Bofur01

Pity about the massive error or the front cover of Philosopher's Stone. Hopefully they can fix it in time! 

Can confirm. Have friends that haven't read the books. I would say most of the Yates film but specifically the 7th did not make an iota of sense. They work because there's action scenes and the heroes and villains are so archetypically and unambiguously defined that you can more or less go along with it but yeah the movies don't make much sense on their own.

I did not entirely care for it when I first saw it...then I watched the first one again today...and now I like this one even less. 
 
If youre looking a proper sequel to the first one, then you’re out of luck. It might be more enjoyable on its own, but it’s an awful sequel. They botch half the characters from the first one in my opinion.

All the ominous low key statements in the early ROTJ scenes are great.
 
Although I prefer a more "pure evil but noble" approach to the march itself (which is why I like the Skywalker Symphony recording much better than the LSO OST recording of the concert version), I'm a fan of all the brutal statements of the theme in the score itself. One of those is of course Aboard the Executor, but I also especially like the statements in the middle of Han Solo and the Princess:
 
 
 

When I was a kid I wrote my own lyrics to various SW themes in my head so I could better know what theme was playing when
 
Leia's theme was "Prin-cess, Leia's really nice.... prin CESS, Lei-a's really nice"
 
H&L's Love theme was "I love you, oh yes I do, I love you, I really dooooo-oooo"
 
The Force was "The FORCE, IS, really SPECial, The force, surrounds and bi-yi-yinds us"
 
The main theme / Luke's theme was "Luke, Sky, Lu-uke Sky WALKer, Lu-uke SkyWALKer, he's kickin' ass"

Is Powell's score really that good? 
 
I should listen to it. 😂 

One of the reasons I love the first movie is because of what you dislike. The title is a con. The entire beasts thing is a macguffin. It is what you think the movie is about but it is not.
 
I think the unexpectedness of it is what pleased me about the movie. That it basically marketed an entirely different kind of movie as something else.
 
The surprise isn't there so much with the second film. Now we know exactly what the franchise is. But it was an audacious coup that they pulled off in the first film.

I keep telling people the Canto Bight scene wasn't an accident. The person singing is simply considered part of the music.
 
 
In my experience, that's not how this would work. Regardless of if something is routed to appear in all tracks in the final surround mix, it won't still accidentally end up in the music track if it's solo'd. 
 
Honestly to me it sounds like bowed cymbals or metal. It's possible it could've been recorded as part of the music or is musical in nature and was bumped to the music track. An easy way to figure this out would be to check the sheets or ask if these sounds are performed in the isolated score.

But what if the story sucks?

I find Newt very relatable and endearing. He reminds me of Hermione in certain ways and she’s always been the character I identify most with from the books. 

EDIT: Removed

Pity there's no Solo on the Disney site, although perhaps they'll add it later (as happened with TLJ last year).

I don't agree that the new themes are much to scream about as represented here. Would have liked more of Dumbledore's, but again that might be a limitation of the film. The "ominous choral" motif as you pinpointed is the main new idea that stood out, actually, which I found effective but didn't quite feel like it tied the soundtrack together on a musical level. But I hope it and the other new stuff makes some sort of dramatic sense.
 
I think one thing about the first score is that along with the lengthier tracks for JNH to show off and isolated bursts of brand new melodic energy like "The Erumpent" which this lacks, it had that extra "1920s jazz" element to distinguish itself as something interesting apart from the previous 8 Potter scores. It worked stylistically and dramatically and that was something I really enjoyed that made it a little more than "just" a solid fantasy score. It was a fun musical hook I felt this series could claim, the "Newt Scamander Goes to..." concept. But only "Newt and Tina Pack for Paris" really has anything like that and since it's such a clear highlight, I would have liked to hear more of him in that style, riffing around with old and new themes. So will just have to see the film to see if maybe there's some unreleased stuff in that vein, or if JNH missed some opportunities, or if the film just doesn't really allow for it much.
 
As it is, first few tracks and last few tracks stand out, the piano solos are nice, and the scattered new renditions of the first film's themes are quite good.

Screaming choirs does not church music make.

I received John Howe's A Middle-earth Traveller last week and one of the images stood immediately out as someone familiar. I believe that a certain director was with or without his knowing modelling for Tom Bombadil!
 
 
 

 
 
The whole book is rather excellent with sketches and paintings new and old for John Howe fans to enjoy. A great companion to Alan Lee's The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook.

On the boat.

This is what I've got so far. Of course some of the new themes will be wrongly named and identified because I haven't seen the film yet. But I'm still listening, and will update as I go.


