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Michael Giacchino's THE BATMAN (2022)


Jay

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Listening to this now. OK so this basically is a neo-noir David Fincher take on the character. Valid as anything as any other, I'd say, but I'm not sure if it makes an interesting 2-hour album.

 

Karol

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Finished my first listen. It’s ok. Wasn’t a chore to get through. I will say it’s a nice mystery/drama score. Kind of akin to his score to Bad Times at the El Royal. But as a Batman score? Nah. (And that’s probably the point. To make this film as deadly serious as possible)

Theres enough I could make a decent 20-30 min playlist from. Perhaps if I enjoy the film it might improve my view of the score. But right now, it’s about 3 stars from me.

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4 minutes ago, May the Force be with You said:

Wondering if this import CDs site is legit because apparently they're selling it too and really cheap too

https://www.importcds.com/the-batman-original-soundtrack/794043210051

This might not be the exact same product though. I've had Wonder Woman 1984 from them which was a pressed CD (although the artwork booklet looked like a poor CD-R one). But the Dune albums weren't. 

 

Karol

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1 hour ago, May the Force be with You said:

Wondering if this import CDs site is legit because apparently they're selling it too and really cheap too

https://www.importcds.com/the-batman-original-soundtrack/794043210051i

I have boughts cds from them as amazon sellers. They seemed legit. But the items purchased were mainstream soundtracks.

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6 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said:

 

I unabeshedly am not a fan of the character. Of the most ridiculous and laughable characters in popular culture, if not the most ridiculous and laughable.

At least you're consistent.

Fans who diss all three films are posers.

 

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2 hours ago, May the Force be with You said:

Wondering if this import CDs site is legit because apparently they're selling it too and really cheap too

https://www.importcds.com/the-batman-original-soundtrack/794043210051

 

It says "Manufactured on Demand" right on that page.  That's a CDR.

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1 hour ago, Jay said:

 

It says "Manufactured on Demand" right on that page.  That's a CDR.

True, although there were some exceptions (the Hans Zimmer releases I mentioned above). It was a bit of a lottery with those. 😄

 

Karol

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2 hours ago, Jay said:

 

It says "Manufactured on Demand" right on that page.  That's a CDR.

says the same on Amazon Netherlands and Amazon Deutschland, nothing available on Amazon US now although the Amazon DE says the album will be sold by Amazon US 

 

Update: found it on Amazon US as well, "CD Manufactured on Demand" 

 

 

2 hours ago, Luke Skywalker said:

Damn, i wanted to purchase the cd from this one, but im not going to import anything after new EU import taxes.

 

So now not even superhero movies make a soundtrack cd release a sure thing....

Soon it will be the time to test if Harry Potter related movies can make a soundtrack CD happen

 

At least Sony will release Ramin Djawadi's Uncharted on CD, I expect the same for Morbius

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5 hours ago, crocodile said:

Listening to this now. OK so this basically is a neo-noir David Fincher take on the character. Valid as anything as any other, I'd say, but I'm not sure if it makes an interesting 2-hour album.

 

Karol

 

I'm about a half hour in, the Fincher scores have far more personality imo. Don't think this kind of score is really in Giacchino's wheelhouse.

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I listened to the 2 hour OST album this morning.  I didn't really like it.  There were some cool highlights, but overall it was too empty.

 

It's probably exactly what Matt Reeves wanted though, and probably fits the film like a glove

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I have the American CDR version of Far From Home and it is fairly indistinguishable from the real pressed DC version I imported from Europe.  I can't remember if I posted comparison pics or not but if I did hopefully they are in the Far From Home thread

 

The biggest difference I remember is a noticeable downgrade in paperstock and printing quality of the tray card and booklet

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Just now, Luke Skywalker said:

How are cds on demand? Are they just cdrs like if i burned them or are they somehow printed and with printed booklets and cover in jewel case?

