Jade is one of those James Horner releases that I suspect will be prized more for its collectibility than its musical content. I’ve often marveled at those who would spend hundreds of dollars on eBay for the out-of-print Vibes CD when one of his many in-print albums would be a lot more interesting. Those will probably be the same sort of completists that will seek out this album.

When it was announced that the French electronic duo Daft Punk would be scoring the hotly anticipated sequel to Tron, the elephant in the room was whether this was “stunt casting” on the part of the producers or a legitimate attempt to infuse something unique into the film’s soundtrack. One could argue that Disney made a similarly unusual choice in Wendy Carlos, the composer of the original film. While it’s true she was a Hollywood outsider, she did have a proven track record of fusing electronic music with a classical orchestra. Daft Punk on the other hand were primarily known for their infectious, sometimes maddeningly repetitious dance music and their eccentric stage shows.

Modern variations of the vampire myth, such as Twilight and True Blood, have reduced the creature from a figure of dread and horror to a near comic anti-superhero with fangs. Little of the best cinematic depictions by Max Schreck or Bela Lugosi remain.

Bear McCreary's score is definitely set in the same universe as Battlestar: Galactica, but this is a more subtle and refined sound. The instrumentation is certainly more traditional here.

Let it be said that it must be very difficult to walk into a franchise you’re familiar with, start completely fresh and yet stay within the confines of what was. The trick and the problem with Giacchino’s take on Star Trek is that its too safe.

The best representation of the show's style is the title theme, a sorrowful celtic fiddle against large ambient drum hits. The combination of lyricism and imposing musical thunder gives the title an air of anxiety, hope and dread.

Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders work for Max Payne may fall into the category of the forgotten but the truth is that its inventive nature and black-on-black atmosphere deserves a lot more. The score rests on churning, nauseating samples and drum loops.

Gone are weighty subplots in exchange for big action, bigger effects and even a little romance. The composers also switched out from the comic-book-burn-out Elfman to Craig Armstrong, who is best remembered for some exceedingly simple and beautiful underscores for Baz Luhrmann.