DANNY ELFMAN

Having seen the movie now, all I can say is that I really missed Zimmer.

There were multiple opportunities when his Man Of Steel stuff would have rocked the boat completely. The only time one of MoS themes appears, it comes out of nowhere and, while appropriate, feels slightly out of place and wild compared to what Elfman does before.

But then, when Williams' Superman theme appears, it's at the worst possible moment. Completely jarring, wasting the effect it could have had if used later, and then, when it would have been nice to have it - gone. So that's a complete waste.

The return of his Batman theme works just fine, probably because BvS didn't really manage to get its own theme up and running well enough, but I'm missing a truly proud and great statement of it.

The appearance of the WW battle theme rocked, no question, but would it have been so difficult to include Gregson-Williams' stuff here and there? No, of course not.

The rest of the action music is so forgettable, it doesn't even hurt.

And then you have the Justice League theme. Which... I completely forgot and couldn't hum it if they were giving me money for it. Given that themes are the only thing I really liked about Elfman ever, this is so sad.

All of this results in some of the most disappointing superhero work... ever. Not because it's all bullshit. It's because it showed us the potential of what it could have been, and then nothing happens.

The movie itself, however, is something I haven't yet decided about. It's certainly something. I just don't know how to place it.

I have written a review of Justice League if anyone is curious about my opinion

https://soundtrackworld.com/2017/12/jus … nny-elfman

It is shorter than Jon's :P

That is one catchy rhythm, isn't it? Shades of the brawny Goldsmith/Poledouris mixed meter approach, which is always something to appreciate in a 2000s score. I love how meaty those low strings sound right at the beginning of "Hero's Theme" as well.

Here's my French Horn & Trumpet cover of a fantastic cue from Epic

https://youtu.be/-RQdMUCYVcI

Per your last sentence: I'm an Elfman fan, and I didn't care for this at all. Good to see that we're mostly in agreement here for once, although I'm even more negative than you.

My review of DUMBO, for anyone who's interested:

https://moviemusicuk.us/2019/04/23/dumbo-danny-elfman/

Jon

Another favorites list for y'all! This list was super fun and really surprised me actually! Apparently, I don’t love Elfman too quirky or too sweet, but I respect his style absolutely! So these are my Top 5 Favorite Danny Elfman scores.

1) Edward Scissorhands
Certainly no surprise here! Can we all agree that this is Elfman’s greatest score ever? JK But really, it’s all of the best things he is as a composer, elegant, funny, dramatic, creepy, intense, and eccentric. Just an incredible score to a film I’ve never even seen!

2) Spider-man
I love the percussion, and how he kind if “created” the spidy-sound. A little creepy-crawly, a little epically heroic. The undulating strings really make you feel like you’re flying through the air. Just pure movie music magic. James Horner followed wonderfully in Elfman's footsteps with his stellar score to The Amazing Spider-Man that implemented similar techniques.

3) Good Will Hunting
Something about this score, I just really love. It’s tame, somewhat on the simple side and not too dynamic, but that’s partly why I love it - it’s just comforting and super enjoyable. The guitar mixed with choral sweetness, against the somewhat gritty backdrop of the city of Boston and the “angry-kid” Will are all such interesting choices. I don’t even remember how it’s used in the actual film, but I really love it on the album and am drawn back to it over and over again.

4) Red Dragon
This might come as a surprise, but when I thought about my favorite Elfman scores off the top of my head, this one immediately came to mind. The theme is so beautiful. Is it on a glockenspiel sometimes? I have no idea which instrument, but it’s gorgeous. I love the woodwinds, the atmosphere that’s created, and the strings. It’s the “moody beautiful” that Elfman is so great at!

5) Alice in Wonderland
This is a newer Danny Elfman purchase for me (last year). Like I said earlier, I don’t typically like his more quirky stuff. And upon first listen, I though the vocal song/theme was a bit repetitive, but can you say catchy? Man! Ever since, I get it stuck in my head constantly, so I revisit this score more frequently than I ever thought I would, and now I really love it. I think it’s even more delightful now that I’ve heard it many more times, and don’t mind the repetitiveness at all!

The others in my collection are:

Batman
Beetlejuice
Big Fish
Black Beauty
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
Corpse Bride
Dick Tracy
Dolores Claiborne
The Family Man
Goosebumps
Hulk
Instinct
Meet The Robinsons
Men In Black
Mission: Impossible
Planet of the Apes
Proof of Life
Sleepy Hollow
Sommersby

What are some others that I don't have, that I should hear?! I'd love your suggestions!

Haha, awesome, thanks for the awesome list of new scores to explore! I don't not like all his quirky music, just found out that they're not my favorites when I had to narrow it down. Some if it can sound a bit obnoxious and jarring to me. Like swashbuckling style music too...i.e. Cutthroat Island, and even Waterworld -- are such excellent and amazing scores but I just can't handle too much of them - after awhile the style just gets on my nerves. I've never heard The Nightmare Before Christmas (or seen the movie) so I'll definitely have to check that one out first if that's your favorite. Jotted down the others, this will be fun!

How fun that we think alike in regards to Elfman, Alan! Since I also had Red Dragon and Spider-Man in my top 5. I still need to checkout Batman Returns and the other recommendations. Maybe when I work on drawing his sticker, I'll have a cram sesh with what's left of my Qobuz subscription.

He is not one of my most listened to composers either.

Some of you might have heard about the controversy surrounding a possible #metoo case for Elfman. That was shocking to me, but I'm still sitting on the fence, waiting to see how everything unfolds, before I pass any judgment. For the moment, I'm on Elfman's side. Someone (Elfman fans) have made a site chronicling the development here, for anyone interested:

http://www.dannyelfmantruth.com/

Does anyone (well, anyone meaning Joep and Alan at this point) know if a soundtrack album is forthcoming of BLOODY BRIDGET?

And I do not care

How rude!

Seriously, it's just one out of several new Elfman scores not to get a CD release. Just the sign of the times, I suppose.