I was surprised to find out how many people couldn't work out what was going on in Brian DePalma's big screen version of the cult TV spy series. If you paid attention, everything was explained perfectly well. Must be because we anticipate blockbuster films to be such no brainers these days. Alan Silvestri was originally assigned to score the film, but his score was rejected. Having heard it, I'm not surprised, it's pretty dreadful and certainly miles away in style to Silvestri's usual quality and style and almost nothing like what Danny Elfman's replacement is like. The arrangement of the Mission: Impossible theme is a lot more funky than the overtly bombastic arrangement that Alan Silvestri one that has cropped up on several compilations.
Elfman's music relies quite heavily on rhythmic patterns and is percussive, but not in a loud an obnoxious way. Tension building percussion tracks aren't often very interesting, but Elfman has written some of the best I've ever heard in a film score. There is enough variation and little snippets of melody to keep it all working well together. Curious additions to the percussion section such as a cuckoo clock also seems to get in on the act at times. The moments of action are still generally sparsely orchestrated, which was just the kind of refined approach the film needed. Toward the end, Elfman's restraint is thrown to the wind and turns into a tremendously exciting and brassy finale. His working in of Schifrin's theme in the final track is absolutely thrilling in every respect. It almost sounds like the score was moving entirely toward that one moment and it comes along just at the right point for maximum impact.
I guess some people might find Elfman's quite minimal scoring less appealing. I must admit that I listened to the album many times before being entirely convinced of just how wonderful it really is. Those less impressed will still find the more exciting tracks worth hearing, but perseverance pays dividends here. An Elfman score can't go by without a bit of spooky choral music and this is provided in Betrayal and makes an interesting diversion from the style of the rest of the score. This is perhaps tough one to recommend - many people seem unimpressed by it, but I think it's one of Elfman's finest efforts and worthy of anyone's time. It is nice to have a score to an action movie that is free from extraneous bombast and when those moments do occur, they are deservered so they are savoured and appreciated, rather than having the entire score beating you over the head. If you're considering trying the score out by listening to Music for a Darkened Theatre Volume 2, then I'd advise against it as the Mission: Impossible Theme is edited out at that crucial moment, resulting in a somewhat horrible mutilation of the final few tracks. However, give the score a try and if you're still not convinced, have another listen. I've rarely found a score where my opinion went from one end of the scale to the other after repeated listens.
Rating ~ 