About the Soundtrack: "Bee Movie" comes to us from the ever-creative mind of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who takes a crack at an altogether new comedy genre with this animated adventure. While the play on words with the title is clever, audiences and critics alike seem to be less than enthralled with the movie itself. With regards to the music, Composer Rupert-Gregson Williams follows in his brother's footsteps in writing the score for an animated movie, which is in one sense quite similar to both "Antz" and "Chicken Run" in spirit. The soundtrack is comprised of nearly 100 percent score material and offers a sound design similar to what has been heard in recent Hans Zimmer projects. The running time is adequate, so you'll get a decent value in that sense. Those who purchase the score on iTunes will be offered a bonus track as an extra incentive to buy it online.
What You Need to Know: I guess it runs in the family. Rupert Gregson-Williams creates a musical adventure that his brother (Harry) would appreciate. While it should be noted that there was a full team behind Rupert for the production of this score, I'll focus more on Rupert's name alone since he is the credited composer.
With "Bee Movie," we are given yet another dose of the Hans Zimmer sound. While I enjoy listening to Zimmer's scores, I get a bit tiresome of hearing a similar style emerge from those who are up and coming in the industry and following in his footsteps. I guess I'm from the vantage point where I would like to see each and every composer have a distinct voice of his or her own. While the music in this film is far from poor, and in fact, it's enjoyable in many areas, I had trouble getting past the tones in which the score was presented. It was difficult to differentiate the fullness of the music from electronic backing and real world instruments even though this one very well might be a fully orchestral effort. When it comes to the Hans Zimmer sound, I like it only when Hans himself is the lead on it.
Sound levels aside, there is a good quality to this score. Rupert certainly has a solid skill set in writing music that is melodic and entertaining, as displayed in the first set of tracks with its energy and pacing. In fact, the score begins in a flurry of activity and doesn't let up until the first song track (cue 6). Although there may not have been enough of the cute, catchy motif that is heard sparsely throughout (as introduced in track 1), there is enough thematic content to keep you in a good mood. Also, as cited accurately in other online reviews, the standout material from this score is from the first half of the album and the selections are very impressive. There is a definite fun factor associated with these cues and I think you will find yourself listening to these first five tracks repeatedly. After a strong start, the second half of the album bides its time in a more calculated and restrained manner but still manages to give the soundtrack a good finish with the final score track.
Final Grade: To be honest, it took me a few listens to get in line with this score. However, I'm glad I did take the time to give this album a closer listen since Rupert's work clearly deserved it. At first, I was put off a bit by the Zimmer-produced sound design, but once I heard the music for the second and third time, I was won over enough to give this one a higher rating. So, my suggestion is to give this one a try but with instructions to listen to it more than once since this is a score that seems to get better with repeat listens.
