.  Hellboy isn't exactly a household name like Batman or Spiderman.  Quality varies considerably, and not always in the way you might expect: who'd have thought Brian Singer's X-Men would be so much better than Ang Lee's Hulk?  Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy, starring Ron Perlman and Selma Blair, has attracted a lot of praise and found quite a large audience.  Curiously, mainstream critics often took time out to criticise the music, which is odd since it's a league above most of the dreck composed for these movies.

"No theme!" they cry.  Well, quite apart from the fact that that isn't in itself much of a problem, they're as wrong as they were about Danny Elfman's magnificent Spiderman theme.  Hellboy's theme, heard in the second and third tracks after an unassuming opening, is rather wonderful, the kind of noble and majestic theme that Elfman has written a few times for this sort of thing.  Sometimes with a choir added, it has a great gothic quality which will irresistibly recall Elfman's best work in the genre.  "Wake Up Dead" is a prime example of the Elfmanesque orchestration.  However, Beltrami's own voice is clearly heard through the music as well: this is no simple rip-off.

Action music is surprisingly thin on the ground, at least until the score nears its climax - instead, Beltrami generally favours quite slow, portentous commentary instead - but when it comes, it's worth the wait.  The explosive "Fireproof" is the standout from the album's first half, featuring the kind of knockout music Beltrami previously employed in Terminator 3.  The standout is arguably "Alley Fight", containing much orchestral invention, the likes of which aren't heard all that often.  I frequently write that film music is becoming increasingly generic and homogenerous; well, Beltrami is adding a welcome note of heterogeneity.  Film music that works for this film that doesn't sound like it could come from any number of other ones?  A surprisingly rare thing, these days.  It introduces a spate of excellent action music, with the propulsive "Nazis" being another highlight, and "Mechanical Mausoleum" another.  "Stand by Your Man" is an explosive, exciting piece of action music that seems like it could come from Armageddon or something - it has that anthemic quality - though it's far better than that.

The score has emotion, too, with "Liz Sherman" being almost unbelievably moving for a score like this.  "Kroenen's Lied" is a surprising but impressive set piece, a Wagner-style operatic duet between tenor (Thomas Truhitte) and soprano (Desiree Goyette) which is really rather beautiful.  (Why Wagner?  Those damn Nazis are popping up again.)  Emotions run even higher in the superb "Father's Funeral", quite brilliant.  Quite notable is how well-produced the album is - neither too long nor too short (a rare compliment for a soundtrack album of this era), it flows very well, never concentrating too much similar music together, and seemingly flowing from one place to another one (an even rarer compliment for a summer blockbuster score).  It's certainly one of the better scores of 2004 so far (which is, admittedly, damning it with faint praise) and undoubtedly one of Beltrami's finest to date.  If you want proof that there is still invention to be found in modern film music, here it is.

Tracks

1. Oct 7th, 1944 (1:18)
2. Meet Hellboy (1:29)
3. Main Title (1:06)
4. Snow Walkers (2:22)
5. Liz Sherman (2:26)
6. Fireproof (1:34)
7. Rooftop Tango (1:13)
8. Wake Up Dead (3:19)
9. Evil Doers (2:44)
10. Kroenen's Lied (1:57)
11. Father's Funeral (2:03)
12. Alley Fight (3:11)
13. Nazis (2:43)
14. Investigating Liz (3:22)
15. Abe Sapien (1:28)
16. Mechanical Mausoleum (:41)
17. Soul Sucker (3:31)
18. Stand by your Man (2:32)
19. Hellboy and Liz (2:00)
20. BPRD (2:58)