Review of 'Fletch Lives (1989)' score
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Fletch
bad_habitt — 10 years ago(January 17, 2016 10:05 PM)
I posted this initially on the Fletch Lives board, but want the thoughts of the people on here as well.
I thought Faltermeyer would try to incorporate some the motifs and sequences from the original Fletch, end embellish them with a southern touch. This combination was fertile ground for a very unique and original score. Kinda what Jerry Goldsmith did with the Rambo 2 score, where he blended militaristic themes with an oriental overtone. However Faltermeyer didn't utilize any of this in the score.
What I love about the original film, is the music. It makes watching the film a very unique experience. A who-done-it mystery with a irreverent lead character, a unique textural/character driven score, all amidst a distinctive mid-80's aesthetic.
Faltermeyer could have really taken the score to the next level with this one, kinda like Jerry kept upping the anti with the Rambo scores. However Faltermeyer seems to have just the absolutely minimum with this score. Recycling old queues and bringing very little new to the table.
Perhaps the producers wanted it this way? I doubt they wouldn't have knocked back a richly designed score by Faltermeyer that reflected the Southern location of the film.
Did he simply just phone this one in? Or was it a budgetary thing?