Timeline (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Album Review

Timeline, Richard Donner's 14th century France time-travel debacle, has been plagued by strife since its not so humble, big-budget beginnings. After the departure of original composer Jerry Goldsmith, the studio — which was already losing money — decided to go with relative newcomer Brian Tyler. Tyler, who has done excellent work on the horror films Frailty and Darkness Falls as well as the obscure rockabilly, kung fu, road-trip movie Six-String Samurai, is definitely game for the adventure. His score is spirited along by the need to impress and the enthusiasm of just doing it at all. This is stirring, manly battle music with a memorable motif that echoes The Lord of the Rings composer Howard Shore's "Rohan" theme. He deftly handles love scenes with grace and dexterity, never falling victim to the horrific ten-minute swells perfected by contemporaries like James Horner and the aforementioned Goldsmith. While much of the blustery horns and taut, squealing strings would be just as comfortable in a television miniseries, the composer inserts moments of quiet majesty and melody with the precision of a future Oscar contender.