Although containing much that is reminiscent of other Horner scores, this is a fine work and certainly stands up with the best of the past few years. Much of it has a very "homely" and warm feel to it with his typical lush string sound, made even better by the LSO's excellent performance. The central theme is a noble one that is reminiscent of the theme later used by David Arnold in his Independence Day score, but this is a much more tender theme in this context. It occurs mainly at the beginning and end and doesn't crop up much during the middle of the score, this gives the score a kind of book ended feel to it. The other theme, which is used much more often is reminiscent of the Cocoon theme and is very emotive. There are other less well defined themes that represent the characters in the story using the Leit Motif approach to deliniate each member of the family musically. This works well and although I haven't seen the film, recognising each theme would put that character to mind after having seen the film. There is action in Off to War with the now familiar sakuhatchis topping off the orchestral mix, although it is never overbearing, which is a relief as Horner, I feel, does tend to get carried away when using it to the point of it being very intrusive. Revenge is almost identical to a similarly titled track in Braveheart with synthesised choir and drums giving it a very eerie feel that is most effective in both films. Ending with a suite that contains all of the major themes, this disc comes to a very satisfying conclusion that is worthy of the rest of the score. For all those who like Glory and Horner's more mature works in general, this is one you won't want to pass up.
Rating ~ 
Total Time ~ 75:15