indy4

It's not the lack of new themes that bothers me. It's the reliance on music that is pasted directly from old cues. consider ROTS, which used the force theme a lot but in very interesting ways IMO. Or the set pieces (ie ROTS opener) that don't introduce many new themes but are still different than previous music we've heard. Instead of just tracking in TIE fighter attack. which is not to say there is no new music in TLJ - there's just less. Some of it is good, some is not

I like this score! It's much more understated even than Lincoln, but there are some really nice moments that shine through. And unlike TLJ, it doesn't suffer from scatterbrainedness or an over reliance on music that's already been written.

Having listened to the album a few times and seen the film once, my initial impression is...not great. There are some strong moments, but overall this probably the weakest John Williams Star Wars score in my view. The main reason is there was far too great a reliance on existing themes and cues. There are so many characters in the Star Wars universe, that the impression I got was JW (or perhaps Rian) was using every excuse he had to lean on music that had essentially been written for the previous 7 films. "Oh this scene involves Leia, let's essentially cut-and-paste from her concert theme. And now the Resistance is fighting, let's do the same for them. Oh look, Leia is talking about Han, we'll have to use their love theme." And some of the pasted material doesn't really make much sense (I won't say which to avoid spoiling anything). As many have pointed out, the end credits piece is hopelessly scatterbrained. The best piece is by far "The Rebellion is Reborn" which is very strong. The best new theme is the one for (I think?) the Resistance that shows up in "Rebellion is Reborn." Although I think it might have been better suited to represent the prequel's Republic - it sounds very regal and tragic to my ears. And I must say, the fact that JW is able to lean on his preexisting work is a testament to the incredible library of themes he has developed over the decades. He could have easily written a passable score without creating a single new theme. I was not blown away by TFA, but at least there was a fair amount of newness and cohesion there. Maybe TLJ will grow on me overtime, we'll see. My hope is that this is more a result of Rian Johnson's direction than JW's (lack of) inspiration with the saga. If so, perhaps Episode 9 will be more inspired. And for the record, I love the prequel scores and think they easily stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the original trilogy.

Wow, this is fantastic! @jimnova, I'm curious to hear to what extent JW was involved, before, during or after the piece was recorded? Any reactions or guidance from him? I love how you included less prominent pieces, like Anakin's Betrayal, Immolation Scene, and the opener from Revenge of the Sith.

Looks like it'll be airing tomorrow. Anybody planning to watch? http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/steven-spielberg-documentary-to-premiere-on-hbo-w491887

https://www.score-movie.com/ According to IMDB, JW's features are just archival footage - not sure if there's anything new here.

It's a guilty pleasure for me.

Awesome! Also, JW needs to stop creeping on Daisy Ridley.

I love JWs use of non-percussion instruments in percussive ways. A great example is the muted brass near the beginning of General Greivous from ROTS

1) Titanic 2) Star Trek II - Wrath of Khan 3) Field of Dreams 4) A Beautiful Mind 5) Bicentennial Man 6) Casper 7) Avatar 8) Braveheart 9) Apollo 13 10) Star Trek III: Search for Spock

Black Sunday is also full of angst

After a first listen, really enjoyed it. The main theme is one JW's better ones in recent years. I think I like it more than any of the new themes in TFA. "Sophie's Future" is gorgeous.

"Sierra Leone, 1839 And The Capture Of Cinque" from Amistad

Isn't the adventure continues the end credits of tintin? If so, shame on us!

Olympic fanfare and theme, Harry Potter suite, swing swing swing (in jazz band), Cowboys overture, summon the heroes, and a suite of JW music including Star Wars main title, Cadillac of the skies, jaws theme and Fhe Land Race.