CDr on Demand is a service from Amazon to burn CDs in large amount after being licensed by copyright holder. (I believe Amazon US has a page introducing this)

 

In a word, it is CDr with printed cover and booklet in a jewel case. But according to lots of comment and feedback from various amazon sites, the quality of printing and trimming is really unstable and can be very poor

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It feels like Gia wanted to combine the minimalist take of the Zimmer scores with the more noir-ish/Herrmann-esque underscore of Elfman’s ‘89 score. Which seems like it could be a cool take. But it sadly feels kinda forgettable. For those interested, I cut things down to a 60ish minute playlist:

 

Can’t Fight City Halloween

Crossing the Feline

Funeral and Far Between

Mayoral Ducting

Escaped Crusader

Highway to the Anger Zone

Riddles Riddles Everywhere

Meow and You And Everyone we know

An Impurrfect Murder

The Riddler- Suite

Flood of Terrors

Bat in the Rafters pt 1

Bat in the Rafters pt 2

Alls Well that ends farewell

Catwoman- Suite

Batman- Suite

 

 

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40 minutes ago, TheUlyssesian said:

The reaction here is muted but the fanboy reaction is ecastatic and of the typical "cream in my pants" variety.

 

Yep that is always the case. To a lot of film music fans here, WW84 is Zimmer's return to glory. To DC fanboys, it was Zimmer losing his touch. 

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I'm gonna give the album another shot and will probably watch the movie soon, but so far The Batman strikes me as a soundtrack I will never listen to again. I am a big Batman fan, so I will often revisit a wide range of Batman soundtracks, but I don't think this one will make the cut. Hopefully the movie will change my mind.

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I haven't seen the film yet and I haven't listened to the album a whole bunch yet to be able to pronounce an opinion on its complete quality level but on a positive note, I will say that the noble Batman material that comprises the first half of his suite has grown on me quite a bit.

 

And while the darker material for Batman hasn't quite clicked for me, I have noticed something else about the Batman theme that is Williams-esque. Besides having similar plodding foreboding chords as the Imperial March, when the darker Batman material stomps away, from underneath comes the rising first phrase of the noble material, never going anywhere else. That dark variation of the first phrase of the noble material acts the same way as the low horns over top of the plodding Jaws theme. This is nowhere near as brilliant, but it is an interesting take for Batman. To play his material like the shark coming up on criminals.

 

While the material itself will still remain simplistic, perhaps overly so (I await the film to see how so), I do see some sense in this approach.

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This kind of score seems to jive with Reeves' Apes films, so I don't know what else to expect - or what other people were expecting. It can't have the wonder and mystery that a symphonic score like Elfman's had because it doesn't fit today's minimalist scoring nor can it be too synth heavy like Zimmer's rhythmic material lest it interfere with the tone and style this film is going for. 

 

Plus, I can count more scores I've loved after I've seen it with the film, than those I've heard before watching them.

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I was expecting that kind of a score based on...every other Giacchino score for Matt Reeves' film. So can't say I'm disappointed. Didn't get through the album because it looks like something I need to be in a mood for and yesterday was really busy. I'm seeing the film next Friday night and the music will probably work great in context (again, based on Reeves' previous films). I have no issue with the approach as it makes sense based on everything I've seen from the film. Batman can be done is so many different ways that there's no point being attached to one particular style. Would I like to have a cool long-lined theme for this? Sure, but this is not the film we're getting.

 

Karol

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39 minutes ago, Luke Skywalker said:

I think I'll wait to hear it first with the film. I usually do that and probably it will help here.

I think this is a very wise approach. I tend to appreciate film scores more whenever I do that. 

 

Karol

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What is the probability of this being the complete (minus 2-3 short cues) score?

 

Without the concert versions-end credits it lasts for: 1h 29 min


Samesituation without suites-end credits-source cues and with unused cues, for similar movies:

Dr Strange: 1h 34 min

Spiderman Homecoming: 1h 39h

John Carter: 1h 48 min

Jurassic World: 1h 47 min

Fallen Kingdom 1h: 49 min

M:i:III : 1h 34 min

M:I Ghost Protocol: 1h 36 min

Dawn Apes: 2h

War Apes: 2h 4 min

Star Trek: 1h 32 min

Into Darkness: 1h 40 min

Beyond: 1h 51 min

Rogue One: 1h 55 min

 

 

This is based in my "complete edits" on itunes...

