Justice League Danny Elfman Scoring Justice League - Part 1

[Elevator Man]

It doesn't take much for this thread to become toxic, does it? All it takes is for someone to say they personally don't care for a particular style of music and all hell breaks loose.

Indeed. Since Elfman signed on JL, which was back in June, coming into this thread has been like this everyday for me.

[YT]IygAWiKMQ_M[/YT]

 

[Consona]

I like Hans Zimmer's theme, but Danny Elfman's Batman theme IS the Batman theme.

It IS the Batman theme for the 1989 Batman. That's all. Case closed. There is no one true objective metaphysically given theme for any character.

For me, the best and most memorable Batman theme is from The Animated Series. I can recall and hum that theme any given second while I have to think for some time before I can remember and hum the Elfman's theme.

Here is the reason for what Elfman says, it's from the interview:

The people at DC are starting to understand we’ve got these iconic bits from our past and that’s part of us, that’s part of our heritage -- we shouldn’t run away from that. Contemporary thinking is, every time they reboot something, you have to start completely from scratch -- which, of course, audiences will tell us again and again, is ********. Because the single-most surviving and loved theme in the world is Star Wars, which they had the good sense to not dump for the reboots. And every time it comes back, the audience goes crazy.

I think he misinterpreted the situation. The new Star Wars episodes are continuation of the same universe. DCEU is not Williams' Superman nor his Batman.

 

[baerrtt]

It IS the Batman theme for the 1989 Batman. That's all. Case closed. There is no one true objective metaphysically given theme for any character.

For me, the best and most memorable Batman theme is from The Animated Series. I can recall and hum that theme any given second while I have to think for some time before I can remember and hum the Elfman's theme.

Here is the reason for what Elfman says, it's from the interview:

I think he misinterpreted the situation. The new Star Wars episodes are continuation of the same universe. DCEU is not Williams' Superman nor his Batman.

To be fair the animated series theme originally was Elfman's theme for Burton's Bat movies or a variation of it at least until Shirley Walker created a new one.

 

[BH/HHH]

Yeah Batman the anaimated series was a slight variation on the same theme by Elfman. I
He was even credited in the credits with so. So if you think BTAS is the definite Batman theme then you also think the '89/Returns theme is as it's the same theme.

 

[Angel0fDeath]

7:45
[YT]VMw0EjLFPXw[/YT]

 

[Consona]

To be fair the animated series theme originally was Elfman's theme for Burton's Bat movies or a variation of it at least until Shirley Walker created a new one.

I know it's a variation of the Elfman's theme but to me it sounds better than the original.

 

[idiot09]

7:45
[YT]VMw0EjLFPXw[/YT]

Didnt know that. Very cool.

 

[matt47]

It IS the Batman theme for the 1989 Batman. That's all. Case closed. There is no one true objective metaphysically given theme for any character.

For me, the best and most memorable Batman theme is from The Animated Series. I can recall and hum that theme any given second while I have to think for some time before I can remember and hum the Elfman's theme.

Here is the reason for what Elfman says, it's from the interview:

I think he misinterpreted the situation. The new Star Wars episodes are continuation of the same universe. DCEU is not Williams' Superman nor his Batman.

This. All of this.
It's so single minded of him to think that everyone's favorite Batman theme i the 89 version. Wake up call, its been 28 years. Lots of people
Have been born since then who have never seen it, or like me, have seen it and thought it was a boring low budget cheesy film. Even when I was young I thought that. The theme is fine but it's dated.
Everyone has their own favorite version of the character and his theme, so for Elfman to just assume that his theme is the only one audiences are drawn to is pathetic. Seriously I get he is an idol to some and I even love some of his music. The spidey theme is glorious. But he isn't the best....especially not in the last 10 years.
Everything he has said about JL has been the exact opposite of what alot of people wanted.
For me and many others the Batman theme is from TDK. And now, I love the BvS Bats theme. Listen to Men are still good the Batman music starts after the mos theme. It's straight up gothic Batman. It's like the 89 version but not cheesy.
I'm sorry but everything I've heard from JL,from thise two tracks and the clip, it just sounds cheesy 80s cliche heroic music.

