Original Review by Alan Rogers
Ace Pilot: Infinity Drifter is a forthcoming online Flash-based video game that, from the images I have seen and the information I have read, appears to harken back to the days of Saturday morning serials such as Flash Gordon. We have a hero, a villain, a universe in peril and a battle of Good against Evil (where Good will undoubtedly triumph in the end). Co-directors Hans Van Harken and Justin Pruitt have called upon up-and-coming composer Brian Sadler to compose the score to this video game. Interestingly, Sadler currently divides his time between service in the U.S. Navy (where he is a member of the 7th Fleet Band), playing in a variety of bands and building his filmography by writing music for a variety of independent and student films. He also composes for the concert hall. Sadler has channelled his enthusiasm into this project, creating an orchestral score full of action and heroism but which also features hints of romance. The main theme is a simple one – perhaps better described as a motif – that immediately generates a sense of excitement as well as heroism with ascending brass fanfares, glam rock-style electric guitar (echoing Queen’s music for the 1980 version of Flash Gordon?) and driving percussive rhythms. It’s a theme that oozes the enthusiasm and excitement composers such as Michael Giacchino and Ryan Shore managed to instil in their scores for animated films such as The Incredibles and Rex Steele: Nazi Smasher, respectively. In less than a minute, “Ace Pilot Main Theme” defines what the score as a whole is about: an adrenaline-fuelled 30 minutes of action and adventure.
This opening track also highlights how Sadler is able to use the main theme in a variety of different ways to achieve different effects. For example, in the middle portion of the opening track of the album, the composer drops the brass in favour of delicate, almost cheeky, strings and piano to give the theme a more light-hearted feel. Read the rest of this entry »
