Man of Steel (SPOILERS)

[Khev]

Zack was around and was there when the scoring was actually recorded. But Zimmer was basically given carte blanche to do whatever he wanted with the score... and that didn't come from Zack. As I said from the very beginning, signing off on Goyer's script and bringing in Zimmer were the two biggest creative contributions Nolan made to this movie as a producer. Those are his boys. After they turned in their work everyone had to work with what they had.

Did Zack really enjoy the process then? Sounds like this could have easily been his "Alien 3" which Fincher still refuses to revisit in any way shape or form.

 

[jye4ever]

Didn't Spielberg produce Transformers?

I'm going to place a banana peel on the ground then complain to my wife when I slip on it.

 

[JAWS]

I think you are taking the use of the Jaws image too personally.

Well they didn't ask if I was Ok with using my image



I did not read the article.. Would love to.

 

[IrishJedi]

Did Zack really enjoy the process then? Sounds like this could have easily been his "Alien 3" which Fincher still refuses to revisit in any way shape or form.

Yeah, he did. This was not ALIEN 3 in that regard. If he was handcuffed, it was only really the script (in which case only some polish drafts could be done... and were... because the only alternative was to stop production and start over) and the score.

It just seems to me a lot of what some people complain about are script-related things. It's easy for those who don't like Zack to say, "Well, he's the Director, so EVERYTHING is on him", but that's being obtuse. If you have a problem with the way the film was shot, the way it was staged and blocked, the action choreography, the actors, the overall editing... yeah, that's him. But the script and score? Go pound sand.

People blaming him for Zimmer's score in the movie particularly annoys me. Because if there is one thing Zack does better than just about anybody, it's marrying music with motion imagery. It's been his bread and butter his whole career. He didn't all of a sudden lose those skills on MAN OF STEEL. In fact, the temp score he cut in on earlier edits of the movie kicked all kinds of ***. And his initial idea was to actually ask Williams to come in and write a NEW Superman theme and score for a new generation, but that was immediately shot down by Nolan who had his boy Zimmer pegged, probably before even Zack was brought onboard.

 

[IrishJedi]

Didn't Spielberg produce Transformers?

I'm going to place a banana peel on the ground then complain to my wife when I slip on it.

Good point. He also produced COWBOYS AND ALIENS.

 

[jye4ever]

Yeah, he did. This was not ALIEN 3 in that regard. If he was handcuffed, it was only really the script (in which case only some polish drafts could be done... and were... because the only alternative was to stop production and start over) and the score.

It just seems to me a lot of what some people complain about are script-related things. It's easy for those who don't like Zack to say, "Well, he's the Director, so EVERYTHING is on him", but that's being obtuse. If you have a problem with the way the film was shot, the way it was staged and blocked, the action choreography, the actors, the overall editing... yeah, that's him. But the script and score? Go pound sand.

People blaming him for Zimmer's score in the movie particularly annoys me. Because if there is one thing Zack does better than just about anybody, it's marrying music with motion imagery. It's been his bread and butter his whole career. He didn't all of a sudden lose those skills on MAN OF STEEL. In fact, the temp score he cut in on earlier edits of the movie kicked all kinds of ***. And his initial idea was to actually ask Williams to come in and write a NEW Superman theme and score for a new generation, but that was immediately shot down by Nolan who had his boy Zimmer pegged, probably before even Zack was brought onboard.

The Sucker Punch trailers music attachment is spectacular, was that him?

I could watch those trailers every day.

Yet the movie sucks for me.

 

[snoop101]

Yeah, he did. This was not ALIEN 3 in that regard. If he was handcuffed, it was only really the script (in which case only some polish drafts could be done... and were... because the only alternative was to stop production and start over) and the score.

It just seems to me a lot of what some people complain about are script-related things. It's easy for those who don't like Zack to say, "Well, he's the Director, so EVERYTHING is on him", but that's being obtuse. If you have a problem with the way the film was shot, the way it was staged and blocked, the action choreography, the actors, the overall editing... yeah, that's him. But the script and score? Go pound sand.

People blaming him for Zimmer's score in the movie particularly annoys me. Because if there is one thing Zack does better than just about anybody, it's marrying music with motion imagery. It's been his bread and butter his whole career. He didn't all of a sudden lose those skills on MAN OF STEEL. In fact, the temp score he cut in on earlier edits of the movie kicked all kinds of ***. And his initial idea was to actually ask Williams to come in and write a NEW Superman theme and score for a new generation, but that was immediately shot down by Nolan who had his boy Zimmer pegged, probably before even Zack was brought onboard.

Whoever is complaining about Zimmer's score needs to be b**** slapped.

 

[a-dev]

And his initial idea was to actually ask Williams to come in and write a NEW Superman theme and score for a new generation, but that was immediately shot down by Nolan who had his boy Zimmer pegged, probably before even Zack was brought onboard.

That just annoys the **** out of me to hear. Especially when Nolan refuses to allow his Batman to exist in the same verse as any other superheroes.

