The Amazing Spider-Man The Amazing Spider-Man // The Score (by James Horner)

I am shocked we dont have a thread for the score by James Horner yet. I searched up und down and I was SURE I must have overlooked the thread, but after 10 minutes of searching I came to the conclusion that there is no thread for the score. That must be changed!

I for one dont really know much about scoring a movie. I can only judge by low standards, like did this or this music que fit the scene, is the main theme fitting (is it heroic enough for the hero), is the action well underlayed with music? All those kinds of questions.

At first I was kinda sceptical when I heard James Horner was scoring this. I know that James Horner is very well one of the most skilled and passionated blockbuster composers out there, but I always knew him best for Titanic and Avatar. While his musical style was very fitting for those (for he often uses chorus) I couldnt imagine him to come up with a fitting theme for Spider-Man.

Of course the biggest gripe I had from the beginning was that Spidey had been scored near perfectly ALREADY. And that not too long ago. I would go as far and say that Danny Elfmans Score is one of the very best things about Raimis Spider-Man.

The Elfman Spider-Man theme goes right from your ear to your heart, it really makes you feel the hero Spider-Man truly is. This theme is definatly iconic, right up there with Batman, Superman and Indiana Jones.

For a long while I couldnt imagine to see Spidey swinging through New York City to any other music ques than Elfmans.

Well, that long while lasted until July 5th, 2012. I did NOT hear any snippets of the score previously released online. I was completely unprepared and open for the new score. I didnt expect it to be iconic, I didnt expect it to make me feel warm in my heart and I wasent even sure if I would remember some of the music after leaving the theatre.

I was so wrong!

The very first sound I heard when the Columbia Logo was seen was a mourning chorus voice. It did last for 5 seconds or so. I was like : "Meh". But then...when the flipping page Marvel logo showed up and the TRUMPETS started playing in there all american and heroic manner I almost started crying. I am not even kidding! I was strucked by the score just 10 seconds in. And in that very moments I heard the trumpets, I knew that James Horner pulled off an good, if not awesome Spidey-Score.

The next beautiful moment was only less then 1 minute after that. When young Peter was sitting on the stairs counting because he was about to play hide n seek, the score had a moment of a young sounding chorus voice, humming the meldody the trumpets had done before. That image with young Peter on the stairs was beautiful, and it was made beautiful by the score.

There are many examples for that feeling I had during the film. The score was always good, esspecially in the calm scenes, like Peter talking to Connors, or Uncle Ben dying.

But the ultimate highlight of the score came - obviously - with the infamous "crane scene". As cheesy or unnessacary it might have been (I dont think so, by the way, I thought it was nice and heart warming), the execution of this scene is above any doubt ! An wounded Spidey finding himself unable to make it in time to the tower - to save the city - suddenly gets help by the city itself.

Spidey standing on the rooftop, looking slowly straight up above...and then he sees that all cranes turn to the street in the very same moment. And even through the mask you still see that Spidey realises in that very same moment that the city is helping him out.

The scene might have been cheesy, but damn was it NICE in the same time. It was executed perfectly. And what made the scene so special was mostly the score.

I didnt think that Horners typical epic chorus thing would come in use at all in this film - but then it striked!!! Spidey standing on the rooftop, seeing the cranes, webbing his wound, and then starting to run - that was epic !


Overall I would say James Horner did an amazing job here. And I didnt even expected him to do so. While the Elfman theme is still more iconic and memorable, the Horner theme fitted that new take on Spidey perfectly.



So, what is your take on the score?

 

Oh well, I am sorry. Didnt search enough, I guess. So, some MOD could move my post into this thread then.

Thanks.