Outbreak (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

For reasons unknown Varese Sarabande whittled James Newton Howard's complete Outbreak score to roughly 30 minutes for CD release, effectively gutting the music in the process. The official soundtrack inexplicably relegates many of Howard's most suspenseful and thrilling sequences to the cutting room floor, spotlighting the composer's more atmospheric material instead. It's especially frustrating because Outbreak's action themes are some of Howard's most impressive to date. Employing his signature fusion of symphonics and electronics, the music crackles with energy and portent. Alas, you must view the otherwise execrable movie to hear it, as Varese's edition contains only two major action themes, "A Little Resistance" and "They're Coming," and while the remainder of the disc boasts a similar level of craftsmanship and imagination, it's not what most listeners are going to expect or desire from this particular title.