The other Harry Potter scores...

[Kevin 22]

Hooper's score is weak... too weak... For a movie with a sizable budget, they could have bought a better score.

[MissPadmé 17]

I prefer the Hooper score.

The Umbridge Theme sounds more like John Williams' Harry Potter than everything in Doyles work.

Well the music to the final battle in OOP is pretty weak and dissapointing I agree..

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Have you listened to the score for the game based on that film? I think that it is everything that the film's score should have been. Probably the best Harry Potter music outside of John Williams' ( and I never really liked Jeremy Soule, by the way).

[Hitch 57]

Apparently they paid him with monopoly money

[Kevin 22]

It has to be said that Doyle's score was by far the more critically acclaimed score of the two.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

I don't care much for Doyle's. I like Hooper's quite a bit on its own.

Unfortunately, it also sounds like a very good score for a TV-movie. It misses the size for something as big as a Harry Potter feature film. As a result, it comes a bit short in the film.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I like Hooper's score.

[MSM 126]

Doyle's score was the better score for sure, although it didn't sound like Harry Potter. The opening sounds like the opening for a Batman movie. Nice though are the Waltzes (Neville's Waltz in particular) and the graveyard sequence undescore. Although Hooper did try to sound like a Harry Potter score his efforts were weak be it only because there's no actual theme at all. In the film his music works ok, on a second watch.

Btw, I don't want to spoil the subject but we had several threads on this subject (Doyle vs. Hooper).

[Red 75]

Order of the Phoenix is pretty likable.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

A 2007 poll indicated that JWFan preferred Hooper's score by a small margin.

[Kevin 22]

Maybe over the hatred of Doyle doing the score and not really referencing Williams themes?

[indy4 155]

Hooper used Williams' themes as much as Doyle did.

I love Hooper's score. It ranks just barely behind SS and PoA, and ahead of CoS for me. I've never understood the "it sounds like a TV score" argument. How so?

Doyle's is okay. I don't mind it for not sounding like a JW HP score, as the film was very different from the previous three. Some bits are really great ("Harry in Winter" is one of them). My biggest beef is when the score is trying to sound overly bombastic, with bold fanfares and what not. I know that Williams did this more or less in SS, but for whatever reason, it worked much better. Williams' fanfares made my heart pound, Doyle's give me a headache. "The Golden Egg" is a good example of this. The more delicate stuff is actually quite nice.

Although Hooper did try to sound like a Harry Potter score his efforts were weak be it only because there's no actual theme at all.

There's a theme for Umbridge, two themes for DA, a theme for Voldemort's posession over Harry, and a theme for the "Fireworks" sequence.

[Hlao-roo 389]

Maybe over the hatred of Doyle doing the score and not really referencing Williams themes?

I hate cancer survivors.

[Marian Schedenig 8,239]

Hooper used Williams' themes as much as Doyle did.

But he wasn't the one who mostly stopped using them.

[indy4 155]

True...

[Henry B 50]

Doyle's score is at least a very solid effort, if an uninspired one. Hooper's is just lazy. It's like he wrote a few nice setpieces like "The Room of Requirements" and then gave up. Or does he really think the sluggish, simplistic writing in tracks like "The Sirius Deception" and "The Hall of Prophecies" conveys any sort of magic? The worst thing about the score is that it's pretentious, and nowhere is this more important than in "The Sacking of Trelawney." Also, the guitar stuff in "Fireworks" ... well, I don't object to the use of a guitar, but that ridiculously overdriven solo didn't reflect Fred and George in the least.

[Kevin 22]

As far as dismissing Hooper for not being John Williams, I learned a long time ago, from movies like Conan (Basil Poledouris), Star Trek VI (Cliff Eidelman), The Dark Crystal (Trevor Jones) and Star Trek II (James Horner), that "strangers/nobodies" could write scores which were arguably in league with Williams and other "established favorites".

[Henry B 50]

I don't think Hooper is one of those gifted nobodies.

[Kevin 22]

I don't think Hooper is one of those gifted nobodies.

I know, that's my point. People say that Nick Hooper can't be expected to write Williams like good scores, but look at what Poledouris/Jones did.