Fantastic Beasts Main Theme
1:51 - Newt and Jacob Pack for Paris
3:24 - Nagini
0:07 - Travelling to Hogwarts
0:15 - Your Story is Our Story
0:22 - Leta's Confession
0:00 - Visions of War
3:40 - Wands into the Earth
3:55 - Restoring Your Name
0:00 - Fantastic Beasts Theme (Solo Piano)

Love Theme
2:42 - Nagini
1:25 - Newt Tracks Tina
1:03 - Capturing the Zouwu
0:00 - Salamander Eyes
2:45 - Spread the Word
 
Jacob's Theme
1:35 - Newt and Jacob Pack for Paris

Queenie and Jacob's Love Theme
0:12 - Queenie Searches for Jacob

Obscurus Theme
0:00 - Irma and the Obscurus
2:59 - Restoring Your Name

Grindelwald's Theme
1:09 - The Thestral Chase
0:00 - Blood Pact
2:25 - Your Story is Our Story
1:01 - Spread the Word
1:13 - Wands into the Earth
2:12 - Restoring Your Name

Ominous Choir motif
0:19 - The Thestral Chase
1:53 - Blood Pact
2:58 - Leta's Flashback
2:06 - Salamander Eyes
0:11 - Matagots
0:06 - Wands into the Earth
 
Newt's Ostinato Motif
0:00 - Newt and Jacob Pack for Paris
0:00 - Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Newt's Adventure Theme
0:03 - Capturing the Zouwu
1:15 - Matagots
2:04 - Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Leta's Theme
0:11 - Leta's Flashback
1:45 - Leta's Confession
0:00 - Leta's Theme (Solo Piano)

Dumbledore's Theme
0:48 - Dumbledore
1:30 - Restoring Your Name
0:00 - Dumbledore's Theme (Solo Piano)

Fantastic Beasts Fanfare
7:12 - The Thestral Chase

Nagini's Theme
1:00 - Nagini
0:21 - Visions of War
6:02 - Restoring Your Name

Hedwig's Theme
0:07 - The Thestral Chase
 

I'm working on a theme list and tracker.
 
There are at least 7 returning themes so far and 5 new ones.
 

He adapted his main theme beautifully throughout. 
 
These are the moments they happen from what I remember from first listen. I'm sure I'll find even more as I listen on.
 
1:51
 
 
3:24
 
 
0:07
 
 
0:15
 
 
0:22
 
 
3:40
 
 
3:55
 

Good not great. Highlights are pretty limited to the variations on the first score’s themes, some of which are exciting. But I dunno that this really distinguishes itself...noticed some greater choral emphasis, makes for good typically JNH-y atmosphere and in general there’s obviously a uniformly strong sound. I can wait until after seeing the film to give it another spin, reserving certain judgments on it til then.
 
Seems more “solid” than special, though. The first one - while imperfect - made me wonder more if these scores could lean toward the latter, and I’m less intrigued by the overall potential after this one. I do hope he completes the set regardless, he’s definitely started something and there’s still room to take it somewhere. 

Anyone else think the adversaries in this series (apart from 'Tim Shaw') are a somewhat lacklustre bunch?

I mean ... when a racist toff was a jerk to Bill, Twelve punched him to the floor. Thirteen encounters a time-travelling white supremacist trying to alter the course of history and it never really gets worse than 'Ooh, aren't you horrible!' between them, and then Ryan dispatches him with no little ease.

Maybe leaving 'classic' enemies like the Daleks and Cybermen out of this series will prove to be ill-judged.   

Proving that a 'season arc' is nothing new to Who, recently started 'The Stones Of Blood' (the third story in the Fourth Doctor's 'Key To Time' season).  

So, have just heard this. Rambled thoughts.
 
Thought the new themes were a bit weak (Dumbledore's is okay, but for some reason I still can't pick out Leta's, despite the piano track.. Is it the 2 up - 2 down four note figure?), and the longer tracks quite dull and plodding, unlike some from the first film, but maybe I'll warm to them in time.
 
Themes return (If I'm not mistaken, all of them?) but really not very many times, by my reckoning (Which is a shame, as I loved the themes from the first score)
 
The slowww build up to the action in 'The Thestral Chase' was deliciously dark.
 
Think the most fun for me was 'Newt and Jacob pack for Paris', which borrows heavily from the titular end credits track. Also contains Jacob's theme!
 
'Capturing the Zouwu' has a fun Newt hero theme. 'Travelling to Hogwarts' contains the great FB theme (couldn't obviously hear it anywhere else ) 
 
I loved 'Salamander Eyes', as heard in the preview.
 
'Matagots' is really fun (Hero theme again, some borrowed from the escape from MACUSA)
 
'Spread the Word' builds to "epicness" - simple string ostinato + big chords... bit generic
 
'Wands into the Earth' I remember pretty cool in places.
 
I think overall it's slightly lesser to the first score, so overall a little disappointed on first listen, though I often am, due to over-high expectations. But there is some really great writing in there! I expect this'll be a grower, not a show-er. 

JWFan is in dire straits. The majority of the JWFans are not happy with TGP's betrayal of his original character.

I don't see anything objectionable here, other than the digs at Balfe - there is a trend lately of ragging on him to the point of bullying that makes my skin crawl.  Zimmer's music has led to lots of bad copies, there's no doubt. He innovates and everyone else is forced to copy.  That's not good for anyone. 

Can I just say... I CAN'T WAIT 'til Friday for the full score to come out!! 😱
And fore the movie too! A week after though