The electro vibrations are brought back on "Bison Takes Over," which sounds eerily familiar to a James Bond villain theme, albeit a bit more jacked up on adrenaline. Horns and drums collide as tinkling and shaking rhythms and surging synth undulate underneath.
For the bulk of the 27 tracks and cues (very few of the "songs" eclipse the 2-minute mark) Endelman keeps things moving at a brisk—and at times completely over-the-top—pace. There are few moments of actual introspection, where the music plays down its role in augmenting the onscreen action. "Opening Credits" is one of the more serene moments, making use of strings and what sounds like synthesized pan flute and Eastern stringed instrumentation.
Yet for every brief moment of respite Endelman counters it with at least two, three or four instances of in-your-face slickness. "Arriving In Bangkok" is teetering with syncopated hand-claps and a thunderous bassline that feels more like arriving in some cheesy underground Top 40 wannabe club in L.A. than the exotic underbelly of Thailand. Meanwhile the cascading percussion intro to "The Break In" is quickly eclipsed by forceful horns and raging synthetic convolution. It's clear on tracks like these that Endelman subscribes to the more is better methodology of film scores as opposed to the less is more. In many instances cues start out promisingly enough only to succumb to entropy often favoring neck shattering chaos over richly textured nuance ("Gen Attacked" and "Impress Me" are perfect examples of this).
That said some songs live up to their titles. "Running To Vega" has the sense of escape and pointed purpose, the rolling percussion stripped to the bone and keeping the electronic and orchestrated elements in check. Similarly, "Bison's Entrance" goes the more sedated route, relying on fluttering flute and enigmatic percussive rolls; it's one of the more genuinely haunting moments on the soundtrack. There are even brief respites of serenity, such as on "Leaving Home" and ominously restrained moments of sinister intention ("Bison's Meeting"), as well.
As a stand-alone score Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is just a bit much, emphasizing aural cheese rather than going for a more restrained and refined vibe. The score elements would have benefited greatly from the use of more organically stripped down instrumentation, mellower percussion, richer and quieter blends of ambient texturing, and far less electronic brashness. In the end Endelman just has too much going on at any given time, overloading the listener with more sounds than are needed.
Download Worthy:
1. "Running To Vega"
2. "Bison's Entrance"
3. "Reunited With Father"
4. "Chun-Li Training"
5. "Bison's Meeting"