Development
Longtime Spielberg collaborator John Williams composed the score. It was the first time he had to compose with an incomplete Spielberg film, as only the first six reels, totalling 60 minutes, were ready for him to use as reference. [1] He considered the score "a very serious piece," which had to combine "necessary frightening atmosphere" with "propulsively rhythmic drive for the action scenes" [2] —the music would be symbolically "pulling forward" vehicles in chase scenes, such as Ferrier driving out of Bayonne, or the Tripod attacking the Hudson ferry. Williams added small nods to classic monster movie scores by having orchestras doing a "grand gesture" in scenes overlooking Tripods. To increase the scariness of the Tripod attacks, Williams added a female chorus with a crescendo resembling a shriek, representing "victims that go out without saying an 'ouch'—they're gone before they can say that". He added a nearly inaudible male choir—which he compared to "Tibetan monks, the lowest known pitch our bodies can make", for the aliens exploring the basement. The only deviation from orchestras were electronic sounds for the opening and closing narrations. [1] Besides the score, the film also featured the songs "Little Deuce Coupe" and "Hushabye Mountain" are also featured in the movie, the former sung by Tom Cruise, and the latter by Dakota Fanning. [3] [4]
Reception
James Christopher Monger of AllMusic wrote "In the context of the film, Williams' vision for War of the Worlds more than matches the apocalyptic dread of Welles' original vision, but as a stand-alone listening experience, only those with a true fanboy masochistic streak will be able to withstand such a continuous and ominous barrage of sci-fi dissonance." [9] Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks wrote "At an hour in length, the album is an interesting listening experience for those score collectors who appreciate Williams' high standards of complexity, but the score will more likely alienate the majority of his fans who prefer his scores to have strong lines of thematic cohesion and an obvious concert arrangement." [10] Tom Hoover of Scorenotes wrote called it an "effective, disinteresting score for a subpar Spielberg blockbuster." [11] Dan Goldwasser of Soundtrack.Net wrote "As a soundtrack, it has its moments certainly, but it's not likely to be an album that you'll keep in the CD player or toss in to listen to for fun." [12]
Jonathan Broxton of Movie Music UK wrote "Personally, I found War of the Worlds to be a hugely satisfying listening experience – certainly more so than Revenge of the Sith. Although I can envisage a number of listeners complaining about its lack of thematic content and generally harsh tone, it nevertheless impresses with its relentless nature and intelligent structure, and shows why at the age of 73 he remains firmly at the top of his game." [13] James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "War of the Worlds is a rare Williams score with no real main theme, but it isn't hampered by that at all [...] the music is completely riveting, always drawing the listener in with quieter moments before unleashing another barrage of orchestral terror. This is not a score as broad or as satisfying as Revenge of the Sith was just a few weeks earlier, but it amply demonstrates that Williams remains at the top of his game." [14]
Calling it a "downright brilliant stuff", Thomas Glorieux of Maintitles wrote "This is not a soundtrack you put up to entertain yourself for a couple of hours, nor is this an experience you'll gladly want to revisit if you're feeling somewhat depressed. But I think you have to see War of the Worlds both ways here and not see it from just a listening point of view. Because that would make one diminish the unbelievable qualities War of the Worlds definitely possesses." [15] Zanobard Reviews wrote "Warof the Worlds is one of John Williams' much lesser known scores, but that doesn't stop it from being an incredibly atmospheric, thought-provoking and spine-chilling musical experience." [16]
Kayti Burt of Den of Geek called it "an understated soundtrack from John Williams". [17] Tyler Eschberger of Bloody Disgusting wrote "John Williams's haunting score personifies the shrill screams of absolute terror just before a person is zapped from existence." [18] Rob Mackle of The Guardian called it a "bass-heavy Jawsy" score. [19] David Edelstein of Slate wrote "John Williams provides some ambient, almost subliminal accompaniment, but much of the action has no music underneath it. It's the silence—and the otherworldly sound—that eats into your mind." [20] A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote "[John Williams'] score is striking partly as a result of how sparingly it is used. For long stretches of the movie, you hear no music at all, which deepens both the realism and the dread, and immerses you more fully in what you are seeing." [21]
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