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Review of Justice League Throne of Atlantis – Limited Edition Score

Justice League Throne of Atlantis

justiceleagueatlantis-cover

Music from the DC Universe Animated Original Movie

AQUAMAN!!! OUTRAGEOUS!!! Jem and the Holograms should sue! Here we have Frederik Wiedmann’s score for Throne of Atlantis! Here’s TFG1Mike with a review of that set and his thoughts on the film overall.

So…. One of our writers ApolloXL5 has review JL: Throne of Atlantis, you can see is review HERE! I’m in no means taking away from his feelings or thoughts on the film. As anyone who has read my soundtrack reviews for La La Land Records will know… I always comment on the film as it pertains to the music. Honestly it’s my way of reviewing the film with emphasis on the music. Without needing to write two reviews. 

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I have nothing against the New 52 animated films that the DCU Animated Original Movies team has been doing. That being said I wish they’d adapt classics DC Universe stories more. Instead of focussing on New 52, which aint even gonna be around after May this year. It’s gonna be all one great big universe! There has been only one New 52 film I haven’t really cared for, which was Son of Batman. But even in that Wiedmann did an amazing job on the music! I’ve seen many Aquaman stories over the years. My two favorite versions of the character are in Super Friends and Justice League-Unlimited. As far as the overall plot of this film, it’s very much like “The Enemy Below” storyline from the Bruce Timm DCAU JL cartoon. I honestly can’t help but compare it to that, because after a while I realized that’s what it was. YES there are differences in the plot here, but boiled down it’s the same story. Orm wants to be king, and he has to get Arthur outta the way.

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This release has 24 total tracks on it. Wiedmann continues to excel at the DC Universe super hero and villain music. The way he crafts themes for characters, settings, and events in each animated film is amazing. We start off with Track 01: “Main Title” even though it’s only 0:43 in length. You can clearly feel the heroic music behind the anthem. Wiedmann really adds to the mystery of the film with the music, because in Track 02: “S.O.S.” there is a dark and sinister feel at first. After that it gets super high action sounding. By this I mean you really can feel that a fight is going on. Track 05: “Cyborg in the Deep” is an interesting one. You’d think a man-made of mostly metal wouldn’t be able to maneuver underwater. However Cyborg holds his own! This track has a few high action points, as well as the slow lull of the after effects of his adventure underwater. Track 08: “One of Both Worlds” shows of Widemann’s ability to write and craft heartfelt music. This track embodies the choice Arthur has to make, and the realization that he comes to. Around the 1:15 mark or so are some great backing vocals emphasized by a violin.

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Track 10: “No Mercy” kicks off with villainous tones for Orm and his army. It also serves as the battle for the army vs Aquaman and his friends. There are some big bass anthemic tones in this track, and I like that very much in my battle music. Track 13: “The Truth” is where Widemann gives emotion to the entire film with the Atlanteans finding out about Orm’s treachery! This is why I love listening to the music outside the film. Some scenes have way too much going on. For example the vocals of the action of the film were too overpowering, and nearly drowned out the music. They nearly did, but I still noticed it. Hearing the tones here though was a great deal more enjoyable. track 15: “Royal Murder” is an interesting one. Simply because its more dark than any other track on the score. To just before this track Wiedmann has given us a mixture of uplifting, yet emotional music. Here in this track it’s all emotion, and the darkness in the beginning of it sounds amazing. As the track progresses around the 1:10 mark there are some creepy wind chimes that will play throughout the track. “The Royal Murder” is only 3 minutes 51 seconds, yet I feel as if I’ve been listening to it forever. And no I did not have iTunes on repeat 1 track only. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing that it felt like forever that it was playing. I’m saying that Wiedmann crammed so much music in that short of time, that it felt longer. Track 18: “Metropolis” is where the score really hits it’s stride! Beginning on a high note and ending on a low note. This track ramps up the action even more. At this point in the score the themes are really all action based. Because as the film comes to a close, as you guessed it there’s a lot of action! Wiedmann crafts an interesting theme when it comes to Track 20: “Justice League” you can feel the emotion behind the team uniting, and Aquaman is slowly completing his journey. Before I close this out, I have to say my 4 favorite tracks are… Main Title S.OS., The Truth, and Royal Murder. For the simple fact that they are all different, but those differences tell an amazing story. I also enjoy Track 23: “Becoming a Beacon” and Track 24: “Aquaman”! With these two tracks Wiedmann express how Arthur has come to accept his new destiny. Plus there are some great cues in both pieces of music.

Total Disc Time: 74:54

Final Thoughts

Go out and get the film, watch it, and then listen to Frederik Wiedmann’s score. You won’t be disappointed that you did. You can get this under the sea score from LA LA Land Records directly! So there ya have it Aquaman Fans, go swimmin’ with the fishes and grab this epic score!

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Review Overview

Final Spore

OH YEAH I CAN TALK TO FISH NOW!

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis is a great addition to the new 52 films that the DC Universe Animated Original movies have been doing. Frederik Widemann has outdone himself yet again with the music! From high end action sounds, to low end emotional tones... This score has it all for an Aquaman film!

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TFG1Mike

TFG1Mike is a geek with many interests. He has been podcasting for over a decade, and sees no stopping point in sight. From Transformers, He-Man, Batman, Comics, movies, video games, cartoons, and so much more, Mike has a zeal for the things he loves, and he will bring the hammer down on the things that he has a disdain for. He's generally a postive person, but negativity can creep in there. Mike is all about the innuendos and innuendon'ts too. You'll hear him on many of The GCRN podcasts!

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