Now, because we are talking about a movie score, there was one thing I sorely missed, and that was a unifying theme.  There was no one particular piece which jumped out at me as being uniquely Spiderwick.  There was nothing I could latch onto and immediately identify with the film.  Much of John Williams' work, for example, is built thematically.  Taking pieces like the “Jurassic Park Theme”, “Duel of the Fates”, or “Hedwig's Theme”, Williams creates variations and tie-ins which give his scores a unique, instantly recognizable, sound.  Based on what I know of Horner's work, it seems apparent that themes are not his natural inclination, nor do I think he wants to be seen as imitating Williams.  Nevertheless, I felt this was a lack in the score, and may be an answer for why John has three more Oscars than James.

The Spiderwick Chronicles film opens Thursday, February 14th.  The original motion picture score is in stores now.