Don't take me wrong. Kamen's orchestral mixed with electronic score is action packed and no doubt would work great in the movie. Very much like 101 Dalmatians, his score is rousing and enjoyable in the movie. But the score is not as entertaining when listening alone due to the lack of thematic materials. Unlike other super hero/heroine comics, X-Men has loads of characters (That's probably why there was never a live action version). Composing a theme for each character and presenting all of them in one movie seems inconceivable. However, he should have at least composed a "theme" for Prof. X's crew and a "theme" Magneto's gang instead of just two barely existing motifs. The first one is a four-notes motif that is essentially adapted from the first four notes of the theme from the original cartoon series. I don't know if the absence of a new theme is caused by the constraint of the cartoon theme. John Williams (Superman) and Danny Elfman (Batman) did not restraint themselves and their scores turn out to be the greatest film scores of all time. I have no problem with Kamen using the cartoon theme because it is very catchy and at the same time serious enough. In fact I am very happy that Kamen used it. However, the theme was never fully utilized. The motif is used very subtly and appears very briefly in only a few places. I was waiting for the fully exposed glorious version but it never appeared (At least not in this album). In fact there is never any straight victorious and glorious cue. Then, there is another four-notes motif for Magneto's gang. The motif is too standard and subtle that I was not sure if it is a motif after many listen. The two motifs are very similar and sound like "call" and "answer". It's probably intentional. By the way, I keep referring to the CD itself because the running time is only 40 minutes. It makes me wonder how much music is missing.

As much as Kamen could have done more. There is still much merit in his score. "Death Camp" starts off with a moody descending scale piano solo that reminds me of John Ottman's Usual Suspects. The orchestral section soon builds into a Elliot Goldenthal (Batman Forever) like brassive version of the Magneto motif. In "Ambush," after a long quiet segment, it suddenly explodes to an electronic heavy action cue. The X-Men motif is soon quoted a few times boldly by the orchestra before it ends in a sudden. "Mutant School" is the first time that you can hear a real Kamen signature. After a somber string intro., a vintage Kamen joyful string and harp rhythm (Robin Hood, The Three Musketeers, From the Earth to the Moon kicks in with a beautiful horn solo. Unfortunately it does not last long. Soon a poignant version of the X-Men motif takes over and the somber music continues. "Magneto's Lair" is again filled with heavy electronic rhythm. The gothicity is enhanced by synthesizer and synth voices. It contains a low string "dance with the devil" type rhythm that is quite enjoyable. It's again Goldenthal like and the Magneto motif is quoted a couple of times. "Magneto Stand Off" is a shortened version of "Magneto's Lair." The heavy electronic rhythm continues in "Cerebro" and "Train." With the low brass and heavy electronic instruments playing at the same time, you may find they are a bit noisy. The beginning of "The X-Jet" is the most enjoyable part in the entire CD. It is because it is the only place you can truly feel the presence of the X-Men motif playing over a great rhythm. "Museum Fight" is a great electronic free action track. It is filled with sinister and chaotic strings, great string rhythm, and most importantly, the X-Men motif. "Final Showdown" is another tongue to cheek great action track. The instrumentation reminds me a bit of Don Davis' The Matrix. After a series of overwhelming action tracks, we get "Logan and Rogue" for dessert. It has a mellow and beautiful oboe theme. It reminds me of the end title of From the Earth to the Moon and is filled with Kamen's fingerprints. It soon resolves to a sorrow mood and concludes with the piano solo that begins the album.