Jump to content

Michael Giacchino's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) - 2022 Expanded Edition now available


mrbellamy

Recommended Posts

1 minute ago, Quintus said:

Gordy Haab still manages to get closer to the Star Wars musical aesthetic than Giacchino did. His emulation is really bloody authentic, it's uncanny. 

 

It's also a bit boring. A great composer doesn't merely ape but brings his own unique fingerprint. But sure, he is better than G's jarring pastiche.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Quintus said:

Gordy Haab still manages to get closer to the Star Wars musical aesthetic than Giacchino did. His emulation is really bloody authentic, it's uncanny. 

I like his work, but i hear pastiche too. Specially when you hear lots of Prequel-sound-alikes set in OT scenarios.

 

It could have been a better replacement, since i dont think he would have been overstressed and he could have adapted his already written music to the film. And therefore giacchino would have spared all the flak he (or any other) would be getting for daring to compose this film...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, publicist said:

 

It's also a bit boring. A great composer doesn't merely ape but brings his own unique fingerprint. But sure, he is better than G's jarring pastiche.

 

Naturally.  

 

8 minutes ago, Luke Skywalker said:

I like his work, but i hear pastiche too. Specially when you hear lots of Prequel-sound-alikes set in OT scenarios.

 

It could have been a better replacement, since i dont think he would have been overstressed and he could have adapted his already written music to the film. And therefore giacchino would have spared all the flak he (or any other) would be getting for daring to compose this film...

 

The only "safe" alternative option (as far as critical fanboy eyes like ours are concerned) was to reboot the sound of Star Wars entirely, as Zimmer did with Superman. 

 

So, in the eyes of the traditionalists, it was only ever lose lose really. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really enjoy all the new themes really. 

 

- Jyn's gets a nice workout which is great.

- His new essentially 'force theme' titled The Guardians of the Whills is lovely and I actually like the random fanfare version over the Rogue One title card, though i agree that it felt a bit strange just popping up over a weirdly placed title.

-I like his two new imperial themes. One for Krennic is perfectly good for him and the other one for when we first see the death star is great I think.  Of course if compared directly to Williams respective themes for similar themes, it's no match, but as singular themes for this solo film, I think they're great.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

 

Not the same theme. The fanfare over the Rogue One title card is the Hope theme.

 

And it sounds horrible over the title card. Really bad actually...like a cheap rip off of Luke's Theme. I couldn't believe it when I heard it in the movie.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, BloodBoal said:

So... @Will... Which do you prefer? The BFG or Rogue One?

 

Too early to say (also too early to say how it compares to Fantastic Beasts). 

 

I'll have to see the film first. 

 

Plus it's unclear if the repeated massive Jyn's theme statements will hurt the score on repeated listens. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, leeallen01 said:

I really enjoy all the new themes really. 

 

- Jyn's gets a nice workout which is great.

- His new essentially 'force theme' titled The Guardians of the Whills is lovely and I actually like the random fanfare version over the Rogue One title card, though i agree that it felt a bit strange just popping up over a weirdly placed title.

-I like his two new imperial themes. One for Krennic is perfectly good for him and the other one for when we first see the death star is great I think.  Of course if compared directly to Williams respective themes for similar themes, it's no match, but as singular themes for this solo film, I think they're great.

 

 

The Guardians theme is the score's saving grace. It is beautiful and serene.

 

Jyn's theme is nice if you can ignore the Yorktown similarities.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The boring triads mascerading as 'themes' are again proof that nobody ever should have called Giacchino for a space 'opera'. He just hasn't any flair for it and writing themes with a larger scope requires a real composer who knows what he's doing in that idiom.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

 

Not the same theme. The fanfare over the Rogue One title card is the Hope theme.

 

My bad. Only had one listen through, so still getting accustomed to each theme. Thanks clearing it up. 

 

 

Has anyone done any thematic mapping of the score yet? I haven't been fully able to keep up with all the pages of this thread recently because of wanting to form my own opinion of the score before reading others. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The themes are not hard to figure out at all.  There are 4 major themes:

 

  • Jyn's theme (beginning and end of "Jyn Erso & Hope Suite") - the one that sounds like Yorktown Theme
  • Rebellion / Hope Theme (middle of "Jyn Erso & Hope Suite") - the one that starts like Luke's theme
  • Imperial / Krennic Theme ("Imperial Suite") - the one that sounds like Imperial March pastiche
  • Chirrut / Guardians of the Whils Theme ("Guardian of the Whils Suite") - the one that starts like Across The Stars

 

It's quite clear when each of them shows up in the film cues, too.

