It was mildly disappointing that Marvel replaced Brian Tyler's Marvel Studios Fanfare with an imo inferior composition by Michael Giacchino. Decide for yourselves, True Believers!
Brian Tyler's Marvel Studios Fanfare:
Michael Giacchino's Marvel Studios Fanfare:
Neither fanfare are all that great. Both over produced, trying to sound epic without really standing out.
Good ol' Sol! I used to sound just like that.
In the spirit of Tom's initial post, please allow me to ramble (and to perhaps show I'm not the cynic you may think I am):
I initially stayed away from the films because I feared they would fall short of my unrealistic fanboy expectations. I am happy to say that ten years on, the MCU has done a fine job. I "resisted" these films for the first seven years, though I would have admitted that the first Iron Man film was much better than "it should have been." I was wary of getting "burned" yet again by poor super-hero adaptations. Just look at the Keaton-Kilmer-Clooney (puke!) Batman films, for instance.
I know most here don't read comic books, but for those of us who do (well, just the old stuff for me), the MCU consistently captures the spirit of the comics. Even if you just grew up watching the old cartoons, the fact that these composers include 1960s renditions of both the old and new themes (Iron Man, Spider-Man, Ant-Man etc.) lets me know that the old can coexist with the new, and those musical homages to the old stuff is a nice touch. I also appreciate the on-screen references to comic creators as well as including them in the thanks section of the credit scroll.
One of the best moments for me was seeing the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier come to the rescue in Age of Ultron. I get the same sort of glee that you boys get--and I used to get--when the opening title crawl of a Star Wars film begins. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that the mainstream would know who the Vision, Thanos, Ultron, or The Avengers were, let alone become the box office and cultural phenomenons they are today.
It was mildly disappointing that Marvel replaced Brian Tyler's Marvel Studios Fanfare with an imo inferior composition by Michael Giacchino. Decide for yourselves, True Believers!
Brian Tyler's Marvel Studios Fanfare:
Michael Giacchino's Marvel Studios Fanfare:
Neither fanfare are all that great. Both over produced, trying to sound epic without really standing out.
Good ol' Sol! I used to sound just like that.
In the spirit of Tom's initial post, please allow me to ramble (and to perhaps show I'm not the cynic you may think I am):
In my last post I was specifically commenting on the Marvel Fanfare themes. They don't hold any emotional weight , not like classic studio fanfares from the likes of FOX, Disney, UA, etc. Those fanfares are magical and immediately makes me giddy for the forthcoming film. The difference in orchestration before and after the 2000's is quite apparent. Nothing to do with being a cynic.
The Infinity War trailer cue punches me in the gut every time. I'm assuming it was orchestrated specifically for the trailer? I wonder if Alan conducted the orchestra because there is just something about it...
I typically HATE Giacchino... but I like his Marvel fanfare! So go figure.
I don't HATE Giacchino, I just WISH he would actually have his scores recorded and mixed so that they didn't sound so damn DRY and small most of the time.
I listened to his latest POTA score recently and my God was that recorded horribly. Most of the time I have problems with his scores not being effective in the way they should be, but it's 9 times out of 10 because of the recording, not his writing for me personally.
"Featuring interviews with and articles by some of the stars and legends who created the Marvel Universe, including Marvel founder Stan Lee; author of Rise of the Black Panther Frank Narcisse; the actor Clark Gregg, who embodied Phil Coulson in countless MCU films; Ms. Marvel creator G. Willow Wilson; and Marvel's Chief Creative Officer and former Editor-in-Chief, Joe Quesada; as well as many others."
They seriously need to give Bear McCreary a chance with a film. He's definitely proven himself with his Agents of SHIELD work. Then again, I wish there was more overall cohesiveness between the film universe and AOS anyways...
First up Ant-Man and The Wasp: "The release will come in two colored vinyl discs with brand new artwork from Phantom City Creative, and 14 previously unreleased tracks."
In the spirit of Tom's initial post, please allow me to ramble (and to perhaps show I'm not the cynic you may think I am):
I initially stayed away from the films because I feared they would fall short of my unrealistic fanboy expectations. I am happy to say that ten years on, the MCU has done a fine job. I "resisted" these films for the first seven years, though I would have admitted that the first Iron Man film was much better than "it should have been." I was wary of getting "burned" yet again by poor super-hero adaptations. Just look at the Keaton-Kilmer-Clooney (puke!) Batman films, for instance.
I know most here don't read comic books, but for those of us who do (well, just the old stuff for me), the MCU consistently captures the spirit of the comics. Even if you just grew up watching the old cartoons, the fact that these composers include 1960s renditions of both the old and new themes (Iron Man, Spider-Man, Ant-Man etc.) lets me know that the old can coexist with the new, and those musical homages to the old stuff is a nice touch. I also appreciate the on-screen references to comic creators as well as including them in the thanks section of the credit scroll.
One of the best moments for me was seeing the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier come to the rescue in Age of Ultron. I get the same sort of glee that you boys get--and I used to get--when the opening title crawl of a Star Wars film begins. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that the mainstream would know who the Vision, Thanos, Ultron, or The Avengers were, let alone become the box office and cultural phenomenons they are today.
Thank you! This is exactly how I feel about these films and on this board full of "I'm sick of super hero films!" "Ugh another Marvel film?!" it's so nice to hear when someone is excited for them and appreciates the care in how they're made. They pulled off something incredible that often gets lost among the naysayers and non-fans: they created a really pretty cohesive interconnected universe with multiple characters over 10 years without losing steam and with hardly a dud among them. Even The Incredible Hulk, the most lackluster of the films, pulled in a decent take. While I may not agree with some of the decisions made, they're not my decisions to make, nor my characters to own. I simply love the Marvel Comics Mythos. They can keep on making them until I drop dead and I'll be fine, as long as they continue to take care of the universe and make it as much fun as it is to visit.