[Hlao-roo 389]

Yeah, guys, give Hooper a chance. Trust me, by the time Hooper's done with the franchise, you won't even remember the piddly stuff those other guys wrote for the other films.

[indy4 155]

Nicholas Hooper is the next Michael Giacchino!

[Nick Parker 3,040]

No, idiot. Chris Tilton is the next Michael Giacchino. Hooper is the next Chris Tilton. Get it right.

[Maxxie 1]

One thing I did notice with OoTP, was that it's the only HP film (so far) in which the End Credits don't start with some sort of variation on the Hedwig or Hogwarts theme.

[Hlao-roo 389]

One thing I did notice with OoTP, was that it's the only HP film (so far) in which the End Credits don't start with some sort of variation on the Hedwig or Hogwarts theme.

Yeah, Hooper wanted to avoid infantilizing the franchise the way Williams did.

[Henry B 50]

One thing I did notice with OoTP, was that it's the only HP film (so far) in which the End Credits don't start with some sort of variation on the Hedwig or Hogwarts theme.

Yes, disappointingly. It's the kind of pointless musical collage I could picture a TV announcer speaking over: "up next, see Ross and Rachel rekindle an old flame in a new episode of Friends..."

[King Mark 3,631]

Hooper's is the least worse

[John Crichton 4]

Hooper's is a decent listen. Doyle's is just bland nothingness, though the waltzes are nice. Nick is right, the OotP game score blows them both out of the water.

[Richard Penna 3,750]

OOtP still just doesn't sound more than a very good TV score to me. And Gold's music for Doctor Who is IMO vastly superior (I think Gold needs a movie assignment badly).

To its credit, it has more of a Potter personality than Doyle's, and there are some very good tracks. But in terms of emotion and technical ability, the score as a whole doesn't cut it for me. The Sacking of Trelawney for instance just brings out barely any emotion for me... it doesn't really do anything musically, and his themes, wherever they are, aren't even in the same galaxy as Williams'.

I've also heard from various sources that it took Hooper like half a year to write the score because the producers didn't like what he was writing. I personally just don't think he was really ready for a project of this size.

My favourite remains the the first one, with CoS and PoA tying for second place. The scores have essentially got steadily worse for me, as the movies have got just a little bit better every time. Kind of like an anti-Shyamalan effect.

[Maxxie 1]

One thing I did notice with OoTP, was that it's the only HP film (so far) in which the End Credits don't start with some sort of variation on the Hedwig or Hogwarts theme.

Yes, disappointingly. It's the kind of pointless musical collage I could picture a TV announcer speaking over: "up next, see Ross and Rachel rekindle an old flame in a new episode of Friends..."

Yeah I agree.

[indy4 155]

OOtP still just doesn't sound more than a very good TV score to me.

How so?

[Kevin 22]

What if Hans Zimmer scored Harry Potter?

[indy4 155]

No thank you.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

No, idiot. Chris Tilton is the next Michael Giacchino. Hooper is the next Chris Tilton. Get it right, moron.

Actually Chad Seiter is the next Chris Tilton.

I think people are forgetting Hooper has only done 1 score. Hear what he has for Half-Blood Prince then make some judgements.

[Hlao-roo 389]

I think people are forgetting Hooper has only done 1 score. Hear what he has for Half-Blood Prince then make some judgements.

But then he'll have done only 2 (major) scores. I say let the man score Spielberg's next few films, then make some judgments.

[Ollie 1,064]

Neither score bowled me over but I guess I would take Doyle's over Hooper's. However I don't have the hatred toward either score that some do.

[MSM 126]

Although Hooper did try to sound like a Harry Potter score his efforts were weak be it only because there's no actual theme at all.

There's a theme for Umbridge, two themes for DA, a theme for Voldemort's posession over Harry, and a theme for the "Fireworks" sequence.

I wouldn't call them themes.

[MrScratch 294]

They are both dull scores with a couple decent tracks. Doyle's is especially disappointing as he has written some really enchanting music in the past.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Probably the film failed to engage him.

[MrScratch 294]

That's no excuse, Harry Potter is more than just a single film. It is a magical children's adventure in seven installments, that's all you need to know in order to write some appropriate and engaging music.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

He probably couldn't see what was going on since the film was graded so darkly and coloured so mirky.

