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By the way: not anymore. Amazon seems to have withdrawn the samples.
Finally, a proof that this board is read by Hans Zimmer.
Haha
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EW's SPIDERMAN cover story includes a chat with HZ about the score- rockin'!
check it out!
bruce
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Look! We're all cool because we have young guys playin electric guitars and stuff.
Snark at this all you like, but these kinds of movies with these kinds of scores are what keep filling the diminishing number of film music fans around the world. The chance a reissued Rosza album is going to convert one single nerd to a film music fan are likely zero. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 with Zimmer and Pharrell (the guy with the number one song in the USA as of today), well that's a different story!
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Personally I like that Hans Zimmer is proving continually experimental with his approach to superhero scoring; that he dispenses with preconceived notions of what these genre films can or "should" sound like and scores his projects according to how the characters, themes, story trajectories resonate with him emotionally. Batman Begins and Man of Steel are two scores forged not from the typical superhero score mold (at least not at the times they were made), but which are rich with beauty, pathos, and inspiring drive. Having never seen the film, I can't speak for how Zimmer's Man of Steel works with the picture, but on its own it is a powerful, sublime listen, a step away from his Dark Knight scores but emotionally-charged and effective in its own right.
Now with this Amazing Spider-Man sequel, just from what I've heard in that featurette above, seems that Zimmer is going for yet another new approach. I like that heroic trumpet fanfare, and the rock/electronic element backing Spidey swinging through the city is certainly fresh and feels appropriate, especially when described by Zimmer as representing a "reckless freedom." How well will it all work? Remains to be heard and seen. But I like that he's going for something different. Who knows, maybe next we'll see a mainstream jazz-infused superhero score? I'd be down for that. 
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iTunes Germany already offers the full download...
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My first impression: nice, serviceable. The trumpet-led Spider-Man theme works very well - but I don´t think it´s better than Horner´s. In fact, Horner´s score definitely was more interesting and layered.
The involvement of the six pop stars, of course, was only a nice marketing ploy. The songs itself are fluff but not annoying.
Zimmer has definitely composed worse scores but also better. What immediately works in favor of this score is its simplicity and, dare I say it, modesty. Zimmer does not overwhelm here but steps back, scales back. This is not wall-of-sound Zimmer, and it´s also not doom-laden, depressingly dark droning. There is a lot of humor and feeling in the music, and it´s never boring. It´s pleasant.
Interestingly, 15 years ago, James Horner´s "Titanic" was a score that won over the mainstream. These days, Horner is obviously not considered to achieve that anymore.
But, as I said before, this is only my first impression. Maybe Zimmer´s score will reveal itself to be much more interesting to me when I listen to it without preconceived expectations.
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Posted: |
Apr 12, 2014 - 1:10 PM
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By: |
Chris Avis
(Member)
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Credit must go to Zimmer (and co.) for writing another superhero score that sounds NOTHING like Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, or Man of Steel. The same can't be said for other composers who tend to write multiple superhero scores the same way...
The full score has leaked onto Youtube (The Amazing Spider-Man 2 OST).... I listened to almost all of it last night, but the poster has since region-locked it and I can't listen to it again this morning. It's true that the score certainly sounds distinct from Zimmer's Batman and Superman scores. There are some decent quiet cues (probably for the Peter Parker / Gwen Stacy storyline) and the Spider-Man theme works reasonably well (though it's not anywhere near as good as Elfman's).
Sadly, the remaining 2/3rd of the score just doesn't work and really comes off as an incoherent mess, at least as an album... it's very bizarrely arranged and cues don't seem to flow naturally into one another. Zimmer uses a repetitive chant to represent voices in Electro's head, and while definitely an original idea, it really doesn't work for me and just comes off as goofy. It's not helped by the fact that there's also incredibly obnoxious and loud dubstep-like electronics that accompany a lot of this villain's material. The score is also very thinly orchestrated in places... it almost sounds like demo cues that you sometimes hear as bonus features on score releases in places.
To be clear about my biases, Zimmer's not my favorite composer and I think, overall, he's had a negative impact on film scoring as his RC sound has become the default way to score things. But I do enjoy some of his work... the Lone Ranger was a highlight of last year's blockbuster season and Inception was brilliant. This score sadly, is just a total mess, even more so than Man of Steel which at least flowed and worked as an album.
Chris
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Concerning the supposed dearth of symphonic scores for these types of motion pictures:
THE AVENGERS
CAPTAIN AMERICA
SPIDERMAN 2
X-MEN 2.....
are some of the superhero films that are mainly symphonice (And all good!)
There are others too.
Variety is good for you!
bruce
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Concerning the supposed dearth of symphonic scores for these types of motion pictures:
THE AVENGERS
CAPTAIN AMERICA
SPIDERMAN 2
X-MEN 2.....
are some of the superhero films that are mainly symphonice (And all good!)
There are others too.
Variety is good for you!
bruce
Fair enough, there are a few gems out there, but you've only got 2 scores from the past couple of years in the list and I'd argue that at least half if not closer to 2/3rd of modern blockbuster scores are handled by either Zimmer, a member of Remote Control, or another composer writing in that style. You're absolutely right though, variety is good which is why it would be nice to see more original sounding scores.
Chris
Not too long ago it seemed that every superhero score was composed by Elfman (or a sound alike!) Even though he is a great composer, his ubiquitious sound got kinda tiring.
