Music Composed by Guy Gross
Rating: ***

I must confess that I am almost entirely unfamiliar with the world of the Sci-fi Network’s Farscape (and even were this not the case, I doubt that I would admit to being familiar with the world of the Sci-fi Network’s Farscape). From what little I have garnered, composer Guy Gross has slowly been etching out a name for himself as the series’ composer, although it seems that the only time I hear anyone mention his music is when it’s used as an example of the dire situation television scoring has been in for the past decade. I’m told that the bulk his work for the series has been limited to the synth board in a series of vain attempts to imitate the orchestra that the cable network can’t afford. I therefore approached his score for the series’ cable film, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, with more than a little trepidation, but I needn’t have worried as far as sound was concerned. Evidently given a stronger budget, Gross has given the film a full-bodied orchestral score that strives for the heights of the grand old-fashioned space operas of old (well, and of a few months ago) and makes for a reasonably enjoyable way to spend 70 minutes.

Guy Gross

Fans of the series’ scores (and of traditional sci-fi orchestral bombast in general) should take most interest here, as this Farscape should provide more than enough epic thrills to satisfy your basic space opera needs. Nearly all of the elements are there: dark and portentous marches (complete with the requisite dashes of Holst’s Mars: The Bringer of War), liberal use of epic wordless choral support, brass-heavy action licks, tender interludes, and an emotionally satisfying grand finale. Everything seems to be in place for a dazzling popcorn score. And yet, despite all the glamour, I remain something less than impressed. While I appreciate the fact that Gross has exceeded the (extremely low) expectations one might have for a project like this, I can’t really say that the music has much value for its own sake. It makes for a generally pleasing diversion, but when placed against the likes of Star Wars, Independence Day, Starship Troopers, or nearly any of the countless grand sci-fi action extravaganzas that this score so desperately tries to emulate, Farscape doesn’t come within shooting distance. Gross has given us a good deal of fun, but he fails to provide us with any sort of hook that would ever compel us to play this CD over any of the aforementioned scores. This is largely due to the fact that while Farscape seems to adhere to every other standard of grand sci-fi scoring, it fails to provide us with any big theme to really engage us with the music. I would be the last person to demand that every action score needs a big theme to work, but if you’re going to ditch big thematic strokes then you’d better have something worthwhile in their stead. Farscape, unfortunately, is not only largely themeless — it’s also entirely generic. Oh, I’m sure that multiple listening would reveal subtle motifs gluing the edges of the score together, but in all honesty, the score isn’t interesting enough to merit the effort it would take to find these puzzle pieces.

This perhaps sounds overly harsh, and I should stress that this is not a bad score by any means. It’s consistently entertaining throughout its gargantuan running time and contains numerous highlights (I particularly like the Horner-esque sentiment in “Aeryn Discovers the Truth” and the Goldsmithian action in “The Temple Battle”). But while the music isn’t bad, it’s extremely bland, and bland to the point that the “pleasure” side of “guilty pleasure” is well-near stretched to its limit. I’m sure the score gives the film far more than it deserves, but by itself Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars lacks that extra spark to do anything more than meet the bare minimum requirements of mindless escapism. (Originally posted January 10, 2004).

Music Composed and Conducted by Guy Gross; Performed by Sydney Symphony and Cantillation; Orchestrated by Jessica Wells, James Lee and Guy Gross; Recorded, Mixed and Edited by Simon Leadley and Tim Ryan; Album Produced by Guy Gross and Michael Polis; Availability: In print; Label (Catalogue): La-La Land Records, (LLLCD 1026);

01. Peacekeeper Ambush (2′34)
02. The Battle Continues (0′50)
03. The Eidelons (3′37)
04. Moya Attacked (6′15)
05. Developments (2′04)
06. Scarrans Arrive (2′38)
07. Aeryn Discovers The Truth (1′44)
08. Chiana & D’Argo (1′06)
09. The Killing Of Yondalao (3′18)
10. Jothee Rescues (4′31)
11. Decisions (4′03)
12. In The Crossfire (6′22)
13. The Temple Battle (2′58)
14. We Have A Son (2′00)
15. Ambushed In The Streets (3′48)
16. We All Die (4′27)
17. Behold (3′15)
18. The Stand Off (4′32)
19. The Aftermath (4′27)
20. This Is Your Playground (4′53)

Total Playing Time: 69′22