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Worst movie with a great score


Musica42

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Anyway, I shall submit Raise the Titanic and The Lord of the Rings (1978).

I never got on with the old LOTR. Terrible movie as you imply, but the music always seemed horribly twee. Then again, the only Rosenman I ever got into was Planet of the Apes.

I rank it among the Great Scores. I never understood what's supposedly *that* bad about the film though.

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I'm going to pre-empt this and say New Moon is going to be bad, but the score sounds like it's going to be GREAT. Thank you for saving the series, Desplat.

New Moon samples

Coincidentally it was the thought of owning Desplat's score to New Moon (a movie I have an unending amount of near-sociopathic hatred toward) that made me start this thread.

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Still, at least he never teamed up with the Taliban.

Oh wait...

They were the good guys back then! Even James Bond did it!

Which brings me to...The Living Daylights. One of the absolute worst Bond films, but with a cracking score.

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Hornist,

You're a damn blooming IDIOT for thinking that the score for Independence Day sucks. I believe most members here would disagree with you on that. I know Steef all ready has and I do too! Independence Day is one of Arnold's best scores.

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Which brings me to...The Living Daylights. One of the absolute worst Bond films, but with a cracking score.

Really?:P

I thought it was pretty much considered one of the best Bond films of the 80s, definitely better than its predecessor and arguably better than Licence to Kill.

And Koray, if you really think the score to ID4 sucks, than... well I just don't know anymore.

:P

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Not heard it. Does it feature the same great themes from the original?

The last track is a short orchestral rendition of the Neverending Story song from the first film. Other than that there's a fleeting reference here or there, but it's basically all new material.

And there's really no point in arguing with someone that thinks ID4 is a sucky score. It'd be like arguing with someone that's convinced 2 + 2 = 7.

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Which brings me to...The Living Daylights. One of the absolute worst Bond films, but with a cracking score.

Really?:P

I thought it was pretty much considered one of the best Bond films of the 80s, definitely better than its predecessor and arguably better than Licence to Kill.

I don't think TLD is in general considered a good Bond movie, unless that perception has changed in the last few years. It remains among the very bottom of the barrels in my list. In any case, apart from a few stalwarts such as Goldfinger, From Russia With Love, For Your Eyes Only and perhaps Goldeneye and OHMSS, its not unusual for people to have wildly different rankings for each Bond film.

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Which brings me to...The Living Daylights. One of the absolute worst Bond films, but with a cracking score.

Really?:P

I thought it was pretty much considered one of the best Bond films of the 80s, definitely better than its predecessor and arguably better than Licence to Kill.

I don't think TLD is in general considered a good Bond movie, unless that perception has changed in the last few years. It remains among the very bottom of the barrels in my list. In any case, apart from a few stalwarts such as Goldfinger, From Russia With Love, For Your Eyes Only and perhaps Goldeneye and OHMSS, its not unusual for people to have wildly different rankings for each Bond film.

Well, I've never heard any real complaints about TLD other than the leftover Roger Moore humor, but I guess it just depends on where you are and who you talk to.

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TLD is actually a good Bond film that does suffer from a somewhat weak villian and weak ending. I think Joe Don Baker was much better as Felix Leiter's replacement in Goldeneye and TND.

The ID4 score does suck.

All of Hans Zimmer's scores suck, wanna cookie?

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If lush orchestration, blatant swelling patriotic melodies, a few strong themes, and a full two-disc presentation available if you know where to look make the score suck, then I'm glad I have so many scores in my collection that suck. I'm listening to a score right now that sucks.

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Someone mentioned Supergirl, and I couldn't agree more. The movie is a pretty bad train wreck, though amusing in parts (mostly unintentional... and having "Mommie Dearest" as the villain is pretty strange, hahaha). But Goldsmith's score for the film is... dare I say it here... to me more engaging in parts than Williams' Superman score. *gets ready for backlash*

I remember reading Filmtrack's recent review of the score, calling it something like "overly optimistic" sounding. And you know what, that's actually what I love about it. Do scores always have to sound dark and meaningful? My favorites usually aren't, they are just fun to listen to. And Supergirl is a pretty fun score with a sweeping theme and some great action. The villain music is a bit weak (maybe because the villain herself was a a weak character?), but he does have some fun with it in the "Monster Tractor" piece.

The only shame is the album releases. It's hard to release this score in a way that will please everybody, unless they someday release a mega-complete release. In some ways the score has an identity crisis: it switches from using electronics a lot to not. I think Goldsmith must have recorded at least 2 different versions of each cue, no kidding! It's really evident when you compare the old Varese album with the newer, more complete one. The main theme on the varese album, for example, is light on the electronics, whereas the expanded album has the film's more electronic take. The most obvious change is if you compare tracks for the "Monster Storm" music. There must have been like 3 versions of this one... because even the film version sounds different than the other two! Ugh!

