Avatar

Being the highest grossing film of all time, it’s needless to say that Avatar has an amazing soundtrack to go with its beautiful storyline and special effects. After buying and listening to the soundtrack a few times, it’s not too difficult to distinguish the film score and the music of the Na’vi. The film score reminds me of a lot of works done by Han Zimmer, with the many harmonizing string instruments, complex melodies, and a feeling of deepness. The Na’vi, which I prefer, has a feeling of tribal music. The melodies are lighter with a big emphasis on drum beats. A good example of the differences between the two is the song in which Jake enters his avatar for the first time. In the beginning of the song, when he is being prepped and entering the avatar, the drums have a steady and simple rhythm while the orchestra performs a lot of chords in homophony. The beat is slow and steady. Once he enters his avatar body, the song transitions into a faster pace. A few instruments do the melody while a wide assortment of percussion instruments does a lot of complex rhythms. I think both types are beautiful, but I lean more towards the Na’vi because I love the percussion part.