So now its Zimmers 'turn' to rule
I feel the same way with Hans as i did w/Danny
brm
brm
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Posted: |
Apr 12, 2014 - 2:01 PM
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By: |
mastadge
(Member)
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I'd argue that at least half if not closer to 2/3rd of modern blockbuster scores are handled by either Zimmer, a member of Remote Control, or another composer writing in that style.
Just popped over to box office mojo for 5 minutes to see if I could put some numbers to this:
2013, top 10 box office:
Brian Tyler
Christophe Beck
Heitor Pereira
Howard Shore
James Newton Howard
Lucas Vidal
Randy Newman
Steven Price
Hans Zimmer
Brian Tyler (again)
Alan Silvestri (since Tyler made it into the top 10 twice)
Danny Elfman (if you're only looking US grosses instead of worldwide)
So 1 by Hans Zimmer, 1 by a RC guy. If you count Vidal, Price and Tyler all as "writing in the style," which is pretty generous, you're up to 50% of the year's biggest blockbusters.
2012:
Alan Silvestri
Thomas Newman
Hans Zimmer
Howard Shore
John Powell
Carter Burwell
James Horner
Hans Zimmer
James Newton Howard
Danny Elfman
Patrick Doyle (US, not worldwide)
Walter Murphy (US, not worldwide)
2 by Zimmer, 1 by a former RC guy, and again let's be generous and say that Silvestri's writing in that style, and you're at 40% for 2012.
2011:
Alexandre Desplat
Steve Jablonsky
Hans Zimmer
Carter Burwell
Michael Giacchino
John Powell
Brian Tyler
Christophe Beck
Heitor Pereira
Michael Giacchino
Henry Jackman (since Giacchino made it into the top 10 twice)
Hans Zimmer would make it a second time and Patrick Doyle once only counting US instead of worldwide grosses)
1 by Zimmer, Jablonsky, Perieira, Powell by association, let's throw Jackman in there and call it 50% RC-ish this year.
So for the last 3 years this very quick survey suggests that just under 1/2 of the biggest blockbusters are scored by Zimmer, an RC guy, or someone writing in that style, and that's including debatable choices like whether certain scores by Doyle, Tyler (or Vidal aping Tyler) and Giacchino are RC-ish or not. Of course the numbers may change if you look beyond the top 10, or based on your threshold for what counts as RC-ish.
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Posted: |
Apr 12, 2014 - 2:23 PM
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By: |
LeHah
(Member)
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As happy as I am that he's not simply repeating the soundscapes he made for the (dull) Batman movies (which WAS the case for Man Of Steel), at this point, I feel like I've heard everything from his bag of tricks when it comes to superheroes. And were I a cynical man, if say this is why he's bringing on pop stars instead of people from MV/RC - he's burned everyone else out, so now he's gotta go outside his "group". (Speculation on my part)
I don't think he's a hack or untalented or a bad person. Heck, I don't even think this "guitar orchestra" approach to the old web-head is wrong - but for all the people who are struggling to have their voices heard or get in the game or just get a paycheck, do we have to keep leaning on this one guy and his one sound for the most dominating genre of film since the gritty cop caper of the 70s? Can't we call in, I dunno, Lee Holdridge?
I dunno, maybe I'm just out of fuel when it comes to blockbusters. Maybe I'm just bitter because of how irrefutably, repugnantly stupid and downbeat the last Spiderman movie was - but all this praising Zimmer for being a *little* different seems to be ingenuine toward film score (as a genre) as a whole. "Oh look, he's using a trumpet solo, ITS LEGIT!" doesn't exactly build confidence in me.
I'll give the score and the movie a chance but... well, it's becoming increasingly obvious films are not made with me in mind and there goes the music for them as well.
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Posted: |
Apr 12, 2014 - 3:08 PM
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By: |
Francis
(Member)
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I have listened to Amazing Spiderman 2 by Zimmer and have to agree somewhat with Lehah in that I'm on to his bag of tricks and most of that score is repetitive buildups of repeating notes and motifs undergoing equalizer changes, always at a fast BPM for the action stuff (his trademark rhythm for these type of movies), with a hint of timpani and drums and the occasional now trendy dubstep or distorted bass transition licks. The quieter and more personal moments are even more excruciating with these drawn out reverbed and echo'y piano notes that for me add no hint of emotion whatsoever.
I will say I liked the trumpet theme (and the Newman-like Newsroom theme accompaniment), but that theme is used so sparingly, it makes me wonder why it's there in the first place. The electro/Foxx material sounds gimmicky with the sampled voice and again far too repetitive and 'simple'. A lot of it sounds like accompaniment that should be in the back of the mix and not the mix itself.
Now I haven't made it a secret I liked the Horner score, which to my surprise a lot of people I know didn't like because I guess it was not vintage Horner and had too much of a RC sound to it (!),
but I think that balance worked out very well for that particular movie and Horner did give it some style aside from the great theme and development. With amazing spiderman 2, it's all style and no substance, a lot of it being IMO noise though there are some hints at old school Zimmer here and there. I do expect the style of this movie to be drastically different from the first one and much more serious as opposed to the first Amazing Spiderman which at the time seemed to be a more fun departure from the overly serious cartoon action hero movies (all trying to repeat the Dark Knight success).
So aside from the trumpet theme, the Amazing Spiderman 2 score to me is basically a collection of ideas of which a lot just doesn't work and gets repetitive real fast.
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