Hans Zimmer Scoring The Man of Steel - Part 2

[mclay18]

I don't know... part of the score's ambience reminds me of JNH's Green Lantern score. And Zimmer just doesn't develop that thematic idea (that was in trailer 3) over the course of the score. There's some highlights sprinkled throughout the score, but I'm disappointed with Zimmer's MOS score. Maybe it'll work beautifully in the film, but it's underwhelming as a listening experience.

I wish someone like John Powell had gotten this movie. He's had experience working with Zimmer but he's his own composer now. He would've knocked this film out of the park... and the theme would be so much stronger.

 

[jasvll]

I don't know... part of the score's ambience reminds me of JNH's Green Lantern score. And Zimmer just doesn't develop that thematic idea (that was in trailer 3) over the course of the score. There's some highlights sprinkled throughout the score, but I'm disappointed with Zimmer's MOS score. Maybe it'll work beautifully in the film, but it's underwhelming as a listening experience.

I wish someone like John Powell had gotten this movie. He's had experience working with Zimmer but he's his own composer now. He would've knocked this film out of the park... and the theme would be so much stronger.

Have you heard the whole thing?

 

[mclay18]

I've heard 90 second clips of the soundtrack.

 

[Gavan]

Does anyone else get a Dune (1985) vibe from some of the pieces?

 

[Still Wynning]

I don't know... part of the score's ambience reminds me of JNH's Green Lantern score. And Zimmer just doesn't develop that thematic idea (that was in trailer 3) over the course of the score. There's some highlights sprinkled throughout the score, but I'm disappointed with Zimmer's MOS score. Maybe it'll work beautifully in the film, but it's underwhelming as a listening experience.

I'm not disappointed with it, but I definitely think that the score's still just kind of...there. It will probably work great within in the film like you said, but not so much on its own. And I've really liked or loved a lot of his other scores.

Still very much looking forward to the film, though!

 

[TheFlamingCoco]

^ I consider MOS score so far to be better than one expected, but not as good as one hopes. That being said, I consider the MOS theme to be one of the best superhero themes.

 

[rashad]

All this from 90 sec clips.

 

[Still Wynning]

So, if people say its one of the best things they've ever heard after only hearing 90-second samples, people get by scot-free and pat each other on the backs.

But if people, after hearing the exact same thing, say something negative about it, other people are allowed to point fingers at the naysayers?

Just because some of us criticize the soundtrack, it doesn't mean we hate it. It just means that we think there could be room for improvement and that we want it to be the best soundtrack it can be.

 

[jasvll]

So, if people say its one of the best things they've ever heard after only hearing 90-second samples, people get by scot-free and pat each other on the backs.

But if people, after hearing the exact same thing, say something negative about it, other people are allowed to point fingers at the naysayers?

Just because some of us criticize the soundtrack, it doesn't mean we hate it. It just means that we think there could be room for improvement and that we want it to be the best soundtrack it can be.

The poster said 'all this', not 'some of this'.

 

[Stephen K. Hone]

I don't know... part of the score's ambience reminds me of JNH's Green Lantern score. And Zimmer just doesn't develop that thematic idea (that was in trailer 3) over the course of the score. There's some highlights sprinkled throughout the score, but I'm disappointed with Zimmer's MOS score. Maybe it'll work beautifully in the film, but it's underwhelming as a listening experience.

I wish someone like John Powell had gotten this movie. He's had experience working with Zimmer but he's his own composer now. He would've knocked this film out of the park... and the theme would be so much stronger.

Really, You know that John Powell would have hit it out of the park? You think he would have, but you don't actually know. I thought JNH would have come up with a great GL theme when he was announced as the composer, but (imo) what he came up with was laughably predictable and a lazy effort. Despite what Elevatorman says, the theme to GL: First Flight was brilliant. Did it sound Bond-ish? Yes, but not Arnold's Bond, it's more John Barry's Bond to my ears. The fact it was evocative of Bond music was sort of ironic considering the live action movie was helmed by two time Bond director Martin Campbell. WB blew the great theme on the Animated version. But I digress, back to MOS's score. My guess is it that Trailer # 3 is the guts of the MOS theme and imo HZ hit it out of the park. Grand Slam Big Time outta the park. I never thought in a million years we would get something this good considering how revered JW's theme is. The Williams theme/score is genius but it belongs with S:TM. It's too jaunty for MOS. Hans score seems much more befitting for this contemporary take on the Superman mythos.

Some of the tracks are 4 minutes or so long. I don't see how anyone can judge the whole soundtrack based on mainly 90 second samples (plucked from thos 4 mins) and two or three complete tracks, out of the context of the actual movie.

One of my friends had the brilliant idea that as a nod or acknowledgment of JW's theme, someone in the movie has their cellphone go off (perhaps in a daily Planet scene) at an inappropriate time, and it's the opening bars of the Superman March. That then gave me the idea that it could be coupled with them looking embarrassingly at the screen, seeing that it's from perhaps JW or CR, and they switch it off and apologize. "Who was that" Perry asks? They reply with a wink and a nod/wry smile on their face: "Sorry, it was a friend"

 

[hulk24]

I forget which song but in the 90 second clips one drum beat sounds like sup-er-man-man-of-steel

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

All this from 90 sec clips.

