The Bourne Legacy: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 2012 film The Bourne Legacy, which is the fourth installment in the series of films adapted from the Jason Bourne novels by Robert Ludlum and Eric Van Lustbader. The musical score is composed by James Newton Howard, becoming the first film in the series not to be composed by John Powell, who provided music for previous Bourne installments, due to his interest in scoring animated films.[1] The album was digitally released through Back Lot Music on August 7, 2012,[2] and a physical release by Varèse Sarabande on August 21, 2012.[3] The album featured a new version of Moby's "Extreme Ways"[4] subtitled with "Bourne's Legacy" released as a single on July 31.[5][6] The music received mixed critical response.
| The Bourne Legacy: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Film score by | ||||
| Released | August 7, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Film score | |||
| Length | 63:34 | |||
| Label | Back Lot Music | |||
| James Newton Howard chronology | ||||
| ||||
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Legacy" | 2:40 | |
| 2. | "Drone" | 4:15 | |
| 3. | "NRAG" | 0:59 | |
| 4. | "You Fell In Love" | 1:42 | |
| 5. | "Program Shutdown" | 3:00 | |
| 6. | "Over The Mountain" | 0:51 | |
| 7. | "High Powered Rifle" | 2:50 | |
| 8. | "They're All Dead" | 2:48 | |
| 9. | "Manila Lab" | 2:40 | |
| 10. | "Wolves / Sick Ric" | 2:19 | |
| 11. | "Doctor Of What?" | 4:28 | |
| 12. | "Aaron In Chicago" | 1:32 | |
| 13. | "Wolf Attack" | 2:57 | |
| 14. | "Chem Talk" | 1:35 | |
| 15. | "Flight 167" | 3:30 | |
| 16. | "Aaron Run!" | 1:08 | |
| 17. | "You Belong Here" | 1:17 | |
| 18. | "Cognitive Degrade" | 2:49 | |
| 19. | "17 Hour Head Start" | 3:51 | |
| 20. | "Viralled Out" | 0:58 | |
| 21. | "You're Doing Fine" | 1:18 | |
| 22. | "Simon Ross" | 1:37 | |
| 23. | "LARX Tarmac" | 1:45 | |
| 24. | "Magsaysay Suite" | 3:04 | |
| 25. | "Aftermath" | 2:49 | |
| 26. | "Extreme Ways (Bourne's Legacy)" | Moby | 4:51 |
| Total length: | 63:33 | ||
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Empire | |
| Film Score Reviews |  |
| Filmtracks | |
| Movie Wave | |
| Tracksounds |   |
The soundtrack received mixed reviews, with Danny Graydon of Empire gave a mixed review saying "Howard efficiently maintains Bourne’s music, but doesn’t significantly progress it",[7] while Brad Kamminga of Film Score Reviews criticised it as "dull and unmemorable".[8] Edmund Meinerts of Tracksounds also wrote "For being basically competent and containing few outright unpleasant or unlistenable moments, The Bourne Legacy scrapes a five out of ten, but when one of the year’s dullest score albums comes from an action-packed thriller, you know something has gone wrong."[9] Filmtracks.com also gave a negative review, commenting "The score is competent in each of its parts, but it concentrates more on respecting its predecessors than taking the opportunity to explore potentially convincing new avenues with that basic sound."[10] James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "even those sections are reasonably elaborate in the way they’re constructed – it’s easy to tell how much effort has gone into it – but it just never quite all comes together and too much of it is just boring".[11]
In contrast, James Christopher Monger of AllMusic wrote "The resulting score for The Bourne Legacy is as relentlessly taut as it is atmospheric, expertly doling out layer after layer of chilly electronics, thundering kettle drums, and dissonant strings, before careening feet-first into the familiar opening strains of Moby's "Extreme Ways," which appears here in a slightly updated form".[12] Brent Simon of Screen International wrote "Nicely incorporating different percussive elements, Newton Howard’s score captures the film’s nervous energy".[13] Richard Propes of The Independent Critic commented "James Newton Howard's original music is fine, though a bit more cliche'd than one might expect from the acclaimed composer".[14]
Accolades
editHoward received a World Soundtrack Awards nomination for Film Composer of the Year losing to Mychael Danna for Life of Pi.[15] He was longlisted for Best Original Score at the 85th Academy Awards along with 104 contenders, this include his scores for The Hunger Games and Snow White and the Huntsman, but failed to receive a nomination.[16][17]
Credits
editCredits adapted from CD liner notes.[18]
- Composer and producer – James Newton Howard
- Producer – James Newton Howard
- Co-producer – Nic Ratner, Sven Faulconer
- Arrangements – Stuart Thomas, Sven Faulconer
- Programming – Alex Kharlamov, Matt Ward, Rob Persaud, Stuart Thomas, Sven Faulconer
