The worst score by an A-list composer...

[Sandor 459]

For me: Lalo Shifrin's Class Of 1984. The synth effects are horrible (although forgivable) and everytime the main character has a conversation with his wife Shifrin underscores those scenes with a totally misconcieved "love ballad" which is highly inappropriate. It kills those scenes and almost the entire movie. It turns a decent film into something so unnecessary bittersweet it becomes childish...

[Ollie 859]

S*P*Y*S* by Jerry Goldsmith.

[bondo 33]

I really hate Ennio Morricone's score for In the Line of Fire. Too 'funky' for my taste, and such a serious film. It would have been better scored by Jerry Goldsmith or James Newton Howard.

[Goldsmithfan 3]

S*P*Y*S* by Jerry Goldsmith.

I have got to hear that score! I've heard such wonderful things about it! LOL

. . . And I have the guts to call myself a 'Goldsmithfan'!

[AC1 3,565]

Alexander - Vangelis*

*You can't get more A-list than good old Van.

[robthehand 3]

Something by Zimmer, definitely.

Alexander - Vangelis*

*You can't get more A-list than good old Van.

Oh yeah, Chariots of Fire too.

[Romão 1,931]

Alexander - Vangelis*

*You can't get more A-list than good old Van.

The Charge was good, but I agree with you, the rest was pretty crappy. And that battle music...

[Henry B 49]

I really hate Ennio Morricone's score for In the Line of Fire. Too 'funky' for my taste, and such a serious film. It would have been better scored by Jerry Goldsmith or James Newton Howard.

Speaking of Morricone, The Legend of 1900 was utterly forgettable.

[AC1 3,565]

Speaking of Morricone, The Legend of 1900 was utterly forgettable.

Haven't forgotten about the movie though.

[pixie_twinkle 44]

Alexander - Vangelis*

*You can't get more A-list than good old Van.

The Charge was good, but I agree with you, the rest was pretty crappy. And that battle music...

I have to agree. I love Vangelis' early albums, and the theme from Chariots of Fire is great (not the orchestral re-hash - it NEEDS the Vangelis sounds to work) even if the rest of the score falls a little flat. However much of his music since the mid '90s has been really bland and overwashed with reverb. He seems to have swapped his genuine gift for writing good melodies and beautiful arrangements for overblown and oversimplistic bombast. In my opinion the Alexander score is just one faux-grand theme after another. Having said that I've just ordered his first ever soundtrack on CD, from a porn film from 1969 called Sex Power! I'm anticipating something more greek/ethnic. It'll probably have a little "boom chikka waa waa" as well.

PS When will anyone release Vangelis classic score from Bitter Moon?????? Both the score and film deserved a lot more acclaim I think.

[nightscape94 965]

not the orchestral re-hash - it NEEDS the Vangelis sounds to work.

I think Williams' version on the "Aisle Seat" CD sounds great.

Tim

[Richard Penna 2,083]

I like a few tracks from Alexander - Across the Mountains, Titans, Drums of Gaugamela, One Morning at Pella and Immortality (I love that one). The rest...meh.

[Marian Schedenig 5,520]

Speaking of Morricone, The Legend of 1900 was utterly forgettable.

That's a wonderful score (and for a wonderful movie, too)!

I'm with robthehand, it's probably something by Zimmer. Of all composers who definitely are A-list composers, I'm pretty sure some of his scores must be the worst.

Marian - who thinks he should stick to romantic comedies, he does nice things for those.

[Richard Penna 2,083]

You know Marian, as soon as I saw the topic title, I knew someone would suggest a Zimmer score. In fact right now I'll suggest Batman Begins

[alfredo 0]

While were talking about bad Morricone scores...Rampage. I paid $1 for it and I want a refund! Hans Zimmer, that score was pretty bad.

[King Mark 2,924]

Mr.Baseball,Goldsmith

Titanic,Horner

K.M.Who kind of likes Alexander

[JoeinAR 1,759]

AOTC, Williams

Never Say Never Again, Legrand

Congo, Goldsmith

Jumanji, Horner,

Anything by Zimmer & Co.

[Hitch 55]

Staying with Morricone, MISSION TO MARS does it for me. Total tosh.

Joe, how could you not like NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN? The title song along is worth the price of the CD.

[Greg1138 2]

....and it's the only place to hear "Bond - Back In Action"......which is worth a listen....

.....and I love the theme song too.....but wonder what it might be like with a better singer......Ms Hall is OK, but the cracks show.....

[robthehand 3]

That song is definitely underrated. I heard an orchestral version once, and it sounded great. The lyrics are quite good too, but as Greg said, the performance isn't great.

[Sandor 459]

When it comes to Morricone I agree about Rampage, but certainly NOT about either The Legend of 1900 or Mission To Mars. Mars had some outstanding pieces, in particular the "Where?" track.

The music did kill the movie (almost) when Morricone used that weird organ sound. When I saw the film in Londen a few years ago, the audience actually started LAUGHING when they heard that music as if it were a joke. Some even looked around like they were convinced the wrong audio track was playing. Others were looking for a hidden camera...

