Review: Hans Zimmer’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” soundtrack album

If you follow this blog, you might be wondering why I haven’t posted a review of On Stranger Tides yet.  Well…I haven’t seen it yet.

I know, I know.  This is an egregious crime from someone who claims to be a diehard fan of Pirates of the Caribbean and the Disney Company.  It’s so egregious that I decided not to just admit that I had a packed schedule this weekend and also came down with a nasty cold that left me less than eager to leave my bed.  Instead I’ve decided to tell you that I was captured by zombies, man-eating sea-turtles, and that diabolical shrunken head from the third Harry Potter movie, and that I barely escaped with my life using only a Wii remote and my Mickey Mouse watch.

…

It’s true!  I swear!

Anyway, so as you can see from the title of this post, I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I DO have the latest soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and decided to review it!

(Picture taken from Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki)

Looking at all the articles and press releases surrounding the latest installment of the “Pirates” franchise, there’s a common theme running through them about On Stranger Tides: “a fresh start.”  Disney wants us to look at the upcoming movie as an entirely new adventure with fun new characters…led by popular familiars like Captain Jack Sparrow, of course.  What’s interesting about Hans Zimmer’s accompanying music is that, after listening to every track, I hear a blending of old and new.  This “new” mostly comes from guitarist Rodrigo y Gabriela, who features prominently in many of the songs.  The “old” tends to show itself whenever it’s appropriate, and one can hear a lot of rehashes of previous tunes, such as “Moonlight Serenade” in this album’s “Mutiny,” the eerie theme of “At Wit’s End” can be heard in the chanting during “Mermaids,” and of course, bits and pieces of “He’s a Pirate” and “Jack Sparrow” are everywhere.

There are also seven bonus tracks: techno remixes of “Guilty of Being Innocent of Being Jack Sparrow,” “Angelica,” “The Pirate That Should Not Be,” “Blackbeard,” “South of Heaven’s Chanting Mermaids,” “Palm Tree Escape,” and “Alive and Dead Again.”  Each was remixed by a different group, including DJ Earworm, Static Revenge, Adam Freeland, and Super Smash Bros. & Thieves.  At first, I didn’t like these new renditions at all because they just didn’t sound as epic as Zimmer’s orchestral pieces, but after listening a few more times, I found myself warming up to them.  They certainly provide something different, though not something I’d listen to over and over again.

With every new Pirates soundtrack, there comes a new main theme that plays in and out of the other pieces.  Curse of the Black Pearl had “He’s a Pirate,” Dead Man’s Chest had “Jack Sparrow” and “Davy Jones,” and At World’s End had “One Day.”  The new soundtrack’s consistent theme, which I first heard clearly in “Mermaids,” is fittingly titled, well, “On Stranger Tides.”  It’s not as heartwrenching as “One Day,” or exciting like “He’s a Pirate.”  Instead, it’s mysterious, haunting, occasionally exciting, and sometimes melancholy.  This left me feeling very intrigued over how this movie will play out.  I also really loved “Mutiny” and “Palm Tree Escape.”  These tracks were exciting and left me looking forward to watching the new action sequences that this film will provide.  On the other hand, there weren’t really any new tracks that struck me as powerfully as the soundtracks for Dead Man’s Chest or At World’s End.  When I remember how AWE’s soundtrack actually moved me to tears when I first listened to it, I felt a little disappointed with On Stranger Tides.  It’s solid work, but a lot of the tracks fall back to the music we’ve heard before.

I can’t say for sure how well this music accompanies the mood of the film; that’s something I’ll definitely be paying attention to when I see On Stranger Tides.  On its own, it’s very good, but not unbelievably amazing and spectacular like the others.  I’d give it 7.5 out of 10 sea turtles.