Pearl Harbor has been described as Saving Private Ryan meets Titanic and I guess if you get down to the general details of the film, it's not too far off a description. A fictional love story set against the background of a historical event. As a result, the heroes are placed into the thick of the action and the fact that this is a Michael Bay film means that when action is taking place, it will be loud, fast, furious, and exciting. I hesitate to use the word exciting only because when you take into account that the attack on Pearl Harbor was one of the most devastating events for the United States early on in the war it seems wrong to make an action spectacle of it. But be that as it may, you can be assured that Hans Zimmer hasn't gone off and written a Rock-esque score for this film. On the contrary, the score is much like the score to The Thin Red Line with a smattering of the more introspective portions of Gladiator thrown in for good measure.
Unlike in the score to Titanic, the love song for the film is presented as the first track on the CD. How is the song? Well, it is another great song written by Diane Warren, but I don't think it will have quite the same appeal as My Heart Will Go On. The tune for the song is later introduced in the third track entitled Brothers. The main theme for the film seems to be based largely on the attack scene music from The Thin Red Line however it is presented in a much more subdued manner here. The first time this theme is presented is in Tennessee which pretty much sets the tone for the way the rest of the score goes. Does that mean that the rest of the score is more mellow and somber? Yes and no. Since the story is a love story, much of the music is meant to serve as a background to that portion of the film. What about the action? This is a war movie right? Read on.
There are some hints of promise on this soundtrack that do not disappoint. The first being Attack which is for the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor. The track starts off with some low percussion and then some ethnic drums make an appearance to give it that exotic flair. Portions seem to sound like the battle preparation music from one of the arena battles in Gladiator. The music starts off sounding like it's going to go the route of a traditional Zimmer action score and that's when he keeps the music at a level that I consider enobling. He doesn't cheapen the moment with overly bombastic anthems or themes, just enough to give us a sweeping idea of the moment. The other action is War which again begins in a rather mellow mood to then sweep into a rousing piece that presents us with the main themes once again.
All in all this is another solid outing by Hans Zimmer. Though not up to the level of Gladiator or some of his other works, this one definitely stands out in my mind as one of his better works and is proof that he can write music that is fitting for whatever type of movie he's scoring.
Total time: 46:18