 

Jyn's Theme in particular plays in almost every track, especially in the first half of the album!

I noticed when watching the film her theme is more spread out, so it seems he chose a lot of cues with her theme for the album program!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Jay said:

And it makes sense that Chirrut's Theme is called the "Guardians of the Whils Suite", because when we first meet that character, another character mentions that he is a Guardian of the Whils.

Anyway, I think the theme was only used twice, though, both times to emphasize his "mystical" site.  Someone said it got turned into an action variation later, but I didn't pick up on it.

 

4:57 in Confrontation On Eadu.

 

Not really action-y, but still...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BTW, does the Imperial material have one part for Krennic specifically and one part for the fleet as a whole, though often time played together, or is it just one theme?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think two themes too

 

The one that bookends the piece 'When Has Become Now,' that leads immediately into the Deathstar Motif both times is a new theme for the Empire's Might. Then Krennic's is in the middle of that piece, separate and clearly his solo identity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You know what's weird?  I've listened to the OST 3 times and seen the film once, and never noticed the Death Star Motif from ANH once!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Jay said:

You know what's weird?  I've listened to the OST 3 times and seen the film once, and never noticed the Death Star Motif from ANH once!

 

 

That's strange. I smiled very wide when I heard it during the first shot of the death star.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Jay said:

You know what's weird?  I've listened to the OST 3 times and seen the film once, and never noticed the Death Star Motif from ANH once!

 

Has your opinion of the score changed much since your initial listen?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, dfenton85 said:

 

Has your opinion of the score changed much since your initial listen?

 

My opinion of the score didn't change a whole lot during the first 3 times I listened to the OST.

 

Then I saw the film and liked some aspects of the score more, and some aspects of the score less.

 

In a little bit I'm going to listen to the OST again and see what I think then.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I get the feeling a lot of those were like Disney saying "and we want this theme here and this theme here". The Death Star motif is appropriately placed, and I personally think the reference at the end of "Hope" to "The War" was nice. A bit strange to not hear the orchestra hit ending that piece though (since AOTC, JW had an orchestra hit at the end of the finale cue to segue directly into the end credits - the end credits sort of feel a little naked at the start without).

 

I'm not hearing that Battle of Hoth reference. Maybe I need to relisten to both Battle of Hoth and AT-ACT Assault.

 

Actually, I better buy the DVD when it comes out so I can rip the end credits. They should have been on this OST as others have said. And we can't bank on this getting a deluxe edition like STB has, because this is Disney and the only ones I think they'll want to expand are the Saga ones. Plus, I don't think we'll see a sessions leak for this for a very long time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Gistech said:

 

I'm not hearing that Battle of Hoth reference. Maybe I nelred to relisten to both Battle of Hoth and AT-ACT Assault.

 

 

It's at 0:31. Very short, but a clear nod considering both scenes contain AT-AT's

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, leeallen01 said:

 

 

It's at 0:31. Very short, but a clear nod considering both scenes contain AT-AT's

 

Oh, you mean the timpani part? Yeah, it does sound like a slightly-slower version. I'm actually surprised that, given Giacchino's usage of piano, he didn't also quote the piano parts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm hearing a ton of "Across the Stars" in Jyn's theme. Every time it played in the theater, that's all I could think. I honestly feel like it (Across the Stars) connects well with Jyn and her love for her Father. Obviously it's a love theme for Anakin and Padme, a very different type of love, but I think it works similarly for Jyn and her father; who is..... across the stars. Everything Jyn is doing in this film is for her father. I also link the connection to her nickname "Stardust". All the connects work too well, but who knows, maybe I'm crazy. :music:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, JurassicParkPodcast said:

I'm hearing a ton of "Across the Stars" in Jyn's theme. Every time it played in the theater, that's all I could think. I honestly feel like it (Across the Stars) connects well with Jyn and her love for her Father. Obviously it's a love theme for Anakin and Padme, a very different type of love, but I think it works similarly for Jyn and her father; who is..... across the stars. Everything Jyn is doing in this film is for her father. I also link the connection to her nickname "Stardust". All the connects work too well, but who knows, maybe I'm crazy. :music:

 

Maybe you are!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Gistech said:

I get the feeling a lot of those were like Disney saying "and we want this theme here and this theme here". The Death Star motif is appropriately placed, and I personally think the reference at the end of "Hope" to "The War" was nice. A bit strange to not hear the orchestra hit ending that piece though (since AOTC, JW had an orchestra hit at the end of the finale cue to segue directly into the end credits - the end credits sort of feel a little naked at the start without).

