Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Album Review

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Thor composer Patrick Doyle's score for 2011’s Planet of the Apes origin story, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, begins with an explosive introductory piece (“The Beginning”) that launches out of a tranquil and lush jungle montage. It’s a fitting opener, as it sets the stage for what follows. While there are some truly lovely, quieter moments (“Muir Woods,” Caesar and Buck”), Doyle, who comes from the Hanz Zimmer and Harry Gregson-Williams school of big and bold and percussive action cues, allows little space for the reboot to breathe, yet his themes are consistently thrilling, rarely devolving into the kind of generic, tuneless smorgasbord of kettle drums and dissonant keyboard strings that so often pass for 21st century summer blockbuster fare.