[MrScratch 294]

OK, I'll give ya that!

[MSM 126]

He probably couldn't see what was going on since the film was graded so darkly and coloured so mirky.

exactly. I just rewatched GoF and I think it's the worst movie in the series up to now.

[Marian Schedenig 8,239]

Easily.

[Richard Penna 3,750]

I still just don't get how people can hate Doyle's so much.

Sure, the themes are a little less than original, and he repeats things a lot, but it's not bad music... come on. The way some people talk about it around here, you'd think it was a Zimmer score.

Indy4 - re. OOTP sounding a TV score - it's the thinness of the orchestration in many tracks and the lack of any real themes I can hum. It just doesn't sound to me like the work of a composer who's used to working with a large orchestra, and he uses a synth choir. Apparently all his choices, not budgetary constraints, which makes me think he was trying to achieve too much with too little, and the wrong methods.

I can name loads of TV shows - Robin Hood, Doctor Who, even parts of 24, which have the intelligence and emotion that this score mostly lacks for me.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I can name loads of TV shows - Robin Hood, Doctor Who, even parts of 24, which have the intelligence and emotion that this score mostly lacks for me.

L O S T

[Richard Penna 3,750]

I'm not really a fan of the Lost music, but from a respectful point of view, most definitely. A work of art compared to most TV shows actually.

[SF1_freeze 131]

I still just don't get how people can hate Doyle's so much.

Sure, the themes are a little less than original, and he repeats things a lot, but it's not bad music... come on. The way some people talk about it around here, you'd think it was a Zimmer score.

Indy4 - re. OOTP sounding a TV score - it's the thinness of the orchestration in many tracks and the lack of any real themes I can hum. It just doesn't sound to me like the work of a composer who's used to working with a large orchestra, and he uses a synth choir. Apparently all his choices, not budgetary constraints, which makes me think he was trying to achieve too much with too little, and the wrong methods.

I can name loads of TV shows - Robin Hood, Doctor Who, even parts of 24, which have the intelligence and emotion that this score mostly lacks for me.

It's not about hating Doyle. I was very dissapointed about the way he approached the movie. The main problem is that his music (especially in the first 45 minutes) is written for a thriller with some bombastic parts but he forgot the magic flare that would identify this as a Harry Potter movie. Even Hedwig's theme doesn't work well with his orchestration. He also didn't continue or wasnt able to continue the medieval flavour JW introduced in PoA.

The Goblet of Fire was on TV recently and as i only watched it once in cinema i rewatched it now. Now the Doyle Score is fresh in my mind again. I have to say that probably 2/3 of the music doesn't belong to a Harry Potter Score, just feels wrong and so i didn't enjoy the movie (which of course has other weaknesses too). In the end Hooper managed to capture the vibe of the series way better than Doyle but was also dissapointing because of the little memorable music he contributed. It was nice underscore but didn't justify in any way to be called a really good HP score.

I can't understand the behaviour of the producers regarding the composer selection. They should be able to compare Doyle's and Hoopers with JW's efforts and if they add 1 and 1 they would realize that they picked the wrong person's for the HP music after JW. They could have saved a sinking ship by at least ordering more Hedwig's theme or another William's theme like Fawke's or A window to the past but they obviously don't care.

If it's right that it was a half year struggle to get decent music from Hooper it is the absolute wrong decision to let him continue to learn his job through a BIG Blockbuster Movie with JW as overmighty predecessor. It just has to go wrong...

And i have to admit i hated hooper for not using the Hedwig's theme variation in the beginning of the end credit's and David Yates for stupidizing the end credits with a boring screensaver background. The other films were black or had excellent digital animations in the credits for the most part.

At last the few positive things in Doyle's score. I think that the scene where Hermione walks down the stairways and enters the Ball room was absolute perfect scored. Also the Quidditch Worldchampionship music was nice as well as the waltzes.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

And i have to admit i hated hooper for not using the Hedwig's theme variation in the beginning of the end credit's and David Yates for stupidizing the end credits with a boring screensaver background. The other films were black or had excellent digital animations in the credits for the most part.

Hooper wanted more Williams in his score, but Yates and the producers wouldn't let him. This could very well be one of such examples.