- Recording – Shawn Murphy, Matt Ward, Erik Swanson, Larry Mah
- Mixing – Shawn Murphy, Edward Cherney
- Mastering – Patricia Sullivan
- Score editor – Nic Ratner, Katherine Miller
- Music editor – David Channing
- Sound designer – Joe Trapanese, Mel Wesson, Clay Duncan
- Music supervisor – Rachel Levy
- Technician – Richard Grant
- Music co-ordinator – Pamela Sollie
- Copyist – JoAnn Kane Music Service
- Scoring crew – Adam Michalak, Dante Reynolds, David Marquette, Greg Loskorn, Mark Eshelman
- Executive producer – Tony Gilroy
- Musical assistance – Christopher Wray
- Music advisor – Sunna Wehrmeijer
- Music librarian– Mark Graham
- Executive in charge of music – Mike Knobloch
- Music business affairs – Philip M. Cohen
- Orchestra
- Orchestra – The Hollywood Studio Symphony
- Orchestration – Jeff Atmajian, John Ashton Thomas, Jon Kull, Pete Anthony
- Orchestra leader and concertmaster – Belinda Broughton
- Conductor – Blake Neely, Pete Anthony
- Contractor – De Crescent Zimmitti Music Contracting
- Instruments
- Bass – Bruce Morgenthaler, Drew Dembowski, Ed Meares, Nico Abondolo, Oscar Hidalgo, Mike Valerio
- Bassoon – Michael O'Donovan
- Cello – Tony Cooke, Armen Ksajikian, Cecilia Tsan, Chris Ermacoff, Dane Little, David Speltz, Dennis Karmazyn, Giovanna Clayton, Paula Hochhalter, Steve Erdody, Tim Landauer, Andrew Shulman
- Clarinet – Don Foster, Stuart Clark
- Flute – Heather Clark, Geri Rotella
- French Horn – Daniel Kelley, Dave Everson, Mark Adams, Phil Yao, Steve Becknell, Jim Thatcher
- Guitar – Marc Bonilla, Michael Landau
- Harp – Gayle Levant
- Oboe – Lara Wickes
- Percussion – Alan Estes, Brad Dutz, Brian Kilgore, M.B. Gordy, Bob Zimmitti
- Piano – Randy Kerber
- Timpani – Peter Limonick
- Trombone – Andy Malloy, Bill Reichenbach, Steve Holtman, Bill Booth
- Trumpet – Jon Lewis, Marissa Benedict, Malcolm McNab
- Tuba – Jim Self
References
edit- ^ "James Newton Howard to Score 'The Bourne Legacy'". Film Music Reporter. Archived from the original on December 19, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "The Bourne Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by James Newton Howard". iTunes. Apple Music. August 7, 2012. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "Varese Sarabande to Release 'The Bourne Legacy' Soundtrack". Film Music Reporter. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ Moby (July 30, 2012). "i've recorded a new version of 'extreme ways' for the bourne legacy". Moby.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
- ^ "Moby records new version of 'Extreme' closing theme for upcoming 'Bourne Legacy'". New York Daily News. August 1, 2012. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ Matthews, Cameron (July 31, 2012). "Moby Remixes 'Extreme Ways' for 'The Bourne Legacy' -- Exclusive Video". Spinner. Archived from the original on October 27, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
- ^ Graydon, Danny. "Review: The Bourne Legacy [James Newton Howard]". Empire. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ Kamminga, Brad. "The Bourne Legacy". Film Score Reviews. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ Meinerts, Edmund. "The Bourne Legacy by James Newton Howard". Tracksounds. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "Filmtracks: The Bourne Legacy (James Newton Howard)". Filmtracks.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "The Bourne Legacy soundtrack review | James Newton Howard | movie-wave.net". August 9, 2012. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ Christopher Monger, James. "Review: The Bourne Legacy [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on June 7, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ Simon, Brent (August 6, 2012). "The Bourne Legacy". Screen. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "The Independent Critic - "The Bourne Legacy" Doesn't Quite Measure Up". theindependentcritic.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "BMI Congratulates the Nominees of the 2013 World Soundtrack Awards". Broadcast Music, Inc. August 20, 2013. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ^ Smith, Nigel M. (December 10, 2012). "'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' Among the 104 Films Eligible for Original Score at the 85th Academy Awards". IndieWire. Archived from the original on June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "LINCOLN, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, CLOUD ATLAS Among 104 Scores To Advance In 2012 Oscar Race For Best Score". We Are Movie Geeks. December 11, 2012. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "Bourne Legacy, The (CD)". Varèse Sarabande. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.