The film itself is more inspiring for its beautiful visual effects than any real feeling for the emotional weight of the characters, which remain surprisingly underdeveloped. Still, it's a visual delight and Kamen's music fits besides both the light and dark sides. The opening track is perhaps the epitome of the delicate side of the score, with hints of the Beside You melody and some fine solos, notably from Kamen himself on oboe. However, the dark edges to the score are often deeply disturbing. The brief, but searing strings of Tunnel and Christy's Death seem intense enough, but the later musical depictions of Hell that include crushing, martial rhythms and growling low brass. That vague description makes it sound a little cliché, but there are some tremendous outbursts and inspired touches, notably a mesmerising synth effect that opens Sea of Faces - such an effective deployment of a synthetic effect is rare, but the use here seems ideal.
Naturally, the film's leading couple are ultimately reunited and the luminous early material returns for the finale, leading into the song to close the score. The score is perhaps a little long in places and there aren't quite as many variations in the gentle material as would be ideal, but it has such a wonderful main theme, and enough good secondary ideas, that it's a pleasing enough listen even on the couple of occasions when it starts to drag. While Kamen should get full credit for those portions written solely by him, Mark Snow receives well deserved co-credits for the Beside You melody, without which, the score wouldn't be nearly so memorable. The tracks and timings are broken down by cue, which leads to extremely long descriptions and no indication of the total length of each CD track. Still, something of a minor complaint for a score of both engaging delicacy and turbulent darkness.
Rating ~ 
Total Time ~ 60:43