Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Michael Giacchino’s penchant for punning track titles may reach a new level of playfulness here, but there’s nothing remotely lightweight about his masterful orchestral score for this Planet of the Apes reboot/prequel. The film’s stand-alone storyline freed the GRAMMY®/Emmy/Oscar-winning composer to explore writing outside his familiar jazzy instincts, and he gratifyingly used the opportunity to honor a musical inspiration—and the composer who gave the original franchise its avant-garde edge. “I knew immediately that I wanted to acknowledge the experimental musical style that my hero Jerry Goldsmith chose for the original film by finding my own interesting sounds,” says Giacchino of his new score. “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is an extremely moving story about tolerance and how we deal with each other as a society. I knew we would have to treat that subtext with great respect and dignity. I hope that I have done so while also honoring Jerry's original sound.”