It fits well with the rest of the music, but its inclusion seems like an arbitrary move aimed at reviving interest in the song and ultimately only detracts from the integrity of the traditional score. This compilation C2009 Reprise Records for the. The soundtrack closes with its only non-score track, 'Rooster' by Alice In Chains. 2009 Motion Picture Artwork and Photography C2009 Warner Bros. Even the chilling atonal cyber-Frankenstein moan is detectable in places, as in 'The Harvester Returns.' But the themes blend together and it's those kinds of iconic musical phrases that are missing from Terminator Salvation. In the Terminator Salvation soundtrack liner notes, director McG says that he chose 'Rooster' 'primarily because of the existential feel of the track and for the lyric ‘Aint found a way to kill me yet.' Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell wrote 'Rooster' as a tribute to his father, a Vietnam War veteran, so theres a parallel with Bales John Connor character - the human resistances. In Elfman's work, there is a clear awareness of those earlier compositions, sometimes cleverly managing to sound like the musical prequel to that music. The score says this movie is about machines, running, fighting, dying and adds very little else of its own to the telling.īrad Fiedel, composer of the first two Terminator film scores, created the iconic 'dun-dun dun da-dun' rhythm with his 'Terminator Theme.' It was so effective, and so much its own player in the Terminator experience, it was carried over when Marco Beltrami took over the reins for Terminator 3. While technically satisfying, the overall effect feels too mathematical. Emotional changes are expressed in dynamics of volume and deft changes in meter. Frantic strings tie the two together in moments of pursuit and rising tension. Human moments are called out in a solitary classical guitar sombre, vulnerable and almost lost in a reverberating cavern (for example, 'Fireside,' the first half of 'Broadcast,' the final moments of 'Farewell').

Driving percussion and thundering brass, with grinding metallic industrial noises, create the sonic persona of Skynet's machines. The most distinct creative choice is the sensual contrast between human and machine. The music has the right sound and delivers all the right moments to convey a man-versus-machine action thriller, but is surprisingly one-dimensional and frankly a bit dull especially considering the broad range of emotional and textural weapons in Elfman's arsenal. The score to Terminator Salvation, the fourth film in the Terminator franchise and first installment in director McG's new trilogy, was composed by Danny Elfman.

Terminator salvation soundtrack