It's like me making a full opinion on a film based on trailers and tv spots alone.

 

[Stephen K. Hone]

So, if people say its one of the best things they've ever heard after only hearing 90-second samples, people get by scot-free and pat each other on the backs.

But if people, after hearing the exact same thing, say something negative about it, other people are allowed to point fingers at the naysayers?

Just because some of us criticize the soundtrack, it doesn't mean we hate it. It just means that we think there could be room for improvement and that we want it to be the best soundtrack it can be.

I'll see your logic, and raise you with some hypocrisy!!cwink:

 

[TrueMiracle85]

From what I've heard of the score so far, this really sounds like it's going to be Zimmer's best score in years. In a way it seems like a lot of his recent scores have been building towards this beautiful music. To me, it sounds like The Lion King meets The Last Samurai meets Inception. Not a bad grouping of music at all.

 

[747]

I'm a big Zimmer fan and his solid composing greatness and cinematic understanding seems to be unbroken with the Man of Steel score. Love what I've heard so far.

 

[AnneFan]

Zimmer speaks:

"I just had a conversation recently with Zack where I was trying to look at my life in the future," Zimmer said. "He was going, 'Well, we want to go and do this and we want to go and [do this]'. I was thinking, 'Oh my god. Here we go again."

 

[mclay18]

All this from 90 sec clips.

You can usually get a good feeling for what the score is by the clips, but there are exceptions to that.

I was really hoping for another Zimmer score akin to Da Vinci Code... a similar ascending motif like "Chevaliers de Sangreal" would've been perfect for MOS (and I would be happy with it). Or more of that moodiness from The Thin Red Line.

I'm just not digging the actual approach Zimmer took for MOS. I was hoping Snyder would encourage to go further than the ambient soundscape from the Batman trilogy, but now...

I'm still looking forward to the film. Maybe hearing the score in context with the film will improve it, but as a listening experience... the score doesn't impress me at all.

 

[Gavan]

Frankly I don't think John Williams' score is as memorable as everyone assumes it is. When most people think of the "Williams Superman music" they really mean the Williams main theme ("da-dadadada..."), nothing more. I'm sure his Star Wars music is more memorable in part due to more films and merchandise using it.

Some few will also think of "Can You Read My Mind", but that's a song with lyrics.

Even fewer will be able to recognize other pieces from Williams's score by ear. Probably not even the Krypton fanfare.

 

[mclay18]

Frankly I don't think John Williams' score is as memorable as everyone assumes it is. When most people think of the "Williams Superman music" they really mean the Williams main theme ("da-dadadada..."), nothing more.

Williams' Superman: The Movie score is one of my favorites he's done. The march is good, but I think everything else is even better (save for "March of the Villains"). I'm not fond of the actual "Can You Read My Mind?" song, but as part of the score... the theme is quite beautiful and lyrical.

Williams' Superman theme is ingrained in pop culture, but it's been used as punchlines in many different jokes... it's just not as iconic as Star Wars has been.

 

[BatLobster]

I was really hoping for another Zimmer score akin to Da Vinci Code... a similar ascending motif like "Chevaliers de Sangreal" would've been perfect for MOS (and I would be happy with it). Or more of that moodiness from The Thin Red Line.

To be honest though, Chevaliers de Sangreal is kind of reminiscent of a "A Dark Knight". I feel he's done a great job of separating this score tonally from all his Batman work. For me now it's only a matter of seeing the effect it has in the actual film.

 

[SuperAl]

Zimmer speaks:

"I just had a conversation recently with Zack where I was trying to look at my life in the future," Zimmer said. "He was going, 'Well, we want to go and do this and we want to go and [do this]'. I was thinking, 'Oh my god. Here we go again."

haha thats awesome, hopefully that means zack is back for the sequels

 

[Simo]

For what its worth somebody that saw the movie commented how the MOS theme has been stuck in her head all week and she can't stop humming it.

 

[Stephen K. Hone]

For what its worth somebody that saw the movie commented how the MOS theme has been stuck in her head all week and she can't stop humming it.

Now imagine 5-10 yrs from now, and it will likely be ingrained into pop culture.

 

[TheFlamingCoco]

For what its worth somebody that saw the movie commented how the MOS theme has been stuck in her head all week and she can't stop humming it.

I actually think it's right behind Elfman's Spider-Man theme.

So, for what it's worth, it's my fourth favorite superhero movie theme.

1. John Willaims Superman
2. Danny Elfman's Batman
3.Danny Elfman's Spider-Man
4. Zimmer's Man of Steel

All three of these earlier themes were composed more than a decade ago. So I would go as far to say that MOS is EASILY the best recent superhero theme.

 

[mclay18]

To be honest though, Chevaliers de Sangreal is kind of reminiscent of a "A Dark Knight".

It is, but "Chevaliers" has this huge, harmonic and wondrous sound that "A Dark Knight" can't quite attain.

I personally think Zimmer peaked in 2006-2007, and he hasn't really hit the highs he achieved with POTC 3 and Da Vinci Code. Ever since BB, his Batman scores have been underwhelming.