That IS bad scoring...

[Marian Schedenig 5,520]

That much-hated organ cue is one of the most amazing moments of film scoring I've heard these past years. I honestly don't see what everyone's problem is.

Marian - who thinks the sequence in the film (which otherwise varies between ok and really good) is absolutely brilliant.

[nightscape94 965]

It's a shame the movie was so-so.

Tim

[AC1 3,565]

It's a shame the movie was so-so.

Yeah, it was 2001 ... for dummies.

[plindboe 0]

"Mission to Mars" and "Legend of 1900" are two of my alltime favorite scores, and I can't fanthom why anyone would call them his worst scores. With "In the line of fire" and "Rampage" it's certainly more understandable. Though it should be mentioned that "In the line of fire" have the ability to grow on you after some time. My least favorite Morricone score is "Un tranquillo posto di campagna", completely void of melody, simply improvised experimental noise throughout.

Peter

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

In The Line Of Fire has one great track, Taking The Bullet.

[JoeinAR 1,759]

It's a shame the movie was so-so.

Yeah, it was 2001 ... for dummies.

and 2001 was for psuedo intellectuals.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

No, 2001 was for pot smokers.

[Ollie 859]

Watching 2001 made me feel like I was smoking pot.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Great isn't it...

[Incanus 5,519]

I know this is going to start a riot but Michael Kamen's X-Men is a horrible score. It does nothing extraordinairy in the film and is jarring to listen on its own with exception of 2 tracks.

[Mr. Breathmask 480]

Michael Kamen's X-Men is one of the most underrated scores in recent years.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Here we go again...

Just because Kamen did not come up wuth a new Superman The Movie or Batman, doesn't mean that his score is as awfull as a lot of people on a lot of Internet forums seem to think.

Don't supoort the hype please.

[Incanus 5,519]

Another bad score I can think of by an A-List composer is Copland by Howard Shore. I really can't remember if it worked in the film to a great extent but I can tell you that on CD it is grating and monotonous at the same time.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

If a score works well in the film then it can NEVER be a bad score.

You really have much to learn still, Fjord-boy!

[robthehand 3]

Here we go again...

Just because Kamen did not come up wuth a new Superman The Movie or Batman, doesn't mean that his score is as awfull as a lot of people on a lot of Internet forums seem to think.

Don't supoort the hype please.

I think he did a very good job - he clearly wasn't trying to create another Superman or Batman-like theme, and I think his approach worked extremely well. The first time I saw the film, I never thought about the score at all... I guess that's a great compliment.

[Incanus 5,519]

I know that the basic criterion of a good film score is that it works in the film. Evrything else is irrelevant. I specifically said I do not like the CD incarnation of the score. Of course that is little off the subject but that does not warrant those remarks Stefan.

BTW Stefan there are no fjords anywhere near here. Finland is as flat as a pancake in the south. In the north we have fells but obviously you have not studied our geography closely enough.

[Ollie 859]

Kamen and Singer didn't see eye to eye and according to sources alot of what he originally wrote was dropped.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Singer probably wanted an Ottman-type score.

[Incanus 5,519]

Well X-2 was a serviceable score. Nothing special but it worked. The same as X-Men.

[Mr. Breathmask 480]

Singer probably wanted an Ottman-type score.

I think there were even rumors that Ottman might rescore the 1.5 extended cut of the film (a project that was eventually dropped and turned into a mere - albeit pretty good - 2-Disc DVD release of the theatrical cut), but who knows if that idea was ever really in the pipeline, or if it was just something someone on the internet came up with.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

And they are trusting these guys with the Superman franchise?

[AC1 3,565]

Great isn't it...

It IS great, only not in your point of view, which is kinda shallow and narrow. Of course, compared to Joe you are a intellectual.

[Sandor 459]

I was always intrigued by 2001 and to be honest; I never thought the film was pretentious or pseudo-intellectual.

And for those who think it is all those things; there is always 2010.

[Romão 1,931]

I would not be arrogant to the point of saying I understood everything that went on in 2001, but the movie is fascinating, nonetheless and some of the imagery is extraordinary.

[nightscape94 965]

It wouldn't be arrogant because 2001 isn't all that difficult to understand really.

Tim

[Romão 1,931]

Part of it is for me.

[Ollie 859]

It's not difficult to understand and visually it's stunning but it also is one of the most boring films to sit thru.

[AC1 3,565]

It's not difficult to understand and visually it's stunning but it also is one of the most boring films to sit thru.

Maybe I'm bored by your choice of entertainment. Tell me, what movies do you like in general? Brainless action flicks? Buddy cops movies? CGI fests?

[Trent B 317]

Michael Kamen's X-Men is one of the most underrated scores in recent years.

I concur with this statement. Kamen's X-Men score is definitely a very good one. Having the full score does help since a lot of good music was left off of the OST. Personally I enjoy Kamen's more than Ottman's. At least with Kamen's his X-Men theme was more closer to the original TV animated series from the 90's.