 

It could be complete...if its the kind of movie that could be scarcely spotted... but then it lasts 3 hours, i think... So who knows.

 

As far as Matt Reves films go... the apes films seem to be wall to wall scored...but Let me in was complete I think... and it was one CD and Cloverfield didnt even had a score because the kind of film didnt 'need' one.

 

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Interstellar is my all time favorite Zimmer score and is such a unique creation for the film. I will say WW84 is more purely enjoyable on album though. Both are my top 10 Zimmer scores.

 

I am warming up to Dune. It made my top 10 this year after watching some of the sequences again, but I don't think it will ever be in my top 10 all time.

 

3 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

My top 5 Zimmer would not feature anything released after 1996

 

I am the opposite. The only score before 1996 that is in my Zimmer top 10 list is The Lion King. The only other score that could make the top 10 in that era is Beyond Rangoon. Others scores like The Last Samurai, Gladiator, At World's End, Interstellar, WW84, etc. are all post 1996.

 

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I like Dune...sketchbook. The score is good in the film though.

 

I would also like to point out that I actually like The Batman score. Way better than that third Spider-Man (which had only nice moments here and there). Yeah, I also like my themes long-lined and stuff. But it sort of makes sense too, judging from the trailers. I am looking forward to the movie.

 

Giacchino cannot win, it seems. Whenever he does the "traditional" score people moan that he is poor man's John Williams, and then they moan where he does the exact opposite as well. Fun never ends on the internet. :P

 

Karol

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23 minutes ago, Mephariel said:

I am the opposite. The only score before 1996 that is in my Zimmer top 10 list is The Lion King. The only other score that could make the top 10 in that era is Beyond Rangoon. Others scores like The Last Samurai, Gladiator, At World's End, Interstellar, WW84, etc. are all post 1996.

Same. 

 

My favorite era for Zimmer is from 1998 (with The Thin Red Line and Prince of Egypt) until 2007 with Pirates 3.

 

From 2008 onwards, I like stuff like Interstellar and WW84, and maybe parts of The Lone Ranger. I think it was the influence of Nolan and later Snyder and Villeneuve who have made his later scores less enjoyable.

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29 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

Same. 

 

My favorite era for Zimmer is from 1998 (with The Thin Red Line and Prince of Egypt) until 2007 with Pirates 3.

 

From 2008 onwards, I like stuff like Interstellar and WW84, and maybe parts of The Lone Ranger. I think it was the influence of Nolan and later Snyder and Villeneuve who have made his later scores less enjoyable.

I agree with you on HZ's best era, but I think Zimmer peaked with The Dark Knight in 2008. It still has enough of his musicality to not just be a mesh of noises and soundscapes and repetition. Thereafter though, Zimmer's long decline began for me personally.

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On 26/02/2022 at 10:13 PM, artguy360 said:

I agree with you on HZ's best era, but I think Zimmer peaked with The Dark Knight in 2008. It still has enough of his musicality to not just be a mesh of noises and soundscapes and repetition. Thereafter though, Zimmer's long decline began for me personally.

Wouldnt it all started with the dark knight, with the joker siren theme-sound

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I think I'd appreciate the score for TDK more if it didn't re-used so much themes and material from Batman Begins.

 

The score can be reduced to Zimmer's Joker theme + Zimmer's (?) new Batman material (Like a Dog Chasing Cars) + JNH's Harvey Dent music + action and suspense music from Batman Begins. 

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2 hours ago, Luke Skywalker said:

Wouldnt it all started with the dark knight, with the joker siren theme-sound

Yes, the Joker sound was a major turning point for Zimmer's modern sound. I'm not saying TDK was peak musicality, I'm saying it retains enough musicality to be interesting to listen, until scores that came after which really dived into soundscapes and simple repetitions.

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Yesterday I've watched The Godfather in theaters for its 50th anniversary and just realised how much Giacchino's theme sound like a crossover between The Imperial March and The Godfather. Here's the scene I'm talking about:

 

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