Sigh....
Sorry I had to vent a little. I'm just so disappointed about what is happening with the brand in general and the score is one of many examples....and it's killing me.

 

[markjoedelonge]

this. All of this.
It's so single minded of him to think that everyone's favorite batman theme i the 89 version. Wake up call, its been 28 years. Lots of people
have been born since then who have never seen it, or like me, have seen it and thought it was a boring low budget cheesy film. Even when i was young i thought that. The theme is fine but it's dated.
Everyone has their own favorite version of the character and his theme, so for elfman to just assume that his theme is the only one audiences are drawn to is pathetic. Seriously i get he is an idol to some and i even love some of his music. The spidey theme is glorious. But he isn't the best....especially not in the last 10 years.
Everything he has said about jl has been the exact opposite of what alot of people wanted.
For me and many others the batman theme is from tdk. And now, i love the bvs bats theme. Listen to men are still good the batman music starts after the mos theme. It's straight up gothic batman. It's like the 89 version but not cheesy.
I'm sorry but everything i've heard from jl,from thise two tracks and the clip, it just sounds cheesy 80s cliche heroic music.

Sigh....
Sorry i had to vent a little. I'm just so disappointed about what is happening with the brand in general and the score is one of many examples....and it's killing me.

qft.

 

[Consona]

Sigh....
Sorry I had to vent a little. I'm just so disappointed about what is happening with the brand in general and the score is one of many examples....and it's killing me.

Yea. I'm just glad we got MoS and BvS and I hope there will be glimpses of pure Snyderism in JL but I'm starting to accept this era is over. I still hope DCEU will contain some more grit but I highly doubt we'll get something as majestic as BvS even again.

The bold shakespearean comic book high-budget filmmaking is dead. Bury it.

 

[idiot09]

This. All of this.
It's so single minded of him to think that everyone's favorite Batman theme i the 89 version. Wake up call, its been 28 years. Lots of people
Have been born since then who have never seen it, or like me, have seen it and thought it was a boring low budget cheesy film. Even when I was young I thought that. The theme is fine but it's dated.
Everyone has their own favorite version of the character and his theme, so for Elfman to just assume that his theme is the only one audiences are drawn to is pathetic. Seriously I get he is an idol to some and I even love some of his music. The spidey theme is glorious. But he isn't the best....especially not in the last 10 years.
Everything he has said about JL has been the exact opposite of what alot of people wanted.
For me and many others the Batman theme is from TDK. And now, I love the BvS Bats theme. Listen to Men are still good the Batman music starts after the mos theme. It's straight up gothic Batman. It's like the 89 version but not cheesy.
I'm sorry but everything I've heard from JL,from thise two tracks and the clip, it just sounds cheesy 80s cliche heroic music.

Sigh....
Sorry I had to vent a little. I'm just so disappointed about what is happening with the brand in general and the score is one of many examples....and it's killing me.

I agree. I dont get it either when people say this change of composers was "course correction". Course correcting makes sense, when you change things that people have complained about. The soundtrack was almost unanimously praised in MOS and BvS. THAT was not the issue people had in those films. To change that just seems foolish to me. Even WW had that brand/style of scoring, and people liked that just fine!

 

[markjoedelonge]

I agree. I dont get it either when people say this change of composers was "course correction". Course correcting makes sense, when you change things that people have complained about. The soundtrack was almost unanimously praised in MOS and BvS. THAT was not the issue people had in those films. To change that just seems foolish to me. Even WW had that brand/style of scoring, and people liked that just fine!

Here come the people who say "But I didn't find anything special about those scores" as if it's some objective truth. The reality is that the scores were never what was wrong with the films.

