Favorite Batman (Classic) Film Score

[VenomVsSpidey]

Mine is Returns, then Bats, then Forever. I'd Like to hear everyone else's input on the subject.
B&R had some cool stuff too (check it out on my Youtube account (venospid) /the complete bootleg score), but too much relied on BF's music.

 

[Cain]

Returns has the most layered of all scores in that series. To me that is a work of art and one of the best pieces of music not just movie music ever crafted. It's a nicely lengthy one too but you could honestly watch the movie in mute with the score on and you'd still get the same punch. It's a great example of storytelling through music every beat captures and emotion. Every character has their own distinctive music that speaks on their thematics. Beautiful stuff.

The runner up would be the BATMAN score which is great in it's own right and the precursor to the excellence that was the Returns score. Batman Forever was good but I think what holds it back a tad is that Goldenthal got too derivative of his own compositions so a lot of the songs sound redundant after a while but it is still very heroic sounding and charming. Has some good dramatic beats on it too.

 

[VenomVsSpidey]

Returns has the most layered of all scores in that series. To me that is a work of art and one of the best pieces of music not just movie music ever crafted. It's a nicely lengthy one too but you could honestly watch the movie in mute with the score on and you'd still get the same punch. It's a great example of storytelling through music every beat captures and emotion. Every character has their own distinctive music that speaks on their thematics. Beautiful stuff.

The runner up would be the BATMAN score which is great in it's own right and the precursor to the excellence that was the Returns score. Batman Forever was good but I think what holds it back a tad is that Goldenthal got too derivative of his own compositions so a lot of the songs sound redundant after a while but it is still very heroic sounding and charming. Has some good dramatic beats on it too.

 

[El Payaso]

Batman, B Returns, B Forever

 

[VenomVsSpidey]

Batman, B Returns, B Forever

what do you think of B&R's score?

 

[Gotham22]

Batman - simple, it's just dark and I like it.
Batman Forever - It has some dark moments but has it's lighter moments too which is good to me.
Batman & Robin - similar to BF but there are some different parts to it and I still like it.

I dont like Batman Returns to much. It's very dark and kind of creepy for me. Also some parts sound like an Edward Scissorhands sequel.

 

[Jolly Rolly]

Batman and Batman Returns are both excellent scores with Catwoman's transformation being the saddest.

Batman Forever and Batman & Robin seem to have the same music just spliced into scenes and the Batman fanfare theme is very tacky, it just seems to have a beginning but no end.

Elliot Goldenthal's music is much better in Alien 3.

 

[mothy]

both the scores for batman begins and the dark knight are good. they more explore the tension in night-time scenes rather than celebrating the arrival of the main character. that’s fine, and works well in the respective films. though, I like elfman’s flourish hands down.

elfman could have just done the batman (1989) soundtrack, and that would have been enough. it's all there. it is just the sound of the character. i love it and will never leave it.

however, the best soundtrack in my eyes is batman returns.

to me, this is batman. danny elfman really captured the vibe of batman and his world.

i love the gloomy atmosphere it has. it doesn't just have mean spirited and miserable gloom; it has a sleek, mysterious vibe. It feels frozen, haunting and tragic.

i'll agree the batman returns score is focused more on the penguin and catwoman. but strangely enough, for me it is somehow a million times superior because of that. elfman didn't lazily rest on his past laurels; he instead created an entirely new sound.

i do think it is a superior effort in that it's a much broader canvas and less reliant on the batman theme. i think less is more. the batman theme is instead saved up for great effect. and what an excellent theme to have up your sleeve.

 

[Brother Jack]

Batman Returns followed closely by Batman. Elfman's scores are so iconic, fun, and dark.

Honestly though I think the best Batman score ever written is Mask of the Phantasm by Shirley Walker. What sets it apart for me is that the other scores, while good in their own ways, are confined mainly to their respective versions of Batman. I feel that Walker's theme represents the Batman of all times, not just the one in Burton's films or Nolan's films.

 

[theMan-Bat]

Batman Returns.

 

[returntovoid]

Batman 89 score by Danny Elfman and Batman: Mask of Phantasm by Shirley Walker were the best.

These two scores really capture Batman, for me.

 

[Bruce Banner]

Definately Batman Returns. I've listened to it on my Ipod in the car on the way home at night. Really amplifys the vibes you can get depending on where your at.

 

[The Joker]

Batman Returns.

 

[Team Andino]

What I love about Batman Returns' Score is how everyone has there own them an how well they were sliced together in the movie. Creepy stuff with good visuals help make this movie so memorable for me an IMO a under rated movie. The original Batman score is great although sticks to the same formula. I still get chills w/e I watch the scene when Bruce has a flashback of his parents death an that music plays as he looks through the newspaper clippings.

Batman Forever an Batman & Robin are to similar an with the exception of a minor part here an there don't do much for me when it comes to playing on my emotions, maybe it has to do that when the music played in the movie it wasn't anything that important or special going on.

 

[mothy]

it's great to see batman returns getting some love. those that hate the soundtrack as well as the film are pushing the hate way too far.

 

[bane]

Returns, BB, TDK, B89, MOTP, Forever, Batman66 and B&R

 

[MysterioMenace]

Danny Elfman is just incredible. Still the best Batman score, by far! I love the Nolan film Zimmer soundtracks too, but they just don't have any outright stand-out piece when watching the film. It lacks character themes, at least to the degree of Elfmans classic score. That's always bigged me. When you think Batman, you hear the Elfman theme. The gothic darkness of it all just gives me chills.

I think the score for Batman the Animated Series should also be mentioned. Some of those villain themes I remember clear as day. I even catch myself whistling from time to time. In some ways, I think the series had the best soundtrack...even topping all the live-action films.

 

[mothy]

When you think Batman, you hear the Elfman theme. The gothic darkness of it all just gives me chills.

no doubt. gothic, eerie, tragic and heroic all at once. it will never, ever be topped in my book. the perfect musical snapshot of the character.

 

[returntovoid]

Danny Elfman is just incredible. Still the best Batman score, by far! I love the Nolan film Zimmer soundtracks too, but they just don't have any outright stand-out piece when watching the film. It lacks character themes, at least to the degree of Elfmans classic score. That's always bigged me. When you think Batman, you hear the Elfman theme. The gothic darkness of it all just gives me chills.

I think the score for Batman the Animated Series should also be mentioned. Some of those villain themes I remember clear as day. I even catch myself whistling from time to time. In some ways, I think the series had the best soundtrack...even topping all the live-action films.

no doubt. gothic, eerie, tragic and heroic all at once. it will never, ever be topped in my book. the perfect musical snapshot of the character.

Great posts, I couldn't agree more.

 

[returntovoid]

Found something interesting on YouTube, thought of sharing it on this thread.

It's a Heavy Metal sounding guitar, bass and drums cover of the Batman 89 score.

[YT]-UQnaUjAEMA&[/YT]

 

[El Payaso]

HAHAHHAHAH! Incredible man!!!

 

[returntovoid]

HAHAHHAHAH! Incredible man!!!

The person who did that, definitely has great guitar playing skills and the B89 theme is just perfect for Heavy Metal music.

 

[Bat Attack]

Danny Elfman's original Batman score. I recently bought it on Vinyl and it sounds even more amazing than the CD or MP3 releases of the score (but I'm partial to vinyl's sound so maybe it's just me). Everything about it is so perfect.

 

[manhattanl]

I too have to go with both Batman and Batman Returns. They are both so incredibly dramatic and emotional.

 

[Amber]

i love Batman '89 score they also use that same music on Lego Batman for Wii, PS3, PS2, Nintendo DS/DSi