Reviving this thread because it was the only one I could find. Finally watching the movie and I'm utterly BLOWN AWAY by Giacchino's grasp of certain of JW's techniques, in particular spotting. The brass transitions between scenes are completely and utterly Star Wars. The themes that work so-so on the CD are perfectly married to what's happening on-screen (are we really going to have another Imperial March as badass as Vader's? No, because that kind of choice would take away from the original trilogy, not add to it), and the spine-tingly moments on the CD are even more so here. Impressed as hell, don't care what the haters say, Giacchino did a marvelous job here of providing narrative flow.
I've said it before that I prefer the R1 score to Episode VII - where as John's score has stronger themes (and I love the end credits suite) I found Michael's to be a way more fulfilling listen. Its a little broader than I'd've expected from him (its almost John Williams via James Horner at times) but its gotten a lot more listens than anything else new in the last year or two. I actually found myself sitting down at my keyboard for the first time in a decade and messing around with the R1 sheet music I liked it so much.
Giacchino's an admitted lifelong fan. I would love to buy him a beer and hear it from him directly that this is his intention.
I was email buddies with him for a year or two and he is legitimately that "beer and a story" kinda guy. And going from memory, he knew every bloody note of the original trilogy. (As does John Ottman.)
(I wish I could listen to the FYC promo that everyone has lauded over but the low bitrate is off-putting compared to the album! I wish someone like Intrada would fix that HINT HINT.)
Giacchino feels like the only one left to us who is still writing honest to god THEMES. Just in the last year we've gotten actually memorable themes in War for the Planet of the Apes, Star Trek Beyond, and Rogue One.
…would also throw Spider-Man: Homecoming onto that list. That main theme is an earworm.
Giacchino feels like the only one left to us who is still writing honest to god THEMES. Just in the last year we've gotten actually memorable themes in War for the Planet of the Apes, Star Trek Beyond, and Rogue One.
…would also throw Spider-Man: Homecoming onto that list. That main theme is an earworm. NO KIDDING! I walked out of Doc Strange humming the theme thinking what we FSMers do: "Hey, cool! A theme I can remember!"
Then I saw Spidey. Same thing only three days later I'm yelling "MAKE IT STOP!" and listening to really catchy Mancini to try and clean it out.
People are always throwing around the "forgettable" themes accusation but has anyone mentioned a score written in the past decade or so that has UNforgettable themes?
How to train your Dragon??
Guardians of the Galaxy main theme?
Amazing Spiderman (Horner) main theme?
Ohhhh...hang on - you mean themes that the general public recognise rather than us film score nerds?
That's more or less what I mean. Something anyone leaving the theater would be humming. I've seen both Guardian of the Galaxy movies and enjoyed them, and enjoyed the score in the movie--but I couldn't hum it if you held a gun to my head. Obviously, we're film score enthusiasts, if you buy a score and listen to it more than a few times you'll memorize the themes. But good luck getting some rando on the street to hum them.
