PREDATORS: John Debney Hunts Down Silvestri’s Themes and More

The mid-late 1980s was a godsend for fans of action films. The era that produced Rambo, Aliens, Die Hard, and Lethal Weapon also produced [convicted] John McTiernan’s other great masterpiece, Predator. Though many of these films were haphazardly riddled with dated licensed tunes, it is no shocker that this era also saw the rise of several composers to prominence in the genre (and, thusly, the rest of the film industry) – James Horner, Danny Elfman, and Ira Newborn to name a few. Another of the champions – if not chief among them – is Alan Silvestri.

Most famous for composing the music for the legendary and timeless Back to the Future series, Alan Silvestri also helmed a stirring and iconic Predator score in 1987. These themes have been brought to new life thanks to Iron Man 2‘s John Debney.

The main theme of Predators is essentially a new performance of the old theme. The difference here is John Debney’s conducting. Played just a few clicks faster and with more pronounced percussion and – now – electric guitar, this rendition of Silvestri’s great theme does a great service to the original while giving just enough newness to make it worth a second purchase.

In a scene where we are introduced to the Predators’ hellhounds, the track “Hound Attack” roars in with the high sustained strings and – the Silvestri signature – pounding brass on every beat with full percussion. Debney not only wonderfully recreates the feel of Silvestri’s score, he updates it with some more ambient sounds and plays with the meter to create a greater feeling of instability.

If not for some extra percussion and the tempo, I could swear “Predator Attack” belonged in the middle of the first film. However, Debney masterfully combines both halves to the main Predator theme into a homophonic blast. Easily the highpoint of the score, this tune amounts to all of just under two minutes but is a Predator fan’s dream. The combination of themes continues with equally bombastic charm in “Smoke.” Between this track and the previously mentioned “Predator Attack,” Debney is teaching all of us a course on theme and variation. In fact, the entire score manages to show off his mastery of this aspect of the craft.

“Hanzo’s Last Stand” (a spoiler title if ever there were one…..HATE these), is one of the most interesting variations on the main themes. Debney has infused a loneliness symbolized by hammered bells – a death knell. This boding and ominous track highlights one of the more exciting and unique points in the film. Lastly,”Edwin and Isabelle” sounds as though it is the beautiful music child of the Predator and Iron Man.

DON’T MOVE. Now listen to how awesome my score is.

In scoring Predators, perhaps Mr. Debney’s role as composer is a thankless one. He is capitalizing on previously written (and iconic) themes. In fact, similar to a tech crew in a stage production, it can almost be an issue if he is noticed too much. But, Debney straddles the line exceptionally between reinvigorating an old score and putting his own mark on a revered series.

On the heels of film scores as varied as Iron Man 2 and The Passion of the Christ, it is especially exciting to see Debney helm an entirely different score in Predators and do so with such astonishing aplomb. Fans of the original score will go gaga for this and, hopefully, they will have discovered the talents of John Debney.