I wish they would release the whole score with the non-electronic takes only, because it is far more effective without the constant "woosh!" sounds (and less annoying). For now all one can do is just edit between the two albums for your own personal preference (which I have done).

What do you guys think of this score?

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Someone mentioned Supergirl, and I couldn't agree more. The movie is a pretty bad train wreck, though amusing in parts (mostly unintentional... and having "Mommie Dearest" as the villain is pretty strange, hahaha). But Goldsmith's score for the film is... dare I say it here... to me more engaging in parts than Williams' Superman score. *gets ready for backlash*

I remember reading Filmtrack's recent review of the score, calling it something like "overly optimistic" sounding. And you know what, that's actually what I love about it. Do scores always have to sound dark and meaningful? My favorites usually aren't, they are just fun to listen to. And Supergirl is a pretty fun score with a sweeping theme and some great action. The villain music is a bit weak (maybe because the villain herself was a a weak character?), but he does have some fun with it in the "Monster Tractor" piece.

The only shame is the album releases. It's hard to release this score in a way that will please everybody, unless they someday release a mega-complete release. In some ways the score has an identity crisis: it switches from using electronics a lot to not. I think Goldsmith must have recorded at least 2 different versions of each cue, no kidding! It's really evident when you compare the old Varese album with the newer, more complete one. The main theme on the varese album, for example, is light on the electronics, whereas the expanded album has the film's more electronic take. The most obvious change is if you compare tracks for the "Monster Storm" music. There must have been like 3 versions of this one... because even the film version sounds different than the other two! Ugh!

I wish they would release the whole score with the non-electronic takes only, because it is far more effective without the constant "woosh!" sounds (and less annoying). For now all one can do is just edit between the two albums for your own personal preference (which I have done).

What do you guys think of this score?

I think it's incredible, and I even like the film for all its colourful comic book corniness. Clemmenson didn't know what the hell he was talking about. As for a more complete release, I'd beg for recording sessions because almost every cue (with or without synths) is gold.

The ID4 score does suck.

Why?

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Yeah I hope somebody digs up recording sessions of that Goldsmith score... oh wait! I wish some soundtrack company would release a legit release of GREMLINS! (I will annoyingly keep repeating this wish til it happens)

Yeah the Filmtracks review for Supergirl was rubbish. As was his review of Goldsmith's King Solomon's Mines score. He only gave it 2 stars! What a jerk! I don't think he understands the music was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, clearly. I mean he used the Wagner music as the theme for the villains (apparently per request of the director)! Hahaha. I still, however, am not sure if I like the older album that was mistakenly sped up, or the newer Prometheus album with the correct speed. That older album was my first listen to the score and having it played faster made the score seem more alive than at the real speed (the performance isn't quite great as it was). Hmmm.

As for the movie King Solomon's Mines (1985)... it is also a horrible movie. But it's the best kind of bad movie there could possibly be! Hilariously entertaining (in an intentional and unintentional way) with some horrible one-liners, character scenarios, and relentless references to Indiana Jones. Top it off with the over-the-top score, and you have yourself a fun night.

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:) @ Koray for thinking the score for Independence Day sucks.

I can't stand ID4 but even I realise the score is very good.

Glad you recognize the awesomeness of the score. :P The two boots really helps the listening experience in my opinion, a lot of great unreleased cues there. Well if you combine the two boots using mostly the World Records version it can make a nearly complete version of the score.

Edit: One movie I will say is pretty much horrible but has a bad ass score is Godzilla, the Arnold / American version that is.

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I rank it among the Great Scores. I never understood what's supposedly *that* bad about the film though.

I can't see why you'd rank the Bakshi version of LOTR among the "great" scores. One of Rosenman's finer efforts, but then . . . it sounds like a lot of Rosenman's efforts. (Listen, for instance, to the bridge in the main theme, and compare it to the bridge in his title theme for Star Trek IV; they're pretty much identical.)

As for why the film really is that bad--and even worse--here's a brilliantly hilarious review of all the specific elements that went into making this such a disastrous adaptation of Tolkien's work: Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings, Part One: A Critique. Interestingly, the first note concerns Rosenman's score. (This page is just one part of The Tolkien Sarcasm Page, a laugh-out-loud funny look at Tolkien's great works from several different points of view. For fans of the books--who know them well--both the Synopsis and electronic text versions of the story will have you sobbing with laughter.)

I've agreed with some, disagreed with others in this thread, but I think the best candidate that's been mentioned went by completely unnoticed all the way back on the first page: Krull. Totally cheesy 80's fantasy (though yes, it did have a couple of endearing moments) that was graced with a score it in no way deserved, one of James Horner's finest achievements. He composed 80 minutes of music in 5 weeks, all while fighting total exhaustion and severe illness, and emerged with a brilliant fantasy cinelogue. I was fortunate--more like miraculously blessed--to find a limited edition CD (one of only 2,000 released) that has every track from the film. There isn't a bad moment in the score.