 

I'm not hearing that Battle of Hoth reference. Maybe I need to relisten to both Battle of Hoth and AT-ACT Assault.

 

Actually, I better buy the DVD when it comes out so I can rip the end credits. They should have been on this OST as others have said. And we can't bank on this getting a deluxe edition like STB has, because this is Disney and the only ones I think they'll want to expand are the Saga ones. Plus, I don't think we'll see a sessions leak for this for a very long time.

I don't think "Disney" said anything about what themr to use where. This is a Lucasfilm movie and I'm sure no one outside of Gia and possibly Edwards cared about the exact placement of which musical quote. I think Gia was just having fun with it because he is a huge SW and JW fan. For example I'm sure no one at Disney said "you should quote the original death star theme now because its such a fan favorite." 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I miss

5 minutes ago, artguy360 said:

I don't think "Disney" said anything about what themr to use where. This is a Lucasfilm movie and I'm sure no one outside of Gia and possibly Edwards cared about the exact placement of which musical quote. I think Gia was just having fun with it because he is a huge SW and JW fan. For example I'm sure no one at Disney said "you should quote the original death star theme now because its such a fan favorite." 

This

Probably even Williams wouldnt have quoted the imperial motif or the death star motif. Desplat absolutely wouldnt.We will never know though...We got these because Gia is a SW/Williams fan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, Gistech said:

 

Oh, you mean the timpani part? Yeah, it does sound like a slightly-slower version. I'm actually surprised that, given Giacchino's usage of piano, he didn't also quote the piano parts.

 

 

I mean this part right at the start of this piece. Giacchino references it at 0:31 in 'AT-ACT Assault' just for a few seconds. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am I the only one who hear a family relationship between "Jyn Erso & Hope Suite" and the theme of a character from The Force Awakens?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow that tiny major note in a minor theme... that's very dissonant to my ears...

 

The Imperial Suite at 1:29.

 

Not sure I like that... did they forgot to print a flat on the sheets?

 

You have to excuse my ears, they're not used to hear symphonic music composed by amateurs!

 

Guys, I was referring to Rey's Theme in my previous post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Incanus said:

And what the heck is with the recording in Giacchino's scores? What ever they do to them it seems to suck all life from his music.

 

I think it has less to do with the recording, and more with the writing. The way Gia handles his voicings and sections make the ensemble sound incredibly small, and dense. He has a very "big band" style of writing, and when applied to more lavish orchestral settings, everything just sounds like a flat tire.

 

3 hours ago, crocodile said:

Seriously guys, did you seriously expect Giacchino would suddenly write like John Williams because it's Star Wars? He never did that before and never will. All he can do is approximate the sound. Surprised that it sounds a bit like pastiche? First, Star Wars is a pastiche and over the top. It was never subtle (or too subtle). Second, this is in Gia's DNA. He did it with MOH, he did it with The Incredibles, he did it last year with Jurassic World (to lesser extent). He does have a lighthearted personality. Tongue-in-cherk homages are his thing. I seriously can't understand why this is suddenly such an issue. It's always been like that!

 

Karol

 

I don't think anyone here expected him to sound like John Williams. It's just Giacchino is trying harder here, than ever, to emulate pastiche, and he's frankly just not very good at it. More so ever, it shows in this score. Although there are one or two cues that somewhat harken back to his MOH days, the score overall comes off more as bland wallpaper (just not of the droning kind), than lively music. And of course, this is all the more frustrating when you start to think about what a Desplat score could have sounded like.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, publicist said:

The boring triads mascerading as 'themes' are again proof that nobody ever should have called Giacchino for a space 'opera'. He just hasn't any flair for it and writing themes with a larger scope requires a real composer who knows what he's doing in that idiom.

 

This. A 100 times this. We should all be liking this post.

 

There is nothing operatic about Gia's score. It sounds like it was blasted out for the umpteenth Marvel flick.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.