It probably seems unfair that I'm reviewing a movie before I've seen it. Well, it doesn't just seem unfair. That's not just you. It's stupid and ridiculous, full stop.
So I'm not going to do that. I am, however, going to review the Batman V Superman soundtrack, which I listened to as a part of the ongoing process of deciding if I want to see this film in theaters. My favorite movie-reviewer said about the movie, "It's not as bad as all that, but can we please have some color?" That comment alone has determined that if I do see this in theaters, it won't be the first-run theaters.
So what did I learn from the soundtrack? Well, nothing related to the story that I didn't already know from the trailers. In fact, the soundtrack gave much less away than the trailers did, so that's good. This is, of course, a bad mark for the trailers, but still. Props. That being said, the soundtrack is credited to both Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL, neither of whom are known for their verbose and descriptive track names. Especially not Zimmer, just look at the soundtracks for the Dark Knight trilogy. So I didn't ever think that spoilers here would be a problem.
But let's return to that pairing. I was actually kinda excited when I saw both Zimmer and Junkie XL credited on the soundtrack. I happen to love the frantic pace of the Mad Max: Fury Road soundtrack, written by Junkie XL, and the last time I heard Zimmer write an actual theme for a movie was a superhero movie (The Amazing Spiderman 2). So I was excited. I was hoping for pacing from Fury Road on top of themes from a 2000's era Zimmer.
What I got was pacing by Interstellar's Zimmer and themes from Mad Max. There were a few great moments where Junkie XL's energy shone through, but they were drowned in tracks that were a solid four-to-eight minutes of barely variable string and organ chords. With each passing soundtrack, Hans Zimmer falls further and further from my good graces.
This is especially distressing considering the last time we got a soundtrack for a superhero movie that was a collaboration between two established composers. Avengers: Age of Ultron had both Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman on the case, and that was a match made in heaven. Elfman's stellar thematic writing plus Tyler's highly variable scoring combined for entertaining cinematic moments and a two-hour soundtrack that's actually worth listening to all the way through. Sure, it took both of them to give me what John Williams can do by himself, but still. Credit where credit is due. That soundtrack is excellent.
So you can see why I was so excited for the Batman V Superman pairing. In recent memory, a popular composer's shortcomings were covered by pairing him with a much more recent player in the space. I was and am still convinced that Junkie XL could make up for Hans Zimmer's shortcomings on a project like this. But I guess we'll have to wait and see if that happens on one of the sequels, because Batman V Superman didn't deliver. The music isn't bad, but it's not entertaining either.
And that doesn't bode well for my enjoyment in the theater. I'm sensing a rented blu-ray in my future.
 |
| There is exactly one character in this movie that makes me want to see it. She's the one on the left. |
So I'm not going to do that. I am, however, going to review the Batman V Superman soundtrack, which I listened to as a part of the ongoing process of deciding if I want to see this film in theaters. My favorite movie-reviewer said about the movie, "It's not as bad as all that, but can we please have some color?" That comment alone has determined that if I do see this in theaters, it won't be the first-run theaters.
So what did I learn from the soundtrack? Well, nothing related to the story that I didn't already know from the trailers. In fact, the soundtrack gave much less away than the trailers did, so that's good. This is, of course, a bad mark for the trailers, but still. Props. That being said, the soundtrack is credited to both Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL, neither of whom are known for their verbose and descriptive track names. Especially not Zimmer, just look at the soundtracks for the Dark Knight trilogy. So I didn't ever think that spoilers here would be a problem.
But let's return to that pairing. I was actually kinda excited when I saw both Zimmer and Junkie XL credited on the soundtrack. I happen to love the frantic pace of the Mad Max: Fury Road soundtrack, written by Junkie XL, and the last time I heard Zimmer write an actual theme for a movie was a superhero movie (The Amazing Spiderman 2). So I was excited. I was hoping for pacing from Fury Road on top of themes from a 2000's era Zimmer.
What I got was pacing by Interstellar's Zimmer and themes from Mad Max. There were a few great moments where Junkie XL's energy shone through, but they were drowned in tracks that were a solid four-to-eight minutes of barely variable string and organ chords. With each passing soundtrack, Hans Zimmer falls further and further from my good graces.
This is especially distressing considering the last time we got a soundtrack for a superhero movie that was a collaboration between two established composers. Avengers: Age of Ultron had both Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman on the case, and that was a match made in heaven. Elfman's stellar thematic writing plus Tyler's highly variable scoring combined for entertaining cinematic moments and a two-hour soundtrack that's actually worth listening to all the way through. Sure, it took both of them to give me what John Williams can do by himself, but still. Credit where credit is due. That soundtrack is excellent.
So you can see why I was so excited for the Batman V Superman pairing. In recent memory, a popular composer's shortcomings were covered by pairing him with a much more recent player in the space. I was and am still convinced that Junkie XL could make up for Hans Zimmer's shortcomings on a project like this. But I guess we'll have to wait and see if that happens on one of the sequels, because Batman V Superman didn't deliver. The music isn't bad, but it's not entertaining either.
And that doesn't bode well for my enjoyment in the theater. I'm sensing a rented blu-ray in my future.
Comments
Post a Comment