- Scott

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Here's a little known fact: James Horner actually composed the score to Star Trek II in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. He came up with the main theme whilst hanging upside down with a rat in a bag over his head. True story.

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I can't see why you'd rank the Bakshi version of LOTR among the "great" scores. One of Rosenman's finer efforts, but then . . . it sounds like a lot of Rosenman's efforts. (Listen, for instance, to the bridge in the main theme, and compare it to the bridge in his title theme for Star Trek IV; they're pretty much identical.)

For one, it's the first Rosenman score I've heard. But among those using similar bits (not just Trek), I consider it by far the best. As a pure, full piece of music, it's brilliant. And it works amazingly well in at least several key sequences of the film. In fact, it has some of the first bits of film music I ever noticed.

As for why the film really is that bad--and even worse--here's a brilliantly hilarious review of all the specific elements that went into making this such a disastrous adaptation of Tolkien's work: Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings, Part One: A Critique. Interestingly, the first note concerns Rosenman's score.

Oh, I've read this years ago. Some of it is right. Some of it is just nitpicky. Much of it just has to do with character design or movie devices. You could make a similar list about PJ's adaptation, or pretty much any literature adaptation. It's certainly not a great film, but I stand by my opinion that it's not so bad. And it has a few bits that are mroe true to Tolkien's original than the PJ version.

Incidentally, I found Tolkien's own criticism of an earlier screenplay draft (I have no idea for what kind of project, or when, that was written) much more reasonable.

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I can't stand ID4 but even I realise the score is very good.

Is it me, or does the main theme from ID4 sound like the main theme from "The Poseidon Adventure"?

There is another nod to J.W., in ID4, as the "CE3K" main title "note" is heard as The White House is being evacuated.

ID4 might suck, but at least it has Laura Roslin in it. Mary McDonell is one of the finest American actors around today. If you doubt me, check out "Passion Fish".

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Actually yes the first 6 or so notes bear a resemblance to Williams' Poseidon Adventure theme.

It's not the first time though, Arnold's Godzilla's theme sounds similar to Herrmann's Cape Fear theme.

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I must vote for Krull. I bought the DVD before seeing it only because of the music. It was so bad that I almost cried, and the DVD is still in my shelf and the question is: why? It is one of the great paradoxes that the film contains the best music composed by Horner and it manages to be the worst film he ever has composed.

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What's up Alex, did the movie fail to stimulate your brain's pleasure zones, again?

I just don't think that the score is better or worse than the movie. I think most successful movies have an appropriate score. But now that you mention it, you're right, I don't find ID4 a very stimulating film, but it's watchable.

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Legend of the Fall. Terrible movie, James Horner's best score.

I thought Horner's score (disregarding it's wonderfully unashamed romanticism on it's won) contributed mightily to the suckiness of the movie.

Brad Pitt could've had a hard session on the loo and still would be accompanied by a boatload of yearning strings.

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I don't know if I would call it great, but Star Wars: The Clone Wars, I guess. The soundtrack was definitely much better than the movie, that's for sure. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock was a pretty bad movie. And I didn't care for Memoirs of a Geisha that much.

I don't have very many soundtracks for movies I don't like. I think of it as a way of controlling my budget on my film score hobby. :angry:

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The Search For Spock is NOT a bad movie!

Oh good, big TSfS fans. I am a Star Trek fan, but a couple things don't make sense to me about TSfS, and no one so far can answer my questions. Stefan or John, maybe you can help me appreciate this movie more? I'm being serious. I want to enjoy this film. It connects TWoK and TVH, two classics in my book.

I buy that Spock's body was regenerated by the Genesis Wave. But what reason would Kirk and company on Earth have to go get Spock's body? They didn't know that Spock's body was alive on Genesis. They discovered that McCoy had Spock's katra, and why would they need Spock's dead body to transfer his katra to the katric ark or whatever on Vulcan? Why didn't Kirk just take McCoy strait to Vulcan? Why would Sarek or Spock's katra (can't remember which right now) be offended that they "left" Spock's body on Genesis? If the body was required for some ceremonial (yet illogical) purpose, then why did they just eject his dead body into space in a photon torpedo tube? Wouldn't Spock have a will with instructions for what Starfleet was supposed to do with his body if he died? If not, wouldn't Kirk know? Or wouldn't Saavik at least know about Vulcan customs dealing with death?

Everyone says plot holes, but I'm open to explainations. It does seem like they just needed to get Spock's katra reunited with his body and couldn't contrive any plot device to explain why Kirk took McCoy to Genesis in the first place. Please help me!

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This seemed like such an interesting question--and so far off topic--that I just created a new thread for it here, and added a question of my own. Check it out.

- Uni

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