The Incredible Hulk Soundtrack Review
Craig Armstrong Provides "Strong" Score for Comic Book Film
Nov 18, 2008 David Abraham Dueck
Despite a musical history which includes a TV series theme and Danny Elfman’s complex score to the 2003 Ang Lee film, The Incredible Hulk has received a largely original score from an unexpected but very capable source: Craig Armstrong.
Pure Orchestral Approach in Hulk Score
Despite a background of writing music which draws deeply from choral and electronic techniques, Armstrong was asked to write a purely orchestral score for The Incredible Hulk, and he only occasionally employs synthetic effects.
The orchestrations, however, are somewhat curious. The strings are performed so exactingly, the instrumentation is so amalgamated, and the whole ordeal is mixed so up-front and dryly, that the might of the orchestra is somewhat betrayed: it’s difficult to tell sometimes if the music is truly symphonic, and not synthesized. Nevertheless, the strength of the compositions makes up for any deficiency in sound.
Music Themes in The Incredible Hulk
The main theme is presented in an effectively cacophonous manner in “Main Title”: the theme is a single pitch played three times, the center note ascending an octave. The simple, almost primal nature of the tune lends itself extremely well to displays of furious orchestral activity, and it is inherently both quite memorable and very adaptable: the amount of slight variations it goes through is remarkable. Any time it appears is enjoyable, except in one or two of the concert arrangements and the truly hideous sampled version in the “End Titles.” It is often paired with a striking theme for desperation and anguish, performed by an almost slashing string section.
A softer theme to represent the love relationship between Bruce and Betty is occasionally employed: it is a suitably subdued, flowing theme for strings, but somewhat less memorable than the Hulk’s own theme. It is employed effectively in “Hulk and Betty” and “Bruce and Betty,” among other cues (the former cue bridging to the anguish theme in an intelligent and admirable fashion). Such cues provide a welcome relief from the mostly-bombastic nature of the album.
Unexpected Gesture of Respect
One of the things many people have admired about this latest Hulk film is its respect for the history of the character, not only in comics, but in TV and music as well. Although the film in no way references the Ang Lee film from 2003 or its score by Danny Elfman, the film showed a respectful awareness for the original TV show by allowing Bill Bixby (the original Hulk actor) to have a cameo role in the new movie. Armstrong also pays a subtle homage to the original Incredible Hulk television show by incorporating small portions of that show’s theme into his score. The most obvious example of this is in the track “Bruce Goes Home,” where the “Lonely Man” theme is performed on soft piano.
Unusual Album Situation
Unusually, the entire score was released on a two-CD album, a rare move for film scores. Even more unusual, however, is the fact that the score was not released by any regular record label, but by Amazon.com, who has pressed the album onto CD-Rs on demand. Score collectors may scratch their heads at this, but they need have no cause for worry: the sound quality on the discs is absolutely satisfactory, and the gesture is one of the factors that have enabled the release of the full score (including cues that were not even in the film).
Summary
Although unusual in its overall tone and album presentation, Armstrong has provided a fine and engaging comic book score. The resulting music is extremely effective in the film: brutal, brooding, and occasionally soothing. It features strong themes which are suitably developed and varied, and it has the power to excite and invigorate. The score album, not likely to be available for much longer, is highly recommended.
The Incredible Hulk Album Cover
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Craig Armstrong, Composer
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