 

[a-dev]

Whoever is complaining about Zimmer's score needs to be b**** slapped.

....its boring. I liked it at first but it just got old very fast.

 

[karamazov80]

Sure he uses EM scores but that is not all he does. I would say that since 90% of the music he uses is not Ennio's music (other then Django) that he does plenty of meshing all by himself.

It goes beyond Morricone though. It's the way the music relates to the images, which really goes all the way back to Reservoir Dogs and that dramatic shot with the guys walking together. As the films have progressed he's focused more and more on that style though IMO, as it was most evident in Kill Bill, IB, and then, of course, Django. I'm not faulting him for it--it is extremely effective--but that influence seems to dominate the way that he uses music.

My major issue with Man of Steel was that the emotional parts felt very flat and unconvincing. Probably the result of both the script, direction, and acting. But of course, acting is in part a function of the director.

 

[IrishJedi]

The Sucker Punch trailers music attachment is spectacular, was that him?

I could watch those trailers every day.

Yeah, he cuts all his own trailers, including the music and cues.

WB Marketing just adds the "bumpers" ('From the people who brought you blah, blah, blah...") and the credits.

 

[snoop101]

A new Superman theme written by Williams would've been really cool.

 

[jye4ever]

I wonder If JW would've even wanted to create a new Superman score or if the CR foundation would've even approved.

I do like the Zimmer main theme with the piano starting, What are you going to do when you're not saving people, but the horns are a bit too sharp for my tastes.

The first part of Terraforming is great, as is all of Arcade (weird name) with the strings and the JunkieXL synthesizer world engine sound.

Launch is also decent.

But for the most part alot of the OST is pretty boring slow quiet music.

So 1 excellent track and 3 good.

 

[snoop101]

....its boring. I liked it at first but it just got old very fast.

I disagree. His style is always very similar, but in no way would I say he was boring because of that, if anything it's consistent. I'm guessing The Dark Knights soundtrack is boring to you as well?

 

[Khev]

People blaming him for Zimmer's score in the movie particularly annoys me. Because if there is one thing Zack does better than just about anybody, it's marrying music with motion imagery. It's been his bread and butter his whole career. He didn't all of a sudden lose those skills on MAN OF STEEL.

I don't care what anybody says, his Sucker Punch musical montages were sublime. Particularly Baby Doll's first day in the asylum ("this is my life"), the quiet music while she's realizing she has to sacrifice herself to free Sweet Pea, and then the swelling score when she steps out in front of the goons.

In fact, the temp score he cut in on earlier edits of the movie kicked all kinds of ***. And his initial idea was to actually ask Williams to come in and write a NEW Superman theme and score for a new generation, but that was immediately shot down by Nolan who had his boy Zimmer pegged, probably before even Zack was brought onboard.

If that's true then Nolan seems to be following in Lucas' and Cameron's footsteps of being a director I truly admire who transitions into a disappointing buffoon as he got more and more successful.

 

[IrishJedi]

I wonder If JW would've even wanted to create a new Superman score or if the CR foundation would've even approved.

They wouldn't have to approve it, but I'm sure they wouldn't have had a problem.

Not sure if JW would have been down (though I see no reason why not) but he wasn't even officially approached because even the idea of it was shot down quickly.

This is what I was cryptically eluding too a few months ago when people were speculating about the score. That could have been very, very interesting.

As it stands, I don't dislike Zimmer's score. I rather like some of it a lot, actually. And I contend that it works, overall. It's just not nearly on the iconic level of Williams' scores. It doesn't move you in that way. Heck, I even prefer John Ottman's SUPERMAN RETURNS stuff ("Rough Flight" from the plane rescue sequence is amazing) in some ways.

 

[a-dev]

I disagree. His style is always very similar, but in no way would I say he was boring because of that, if anything it's consistent. I'm guessing The Dark Knights soundtrack is boring to you as well?

Not my absolute favourite listens, no. But I have no objection to those scores for those films. If I'm in a mood for that portrayal of Batman I do listen to those soundtracks and turn it up loud when the main theme comes on.

The problem here is Zimmer was going up against the Williams score, the main theme of which is possibly my favourite piece of music of all time.

Zimmers main theme for Superman, like his theme for Batman, is good but I can't help but resent it for not being the other thing.

I even prefer John Ottman's SUPERMAN RETURNS stuff ("Rough Flight" from the plane rescue sequence is amazing) in some ways.

He did a fantastic job of incorporating the Williams theme while doing his own music too.

 

[karamazov80]

I can understand why Nolan wouldn't want to maintain any major connections to the Reeve franchise, including the guy who scored them. And I'm not the biggest Nolanite, but I don't think anything he's done so far warrants the Lucas comparison. I mean, damn. That's about the worst insult you could give a successful filmmaker

 

[a-dev]

Christ, I'm on about it again. Someone shut me up.

 

[IrishJedi]

Yeah he hasn't come close to losing it at that level.

That said, he IS pretty damn stubborn, though. And as history has often shown that's not always the best trait in the collaborative worlf of filmmaking.