I'll admit it. At the time that I'm writing this review, I have yet to see The Mummy. It's not that I don't want to see the film, I do, it's just that I haven't had the opportunity to do so thus far this year. I'll see it, and if the music is any indication, I think I'll enjoy it. I bought the soundtrack at the same time I bought the soundtrack to Star Wars: Episode I mainly because I was growing more interested in Jerry Goldsmith's music. I brought the soundtrack to work one day and listened to it several times in a row. I was very much impressed with the renewed vigor that Goldsmith was putting into his score.
This score is in the same vein of action-scores as Raiders of the Lost Ark to which the film has often been compared. The opening track introduces the main theme for the film which Goldsmith reprises using different instruments and depending on which instrument or instruments Goldsmith uses, the mood of the scene is set. In the first track, Imhotep, the theme is produced powerfully with a good deal of brass underscored with deep percussion. This first track sets the tone for the rest of the score and it is a really great setup.
In Night Boarders, Goldsmith uses a full orchestra punctuated by traditional middle eastern sounding instruments to give the music an ethnic flare. The music races along and is often backed by powerful percussion which gives the music an overpowering intensity which I haven't heard in a while. This score is a great one that seems to mark Goldsmith's return to the action genre. From early reports I've heard, his upcoming score to The 13th Warrior takes the level of intensity of this score and elevates it even more. I can't wait, but in the meantime I'll enjoy listening to this awesome score!
Total time: 57:46
1:Imhotep (4:19)
2: The Sarcophagus (2:17)
3: Tauger Attack (2:21)
4: Giza Port (2:03)
5: Night Boarders (4:06)
6: The Caravan (2:52)
7: Camel Race (3:26)
8: The Crypt (2:26)
9: Mumia Attack (2:17)
10: Discoveries (3:41)
11: My Favourite Plague (3:59)
12: Crowd Control (3:12)
13: Rebirth (8:33)
14: The Mummy (6:19)
15: The Sand Volcano (5:40)