Track Listing

1. Distant Discovery
2. Crucial Rendezvous
3. Our Best Hope...
4. Comet's Sunrise
5. National Lottery
6. Wedding
7. Long Return Home
8. Sad News
9. Leo's Decision
10. President's Speech
11. Drawing Straws
12. Goodbye and Godspeed

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17373 in Music
• Released on: 1998-05-05
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Customer Reviews

Wonderful
While many may say Horner's the greatest copycat of all time, he's undeniably brilliant. True, Horner constantly echoes his past works, but instead of unoriginality, I prefer to think of it as Horner's calling card. Personally, there's no greater feeling than sitting in a movie theater and hearing a familiar motif in the score and turning to my movie buddy and saying "That's James Horner." The awed look on their face when the credits come up makes it all worthwhile. Also, it's not so much the melodies or motifs he uses, but how he weaves them together into his tapestry of emotion. Not only is Horner quite possibly the most adept composer when it comes to turning a mood completely on its head, he does it with style.

As for DEEP IMPACT, Horner demonstrates his mastery of music once again. When one closes their eyes during "A Distant Discovery" (trk 1), his haunting stellar theme emerges from the blackness of the imagination. Never has Horner been so reserved with his sound. Like a clay sculptor, he meticulously crafts a vast emotional landscape one note at a time. "Comet's Sunrise" (trk 4) explodes into existence with a rampage of clashing strings and trumpets, eerily unnerving yet forceful in its drive. Then, without even batting an eye, Horner lulls us into one of the most poingnant sequences he's ever composed. Finally, "Drawing Straws" (trk 11) culminates nearly an hour's worth of Horner restraint, walking the tightrope between unremitting sorrow and joyous hope, building heartfelt momentum upon momentum. Horner teases us with gratifying moments of fullfillment and satiating relief, but never quite relaxes us completely, carrying us through all ten minutes and forty seconds of track with calculated abandon, finally leaving us breathless and drained on the steps of the final masterpiece, "Goodbye and Godspeed" (trk 12).

Ironically, in this humble reviewer's opinion, DEEP IMPACT transcends its Oscer-winning predecessor, coaelescing into a collection of ethereal echoes and lasting impressions. For those of you with a big heart, prepare to have every string within battered and worn by the end of this tour de emotion.

MOVING, MAJESTIC
James Horner is an expert at capturing the essence of what is emotional in a movie, and breathing musical life into it. I found DEEP IMPACT, the movie, to be almost unbearably moving and sad, yet infused throughout with a nobility and a human touch that differed from movies with an action-bent, like ARMAGEDDON. I was knocked out of my seat by DEEP IMPACT, and it caught me by surprise. After rushing out to buy the Horner soundtrack, it became clear to me that perhaps the main reason I was so moved was because of this haunting and poetic score. There is a mesmerizing quality to the evolution of that one, all-mighty theme, and the finale still leaves me in a weakened state of sadness and euphoria. If you liked the TITANIC score, you will love this one.

What else can I say?
I can't say much more good about this soundtrack than has already been said by the other reviewers (With the exception of our friend from Seattle), so I'll just echo their sentiments. This is one of the best soundtracks I've heard, arguably better than Titanic even. While the monotony of it may drag on some people, the quiet beauty of the monotony will just encapture others. That would be the only knock I could think of, the sameness of all the tracks, and the similarity to other Horner works, notably Titanic. But those aren't enough to take away a star, and overpower the deeply impacting main themes presented. The patriotism and valor embodied here are powerful, and moving. So do yourself a favor, especially if you're a Horner fan, and get this soundtrack.