'Beowulf:' There's music, too

"Beowulf" is opening soon (Nov. 16!), and there are few movies this winter this writer is more excited to see. The word from those in the office who have caught screenings has been largely positive, and "Beowulf"-related sites are a regular stop on my weekly procrastination visits.

Today, the film's end credits song, "A Hero Comes Home," was made readily available on the Web (it was last written about here). The song was written by Glen Ballard and Alan Silverstri, and sung by stage star Idina Menzel. The orchestral overture and army-like drumming that open the cut are certainly trying to match the grand, fantastical graphics of the movie.

They don't. The song is bogged down by overwrought production work, with what sounds like heavily synthesized strings and church organs. The rhythm, though, certainly transports the listener to another place -- the U.S. pop charts in 1982. Menzel's vocals are strong enough to cut through all the schlock that Ballard and Silverstri have drenched the tune with, but they're also passionless.

No one remembers Enya's "May It Be" from "The Fellowship of the Ring," but that song was at least an exercise in restraint compared to "A Hero Comes Home," which enters cringe-worthy territory when a dime store guitar solo screeches behind Menzel's vocals.

Silverstri and Ballard received an Oscar nomination for their work on "Believe" from "The Polar Express," so "A Hero Comes Home" may receive similar treatment. Although that may be tough in a year that has given us fine songs from "Once," "American Gangster" and "Into the Wild," among many others.

Listen for yourself:

(Photo courtesy Paramount)