As for the scores: I don't love them all. Some are fabulous, others mediocre, but in the main, I tend to like them.
This has been a fantastic ride and no other production company has been able to sustain such a franchise this well. Not Star Wars, nor Star Trek or 007.
It may not be to everyone's liking, but you gotta respect how well they're maintaining it.
I mean, I loathe I Love Lucy, but man do I respect its place in television history.
I liked the Norton Hulk and consider it one of the better films. Can't recall a thing about the score.
And that last goes for many of those scores today. I have regard for Avengers, Age of Ultron, Iron Man 3, Winter Soldier, Infinity War, and Dark World for scores, but they're the exceptions because for some reason Marvel just didn't come up with the kind of strong identities the original Superman and Dark Knight did. There's some fine writing there, and I adore the Coplandesque twist that Silvestri made on First Avenger...but nothing quite the stature of the abovementioned DC movies.
That said, I really don't like any of the DCU film scores outside of the above and Man of Steel lol. To me they're even more bereft of strong content (I'm not much into the other DCU movies either, tbh).
Nice video. He missed that not only did Mothersbaugh include Doyle's Thor theme in Ragnarok he also included one of Tyler's themes from The Dark World during Loki's re-enactment of the end of that film (an inclusion that simultaneously infuriates me and leaves me in hysterical laughter).
There was also this:
It actually used the themes more than the movies did!
This has been a fantastic ride and no other production company has been able to sustain such a franchise this well. Not Star Wars, nor Star Trek or 007.
It may not be to everyone's liking, but you gotta respect how well they're maintaining it.
I mean, I loathe I Love Lucy, but man do I respect its place in television history.
This has been a fantastic ride and no other production company has been able to sustain such a franchise this well. Not Star Wars, nor Star Trek or 007.
It may not be to everyone's liking, but you gotta respect how well they're maintaining it.
It seems to me that the film score fans here--who are also primarily sci-fi fans--dislike super-hero films. One doesn't read remarks about despising sci-fi as a genre, only individual films. I once believed--naively--that the majority of sci-fi fans would also like comics and comic-based films, but many here apparently dislike the entire super-hero and comic-book genres.
I mean, I loathe I Love Lucy, but man do I respect its place in television history.
Film score fans owe a debt to Lucy in that we've all been stuffing our faces with scores as they roll down the conveyer belt.
I'm shocked the trend has lasted this long re: superhero movies. I started out really liking the MCU, but besides Infinity War (which I really liked) and Ragnarok (which I loved) I haven't been into the other movies lately. Black Panther, Ant Man, Ant Man and the Wasp, Doctor Strange, GOTG 2...they all had good things about them, I think I'm just getting burnt out.
Spielberg wasn't far off the base when he stated superhero movies are basically modern-day Westerns (which had a similar popularity length). Just my opinion.
I'm shocked the trend has lasted this long re: superhero movies. I started out really liking the MCU, but besides Infinity War (which I really liked) and Ragnarok (which I loved) I haven't been into the other movies lately. Black Panther, Ant Man, Ant Man and the Wasp, Doctor Strange, GOTG 2...they all had good things about them, I think I'm just getting burnt out.
Spielberg wasn't far off the base when he stated superhero movies are basically modern-day Westerns (which had a similar popularity length). Just my opinion.
That's my go-to comparison, westerns. And those ran for how long? 1930's to 1970's? And we STILL make them, they're just a lot more sparse.
Superheros are a little more constrained because only one studio can make Iron Man or Green Arrow. But how many times did they make Gunfight at the OK Corral? Zorro?
BTW I realized the last time I watched it that Thor: Ragnarok is the Thor movie for people who hate Thor. Which is not to say that there isn't some great stuff in it.
THOR (2011). I know it’s very much hated around these parts, but I LOVE Doyle’s visit to the Remote Control Factory. He’s too good a composer not to take basic materials and meld them into something cool and he does it here…in spades. A roaring, anthemic main theme, gorgeous love theme and he even incorporates his own style in some of the action licks (just listen to The Compound). The film is a lot of fun too.
If this isn't my favorite Marvel score it's in my top 5. (I love both of Tyler's solo scores and both of Giacchino's.)
BTW I realized the last time I watched it that Thor: Ragnarok is the Thor movie for people who hate Thor. Which is not to say that there isn't some great stuff in it.
I love both of Tyler's solo scores)
The scores to Dark World and Iron Man 3 are great to listen to (you can probably guess what I like about the Dark World score)...it's strange, I seem to like those movies better than many do.
I think Ragnarok tried hard not to take itself too seriously, and for a movie it was such great pleasure for me. I go back to the ole Kirby Thor, and am a huge fan of the Simonson (Thor Disassembled is a fine book too imo). To me the first Thor was the one most like the ones of yore (yeah, I said yore, so what? the Dark World was the start of the "superfun" Thor and Ragnarok the logical, extreme conclusion into quasi-goofy Thor. I thought the progression of the movies Ragnarok and Infinity War as immediately consecutive in the bigger MCU story was perfect...just think of the dynamic range between those two movies. One is comic, the other ugly-yet-topical, with so many other points of experience explored besides.
Do I consider any of those movies as movies to compare to Ben Hur, Godfather I and II, Rocky, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Breaking Bad (yes I know it's a tv series, but that show was art imo), Vertigo or even High Noon?
the Dark World was the start of the "superfun" Thor and Ragnarok the logical, extreme conclusion into quasi-goofy Thor. I thought the progression of the movies Ragnarok and Infinity War as immediately consecutive in the bigger MCU story was perfect...just think of the dynamic range between those two movies. One is comic, the other ugly-yet-topical, with so many other points of experience explored besides.