Ross Wood - 1/11/2011

When interviewed, Hans Zimmer pointedly observed: "I'm not interested in the massive heroic tunes anymore. Now I'm interested in how I can take two, three, or four notes and make a really complex emotional structure. It's emotional as opposed to sentimental. It's not b-s heroic; it has dignity to it."

It says more about his approach to scoring Inception, which has become a cinematic classic, than Zimmer's style and juxtaposes Zimmer's strengths and weaknesses. The two-note motif ideal popularised in the Batman Begins score is entrenched withn this score too, and as with his previous works, it can be considered both effective yet overused. Nearly every track is structured around a differing two-note motif layered upon one other, but as Zimmer states above, there's no identifying themes for the characters; it's all based upon the emotional impact of the scene itself.

Empathising this is an anecdote about Nolan's refusal to grant Zimmer any spotting sessions (previewing a rough cut of the film); all themes were composed from Zimmer's impressions of the characters from the script. It was only in the post-sessions that the suites and cues were tailored to fit the sequences. Radical? Of course. At times, the Inception soundtrack is compelling, but also often ends up as background noise - there's not enough to hold your attention for long. After attentively listening to it first time in the quiet of my sitting room, I duly switched to listening to it often, yet playing in the background. To be fair, this is one where you really should see the movie in order to fully appreciate it. The atmospheric composition and overall ambiance compliments the movie perfectly.

Highlights: *Potential Spoilers*

We Built Our Own World. Built upon a two-note pulsing rhythmic base underneath another two-note synth key, it captures Cobb's emotional disposition while revisiting the dream scape he and Mal fashioned together. I especially liked the Portishead-style 'vinyl skip' beat at the end.

Radical Notion. 'Vinyl skips' continue through the intro before flowing into a 'white noise' support. Brad Fiedel-style synths carry you along before the electric cello two-noters overlap with some bottom from Batman Begins (Molossus) before rising to pleasant tempo beat ending all too soon.

Waiting For A Train clocks in at 9:28, the longest track on the cd. Two-note motifs flood the composition, supported by a sub-harmonic rumble. At 7:03 the Edith Piaf vocal sample (Non Je Ne Regrette Rien/I Regret Nothing At All) used for the 'sound kick' makes its sole appearance.

Time. Ued in the movie's finale. It begins with the most familiar of the two-note motifs - alternating the second note's rise and descent - first as solo piano notes before morphing into synth. Alternate versions are layered into, coupled with an emphasizing guitar pick. At 3:37 it rises to its full potential before dipping into reflective solo piano keys and a tonal finale. Zimmer achieved his ends by effecting emotional response very well here.

*End of spoilers*

This is a hard one to rate. While it effortlessly epitomizes a soundtrack by enhancing the movie, you're tempted to yield to its appeal as an ambient release, and it doesn't quite have enough to stand on its own two feet. However, that doesn't mean you won't enjoy it. If there was a 10-point ranking, I would score it a solid 7.