Just returned from seeing "Man Of Steel." I found it conceptually impressive, but utterly devoid of warmth, compassion, romanticism, or emotion. Henry Cavill is acceptable in the title role, and certainly superior to his lifeless predecessor in "Superman Returns," but the revisionist script plays fast, loose, and confusing with the Superman legend and utterly subverts the traditional relationship between Clark and Lois Lane. There is some minor language in the film which I found entirely out of place and pointless. While the climactic fight between Superman and General Zod was visually exciting, I found the over all effect of the film flat, dark, and lifeless. As for the "music" by Hanz Zimmer, this talentless composer remains, in my humble opinion, the "anti-Christ" of melodic scoring, and the virtual antithesis of John Williams. For me, at least, this comic book chapter will never replace Richard Donner's often magical classic fantasy with Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder...and the glorious original score by John Williams, which was his Christmas gift to Metropolis, and to the world.
As for the "music" by Hanz Zimmer, this talentless composer remains, in my humble opinion, the "anti-Christ" of melodic scoring, and the virtual antithesis of John Williams. Steve
Couldn't have said it better. One may also liken Zimmer and his influence to the Black Plague ravaging the world.
Attention, YOR! Perhaps the only thing about the soundtrack album that is as fatuous as the "music" are the liner notes by Peter Asher. Read for laughs!
I saw the film yesterday. I found it entertaining. It lacks any humor, and I suspect they were emulating the angst and darkness of the Batman movies. The film is too long, with the square-off between Supe and Zod anticlimactic. Best Lois ever, though.
As to the music, just another characterless generic wallpaper, interchangeable with any other such score for that type of film. It makes one pine for John Williams.
Except that not even John Williams is John Williams any more. Just like Horner is no longer Horner, Shore is no longer Shore, and so on, and so on.....
As long as today's directors insist on hamstringing the awesome talent of these men, scores will remain lackluster affairs that are not meant to be heard. *Sigh*
As to the music, just another characterless generic wallpaper, interchangeable with any other such score for that type of film. It makes one pine for John Williams.
It DID make me pine (metaphorically) for Williams. And I'm not a huge fan of his Superman score, but it's chock full of melody. There isn't a theme in Zimmer's music*, a melody you can come away from the cinema humming. I know that's precisely what they don't want these days, for some unfathomable reason, but it hurts the film. It doesn't give the film a recognisable identity, it doesn't connect with the characters. It simply plays quiet in the quiet bits and loud in the loud bits. Someone looking a bit sad? Solo cello. Big fight scene? Huge-ass percussion and synthesiser honking. That's what the art and craft of film scoring has reduced to.
* I'm not sure it even counts as music, going by dictionary definition.
As to the music, just another characterless generic wallpaper, interchangeable with any other such score for that type of film. It makes one pine for John Williams.
It DID make me pine (metaphorically) for Williams. And I'm not a huge fan of his Superman score, but it's chock full of melody. There isn't a theme in Zimmer's music*, a melody you can come away from the cinema humming. I know that's precisely what they don't want these days, for some unfathomable reason, but it hurts the film. It doesn't give the film a recognisable identity, it doesn't connect with the characters. It simply plays quiet in the quiet bits and loud in the loud bits. Someone looking a bit sad? Solo cello. Big fight scene? Huge-ass percussion and synthesiser honking. That's what the art and craft of film scoring has reduced to.
* I'm not sure it even counts as music, going by dictionary definition.
Read an interview with Zimmer in LA WEEKLY where he in effect states that he likes his scores to be partially indistinguishable from the sound effects of the world of the film. He also states that he doesn't take himself very seriously.
Personally, I thought the score had some effective moments. But listening to the soundtrack CD, I thought it crazy that the best musical moments on the CD were either buried under sound effects or not included at all.
And I won't pretend to be impartial about all this because John Williams was the composer who got me into both Movie and Classical music. Poor Hans is just the guy from THELMA AND LOUISE (good score) for me.
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