[Pieter Boelen 740]

It is clear to me that somebody somewhere overseeing the making of these films doesn't have a bloody clue about what music should be used in them.

Also somebody doesn't have a clue how the movies should look (eg. not overly dark) and somebody doesn't have a clue where to spend the money.

For example, they keep putting in weird smoke effects for things like "apparating" and "memory scenes" and "flying around" and it doesn't do any good.

The finale of OotP was waaay boring with white whisps of smoke whirling around black whisps of smoke, which has to appear as Death Eaters fighting the Order of the Phoenix.

Whoever had the clever idea that whirling whisps of smoke would make for a good battle scene???

Also, where did the idea come from to have the maze itself being the challenge at the end of GoF? That is ALSO incredibly boring.

Especially when compared to what's in the book, which was really interesting, varied and just plain cool.

To me, for all of the movies they made some questionable decisions, but it's getting worse and worse.

For the first movie I thought it was weird that there was no short "rollercoaster" scene upon entering Gringotts, but other than that it was good.

For the second movie, the chase next to the Quidditch pitch struck me as being really out of place, but also other than that it was good.

The third movie is where things became really misguided. The good parts were really good, eg. some of the art direction, some of the look and all of the music.

However, the story went haywire, the werewolf looked pretty stupid and the final dementors scene could have been soo much better.

As far as I'm concerned, the fourth and fifth movies have their quality spread out more evenly.

Where the first two movies are pretty good all the way through and the third movie has really bad parts,

which are compensated to some extent by the really good parts exceeding those of the first two films,

the fourth and fifth films don't have many thoroughly bad parts, but don't have any thoroughly good parts either.

Actually, they're rather bland and not just a little bit misguided.

When it comes to the music, the first and third scores are absolute brilliance and the second one has many parts approaching or equalling the others.

The problems for the second score came mainly from a time restraint and were handled pretty well as far as I'm concerned.

The fourth film didn't have a magical Harry Potter sound at all and was scored boringly pretty much all the way through.

The scene underscored by "The Golden Egg", which is an amazing chase through the air, was begging for some truly amazing music.

What it got was bombast that does absolutely nothing.

There's a very small piece of music when Harry leaps on his broom that struck me as being very good, but nothing was done with that.

Instead, the bombast continued. This illustrates the failure of the score very well for me.

It wasn't a Harry Potter score, it wasn't a good score and all the nice parts were too short,

underdeveloped and surrounded by so much boring material as to be completely lost.

Having listened to some more of Patrick Doyle's recent music, it strikes me that he seems to be unable to write truly engaging action music.

He can do loud, but he can't do engaging. Also his themes as far as I have heard are always lacking something.

To me it is obvious that he was not the right man for the job; he wanted so hard to be different from John Williams (at which he succeeded)

that he completely failed at what he was supposed to be doing, such as writing a good and appropriate score.

As far as the fifth score is concerned, it is also far from being impressive, but at least has got some "Harry Potter magical sound" to it in parts.

The fact that Hooper did want to use Williams' themes more indicated to me that at least he's got the right mindset to some extent.

It is unfortunate that someone overseeing the production of the film didn't let him, because it could've done the music a world of good.

As it is, his themes are not impressive, though more appropriate than Doyle's, and most of his music sounds fairly boring as well.

However, at least it's got some things right to some extent and I'd rather have him continuing the series than Doyle.

I think Hooper actually can come up with some good Potter-like material, which is something that Doyle just cannot do in the first place.

Now let's wait and see if next time around, the producers of the film actually do let him do what he thinks best himself.

Could it be that the producers of the film really badly want the music to NOT sound like Williams anymore,

which is the reason for abandoning all of his themes except for Hedwig's and not even having it in the end title of OotP anymore?

Perhaps they want people to forget the brilliance of the first three films so that they can get away with spending a lot less money on the music?

Or can they possibly think that Williams' music wasn't good??? It's not like that would be the only thing on which they're misguided...

[crocodile 8,042]

If by magical sound most of you mean something like "Home Alone-like cozy music", then it makes me puke. No matter how faithful Hooper tries to be, his music is anonymous and unworthy of this movie. I can't see how lazy "let's do a JW soundalike" equals "attention-worthy" or "better". Doyle, as stodgy as he tends to be, at least does his own thing.

Karol