Batman The Dark Knight Music

What do you think of this Soundtrack?

 

It's out already?

 

It's been leaked, so anyone who has heard it is a naughty boy.

 

There are also samples on the score's website: http://www.thedarkknightscore.com/

 

I'll wait until I see it this coming weekend.

 

Soundtrack.Net has posted an interview with Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard that I found pretty interesting. The score is available Tuesday, and I'll promptly be running like mad to purchase it.

 

Hans Zimmer comes across as a bit of an ass in interviews and this one is no exception. I mean, since when is Elfman's Batman theme "jolly?" Does he mean musical? Melodic? Also, you don't get to call your theme "iconic" until it actually becomes iconic.

I can appreciate what these guys say they are attempting with this music by trying to make it sound ambiguous and interesting and not generic, but honestly, it sounds like the same old stuff Zimmer and his clones have been churning out for years. I don't know how much more generic film music can get than that these days.

 

Poor James, he was so monopolized in that interview that I wonder if that didn't happen in the music as well.

Edit: Why did Chris Nolan need both of them for Batman Begins? That kind of movie seemed like more of Zimmer's bag anyway.

 

That would be okay with me. Howard's contributions to Batman Begins were even weaker than Zimmer's.

 

I can't say that I'm overly excited about this score.

Or any of the other Batman scores, for that matter.

Does look like it might be a good film though. I liked Batman Begins.

 

Elfman's and Goldenthal's scores are fantastic. It's a shame these new movies which are otherwise much better than the previous films have subpar scores to support them.

 

I agree, but that isn't to say that Elfman's or Goldenthal's scores would have been appropriate to this new series. I would have liked an outsider to score these - a modern concert hall composer, maybe.

 

To my knowledge, "academic" or otherwise modern composers outside of the film world don't generally fly with studio execs and producers for movies in expected blockbuster films. I mean if a highly respected (generally) director like Spielberg pushed for Pierre Boulez to score his next film he could probably get away with it. But someone like Chris Nolan, though very much respected, would have an extreme uphill battle trying to convince his producers to hire somebody like that. Actually, that could be interesting...a serial score to the new Batman franchise...hmmm...

 

I feared I would be very disapointed by The Dark Knight score. And my fears have come true

 

I actually think the scores served their purpose on the big screen, sure the tracks weren't fantastic but they established mood. The Begins score works with the movie but it doesn't stand alone well at all. I actually bought the Cd and by it's self the music is tedious and boring

 

I'm pretty sure Nolan picked Zimmer himself and then Zimmer brought JNH in to co-compose. So it could be that this is the sound he intended all along.

 

All this ruckus is accompanied by pounding thuds on the soundtrack, with two veteran Hollywood composers (Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard) providing additional bass-heavy stomps in every scene, even when nothing is going on. At times, the movie sounds like two excited mattresses making love in an echo chamber.

-- http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2008/07/21/080721crci_cinema_denby

 

I'm not keen on the score -- although I didn't think much of the Begins score to start with. There's not much that immediately stands out, unlike Elfman's scores. Of course, it fits the film, but when Zimmer said he was going to bring his actual Batman Theme to the fore in this score, I anticipated something... well, just something. Dark Knight seems to be the same hero theme from Begins; that same driving rhythm used in who-knows how many tracks; and the Joker's suite isn't really much of anything. I'm listening to it now, and it's so much background noise passing me by. I don't even know what track I'm on.

 

I'm very aggravated. I went out and bought the score. Came home. Tried to import it to iTunes. It froze when it was nearly through the final track. Tried on three different computers. Same problem. Tried other software. Same problem. Took it out, stuck it in a CD player. Started skipping at about 15:40 mark of the final track. Same problem on two other CD players. So I took it back, exchanged it for another copy. Same problem. Anyone having a similar problem? Is there any reason why I don't get the last half-minute of the score? Is there a whole batch of defective discs?

As far as the music itself, granted I've only listened to it once (except for the end of the final track), and I was doing other things at the time, but it was -- boring. I'll be willing to give it another try once I have a copy that actually works.

 

Ouch, that sucks, man.

But yeah, the first time I listened to it I thought it was boring too. But after listening to it more I actually like it. Not as good as the Batman Begins soundtrack, but good. My favourite track would have to be Like a Dog Chasing Cars. And I'm Not a Hero is a cool one too.

 

Oh my gosh! Ouch! That's probably the most creative way to describe Hanz Zimmer I've ever heard of. Funny!

Anyway, I was not a fan. I loved the movie. Great plot line, so many sick twists, some great acting and a lot of good people playing their best cards... But Hanz and James did not play their card very well. While I understand it was a dark film, they over did it. There is NO relief from the mood at all in that film, and it's really all because of the music. While I understand there isn't supposed to be a whole lot of bright moments, by the end of the film you feel a bit beat up, and I think the music could have smoothed that out a lot more. I felt like all they were doing was providing some transition music and an endless bass drone. They didn't even use silence to their advantage half the time. The score was too heavy, too much, and not a good compliment to the film other than by its color.

 

Loved the film. The score is like the score for the first film. It works in the film, but I would never listen to it on its own. Not enough there really. It doesn't stand apart from the film at all.

 

Yeah, this wasn't anything to write home about. It's so strange that it takes two composers to come up with nothing worth while.

 

As a listen on its own, the album is quite awful. The suite (if you can call it that) is nothing but noise and I can't believe the way Zimmer carried on about how creative it is in interviews... I haven't seen the movie yet since I'm in Japan right now and it doesn't start for another three weeks here .

 

I enjoyed the music for Batman Begins in the movie, by itself it is weak. I almost consider it trailer music, not a film score. I haven't heard the Dark Knight music but expect it to be no different.

Isn't that because Hans always plays the same card?