Ottman does break new ground in his own writing, again almost channelling Elliot Goldenthal, Jerry Goldsmith and Michael Giacchino at varying times in this soundtrack, and yet somehow swirling all that up with John Williams flavor of bombast. Sometimes the choir isn't used all that creatively, but that seems to be by design, not by failure of ambition. Just use the voices as punctuation, not as key component of the melody. Most times it works, but yes, some cues sound more like noodling, incidental music rather than a key part of the storytelling. I don't see much overuse, he spares it for the most part.
I think it DOES stand out, Ottman's "Personal Theme for Superman" especially, which almost overtakes the Love Theme in terms of quiet grandiosity. But it doesn't quite scale all the heights Williams' does. even with 55 minutes only, the pieces Ottman chose seem to meander just a LITTLE too much, sometimes making the album feel longer than it is.
But when Ottman decides to stomp on it, he does. The ostinato has never sounded as full and URGENT as it does a couple times in this film, the build to the main theme never as pressing and energetic. It works well when it wants to rouse you.
I love that theme!
