SOUNDTRACK REVIEW: United 93 by John Powell

United 93

"Atmospheric" is the only way to describe the substance of this score. Much of the score is low bass drones with sustained horn blasts and solo vocals by Oliver Powell, the composer's son. There is no theme to the score but only reoccurring motifs, those being the sustained horn blasts ending on a loud note. This motif appears during "2nd Plane Crash", "The Pentagon", "Phone Calls" and makes its very tense appearance in "The End." The motif is a tense piece conveying the sense of impending doom. Vocals by Oliver Powell appear in "Prayers", "Phone Calls", and lastly in the "Dedication". As I mentioned before, the score is mostly atmospheric with no themes to drive it. The atmosphere created by the score is dark and tense since we know what fate awaits the passengers aboard United 93.

The entire score appears to run in the same, monotonous drone with electronic percussion and the occasional horn motif appearing to add tension to terrible events occurring onscreen, but it's when it reaches "The End" that the score becomes dramatic and powerful. The previous eight tracks lead up to this point where the passengers fight the terrorists back. John Powell's entire score is in minor keys. In "The End", he closes the tense action track with a major A chord that doesn't fail to leave one moved.

Powell truly had a busy year (2005) with Ice Age 2 and X-Men: The Last Stand. He was somehow able to squeeze United 93 in between those two different scores without having them sound the same. Powell's score works for the film though I don't appreciate the electronic percussion he placed in some parts of the music. His music is hardly audible during the film but it manages to creep under your skin in some scenes. Its not an easy listen because the album is dark score, but it's a great score nonetheless and a tribute to the brave soles who first reacted to the enemy aboard that flight on that fateful day.

FROM THE BACK COVER OF THE ALBUM: "The music is a prayer for peace and is dedicated to Melinda, Oliver and all those killed and damaged on September 11th, 2001."

My Rating: 4 stars