 

[Gu3ree]

This. All of this.
It's so single minded of him to think that everyone's favorite Batman theme i the 89 version. Wake up call, its been 28 years. Lots of people
Have been born since then who have never seen it, or like me, have seen it and thought it was a boring low budget cheesy film. Even when I was young I thought that. The theme is fine but it's dated.
Everyone has their own favorite version of the character and his theme, so for Elfman to just assume that his theme is the only one audiences are drawn to is pathetic. Seriously I get he is an idol to some and I even love some of his music. The spidey theme is glorious. But he isn't the best....especially not in the last 10 years.
Everything he has said about JL has been the exact opposite of what alot of people wanted.
For me and many others the Batman theme is from TDK. And now, I love the BvS Bats theme. Listen to Men are still good the Batman music starts after the mos theme. It's straight up gothic Batman. It's like the 89 version but not cheesy.
I'm sorry but everything I've heard from JL,from thise two tracks and the clip, it just sounds cheesy 80s cliche heroic music.

Sigh....
Sorry I had to vent a little. I'm just so disappointed about what is happening with the brand in general and the score is one of many examples....and it's killing me.

I don’t think the theme is dated. It’s part of the animated series.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Threads like this become frustrating, because it simply boils down to a few fans arguing back and forth pointlessly.

''We want Junkie''
''Screw Junkie... Elfman is better''
''Nuh uh... Junkie created the best themes ever. And they don't even sound dated''
Etc. etc. Rinse and repeat.

Bottom line, Elfman is doing the score for this film. Someone else will do the score for Aquaman. And so on. Until we hear the finished product both isolated and apart of the movie, all this bickering is pointless.

Zimmer moved on, WB didn't feel Junkie was the best fit moving forward. That's life. I say we stop bashing any composer until we can give the work a fair and full evaluation.

 

[idiot09]

''Nuh uh... Junkie created the best themes ever. ''

I get that's an exaggeration, but that's not remotely what we are saying though. Junkie is a good composer, but there are far better out there. I'm okay with a new composer coming in...but Elfman was a wrong choice imo, and his decision and reasoning to bring back the 89' Batman theme in full force validates that. None of that has anything to do with what Junkie did, or what I think of JXL. That has all to do with what Elfman is doing. And that's coming from someone who likes his Hero's track.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

I would never say a composer is ''wrong'' until I get to experience the full score in the movie and isolated.

The jury is still very much out.

 

[Consona]

Using Williams' Superman and '89 Batman's themes is weird even without hearing a note of the soundtrack.

 

[idiot09]

I would never say a composer is ''wrong'' until I get to experience the full score in the movie and isolated.

The jury is still very much out.

The idea is wrong for me. The execution is yet to be seen.

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

Listening to Elfman's JL stuff, it's not the melodies or bringing back old themes that I think feels off so much as the arrangements and production/mixing.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Using Williams' Superman and '89 Batman's themes is weird even without hearing a note of the soundtrack.

The general public (non-message board folks) won't even flinch at this.

 

[Consona]

Listening to Elfman's JL stuff, it's not the melodies or bringing back old themes that I think feels off so much as the arrangements and production/mixing.

Yea, it does not sound anything like Zimmer's DCEU stuff.

The general public (non-message board folks) won't even flinch at this.

It's about the notion itself.

 

[BH/HHH]

I think changing the music was in part of WBs wanting to change the tone of the films. Whether we're happy about it or not it's irrelevant, WBs wants people to go see this film so they're doing whatever they feel will help draw the audiences in.

 

[Beatnation]

It IS the Batman theme for the 1989 Batman. That's all. Case closed. There is no one true objective metaphysically given theme for any character.

For me, the best and most memorable Batman theme is from The Animated Series. I can recall and hum that theme any given second while I have to think for some time before I can remember and hum the Elfman's theme.

Here is the reason for what Elfman says, it's from the interview:

I think he misinterpreted the situation. The new Star Wars episodes are continuation of the same universe. DCEU is not Williams' Superman nor his Batman.

 

[idiot09]

Atleast I hope he updates his Batman theme for this modern iteration and doesnt just copy paste his old theme...

 

[markjoedelonge]

Atleast I hope he updates his Batman theme for this modern iteration and doesnt just copy paste his old theme...

This....