Stargate Soundtrack CD

An early film score by British composer David Arnold (INDEPENDENCE DAY, TOMORROW NEVER DIES), STARGATE is widely considered to be one of his finest. Taking cues from, but never mimicking, classic sci-fi music (John Williams's STAR WARS work, Jerry Goldsmith's STAR TREK theme), this 1994 soundtrack features bold orchestral work that echoes the movie's fantastical events, as evinced on the stately "Stargate Overture," the wondrous "The Stargate Opens," and the foreboding "Ra-- The Sun God."

Composer David Arnold (Independence Day, The World Is Not Enough) brings exactly what one would expect to the table for director Roland Emmerich's teleportation-based science fiction tale. By utilizing familiar space motifs in the vein of John Williams and integrating electronics and bits and pieces of Middle Eastern folk music into the Egyptian-themed tale, Arnold dutifully takes the "space opera" to some new vistas, but the overall effect is as familiar as a gun that shoots laser beams instead of bullets. [Varese Sarabande reissued Stargate in 2006 in a deluxe edition that featured the entirety of the original score.] ~ James Christopher Monger

Original score composed by David Arnold.

Additional Tracks; Deluxe Edition

Composer: David Arnold.

Personnel: Natacha Atlas (vocals).

Audio Mixer: Geoff Foster.

Liner Note Author: Jerry McCulley.

Recording information: Air Studios, London, England.Q (7/99, p.148) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Swirling, epic score from the John Williams of Luton..."