Oh wow! Am I the only voice of dissent here? (and this is from someone who grew up on Spiderman comics in the 70's/80's).
I rate the ASM movie waaayyy above the Raimi movies.
I feel that they nailed the wise-cracking web slinger WAY better than the Raimi movies. Loved Horner's score and was disappointed that he didn't return for the second film but....I think Zimmer's works in the film.
I don't understand the hate for ASM 2. It's a comic book movie. Who cares that the villain motivations don't hold up to scrutiny??? (although I think they're just fine)
In the early days, Lex Luthor hated Superman because he made his HAIR fall out!! Talk about motivation that doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
To me, this movie was about Peter and Gwen. The rest of the stuff happened around them. That last 10 minutes with the Rhino doesn't just add 10 minutes to the movie as someone earlier suggested. The Rhino was irrelevant. It was about Peter overcoming his heartbreak and realising that life moves on....that Spiderman is as much part of him as Gwen was.
The way that whole scene is set up...there's no fanfare heralding the return of Spiderman......he's not even shown swinging in to save the day. Just crowd reaction and a sound effect. And then standing talking to the kid in a classic comic book pose. Heartbroken. But realising people need him. He makes a difference - no matter how hard the personal cost.
I don't know - maybe I'm reading too much into it - maybe I have an emotional connection to it...
But I really enjoyed both ASM movies and i just felt that I had to stick up for them...
That's a good interview from JHFM, thanks for sharing that.
So amazing that composers are dismissive of their work, while we eat this stuff up day in day out. I mean, he doesn't even remember BRAINSTORM! I could give you a note by note breakdown of that score!!
James Horner never composed a finer score than BRAINSTORM, it is very much worthwile to listen to as a stand-alone work. I have always suspected that this score is the closest or contains ideas of his concert work "Spectral Shimmers", but alas, this is just a hunch I always had these years. I wish there was a release of that work to either confirm or void this theory. :-)
I haven't seen the film nor heard the score, but I quite liked the song attached. "It's On Again" is it called? Don't know who sang it, but I heard it a few times and thought it was okay. I think Zimmer was in the music video, if I remember.
I'm not over-the-moon about the second Amazing Spider-Man but the ten minute chase that opens the film (after the idiotic Dark Knight Rises airplane ripoff) is infinitely better than the entire previous film.
I normally like Horner a lot but his ASM score left me colder than a witch's tit.
I loved THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 -- both the film and the Zimmer score -- but I also appreciate Horner's frankness in his interviews, even if I often disagree with him on certain issues (which is why I never went there in my own interview with the man last year).
Actually I think Horner's comments shed light on why current scores are so boring, to me anyway. The committee mentality, the idea that melody works AGAINST the film, etc.
Actually I think Horner's comments shed light on why current scores are so boring, to me anyway. The committee mentality, the idea that melody works AGAINST the film, etc.
My tip to you (and Horner) is: Look outside Hollywood action films!
I was reading this thread and thinking that I must be in the extreme minority, since I liked the sequel (much more than the first film) and I enjoyed the Zimmer score very much. Glad to see Thor and I are in agreement!
Yes, Horner has worked with lots of independents and non-mainstream and non-US directors. Zimmer has done some too, but his mainstream / blockbuster studios and monster sequel work has pretty much taken over his career.
I wish that Horner would have said about another sentence or two on this, but it surely does sound like Sony wanted as mainstream and pop tuned exclamation points type music as they could get. They were spending a quarter billion dollars on one movie, so they wanted a nice safe modern score. I guess they got what they wanted, modern and safe, which is why it ironically sounds dated and predictable when it is brand new, and why it drains the little bit of life out of the picture.
