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A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

The fact that even Steven Spielberg couldn't make a decent Peter Pan film should have put anyone else off, especially given the level of acting talent he had at his disposal, but nevertheless P.J. Hogan, of My Best Friend's Wedding, decided to give it a shot.  And pulled it off!  One of the most acclaimed children's film in a while, it occupied a perfect place over the Christmas holidays to replace Harry Potter, which had been there for the previous couple of years.  For all the flaws of Hook, John Williams's music was unimpeachable, so James Newton Howard had a lot to live up to; he has built up such a fanbase in recent years, however, that many people thought he was more than up to the job.

Things do not start promisingly.  The main title piece is a typical modern-day Hollywood bit of scoring - professionally done, fits the film, but not terribly musical.  It just mimics the action; Howard is a far cry from the great composers of the past (and indeed present) who managed to do far more than just mimic the action at the same time as actually writing real music.  Fortunately, things pick up considerably afterwards.  "Flying" features a lovely theme but is unfortunately marred by some electronics that sound about twenty years out of date.  "Learning to Fly" (which seems to be a little late, coming as it does after the "Flying" has already taken place) lifts things again, though it is still marred by too much mickey-mousing.  "Tinkerbell" is one of the score's real standouts, a lovely balletic piece, magical stuff, though it does develop into some action music later on which could have been something Howard found in the bin after Jerry Goldsmith had screwed up some manuscript paper of music he'd decided wasn't good enough for Chain Reaction or something.

"Is That a Kiss?" is another lovely piece, with gentle chorus backing the orchestra this time in a lovely, sweet romantic piece.  "Peter's Shadow" is another of the gorgeous balletic pieces that are sprinkled through the score, showing off Howard's very best qualities; but then "A Note From the Teacher" show off his worst, with some fine ideas just starting, stopping, starting again, getting no development in the process - it's quite frustrating to listen to Howard come up with something ingenious but then just completely abandoning it before he really makes it work in any way.  Things pick up again in "Come Meet Father" which introduces a very light swashbuckling theme, satisfying if surprisingly low-key.  "Fetch Long Tom" is more pirate-like, "pieces of eight" and all that.  "Mermaids" is an imaginative and descriptive piece with some excellent choral arrangements.  "Fairy Dance" is, unsurprisingly, a very magical, very light piece; it's probably the best track on the score.  "I Do Believe in Fairies" is probably the one truly satisfying louder piece on the score, with some dynamic and exciting work for the brass section and the choir being particular highlights, though it is dogged by the same electronics that soured "Flying" earlier on.  "Flying Jolly Roger" and "Peter Returns" make for a lovely, satisfying finale.

This is an album which shows off both the best and worst aspects of James Newton Howard's music.  By far the most satisfying sections are the softer, gentler ones, which contain a magical air; but as soon as he steps up the tempo and brings in the powers of the larger orchestra, the music seems to become far too simple, too streamlined, too generic to ever be satisfying, and the lack of any real form or structure is particularly frustrating.  The album is worth having because the highlights are superb, particularly when a gentle choir accompanies the smaller orchestral parts, but overall it has to go down as a disappointment.

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Tracks

1. Main Title (2:09)
2. Flying (3:32)
3. Learning to Fly (3:10)
4. Tinkerbell (4:45)
5. Is That a Kiss? (1:41)
6. Peter's Shadow (1:23)
7. A Note from the Teacher (2:49)
8. Build a House Around Her (1:23)
9. Come Meet Father (2:33)
10. Fetch Long Tom (1:31)
11. Mermaids (1:42)
12. Fairy Dance (5:24)
13. Set Them Free (3:05)
14. I Do Believe in Fairies (2:44)
15. Poison (1:43)
16. Please Don't Die (1:51)
17. Flying Jolly Roger (1:15)
18. Peter Returns (1:42)