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Michael Giacchino's SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (2021)


Jay

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I would think Eternals flopped because it was asking audiences to invest in a relatively new lineup of characters in an already crowded MCU. It didn't have the same brand identity as Spider-Man or any of the other established characters.

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Is there a full list? Because in the midst of forgetting to post my initial impressions for NWH's OST, one thing I will say is that I don't think I hear Sandman's theme in the slightest on it. The timestamps just keep leading me to incomplete statements of the Gia Spidey theme (which I guess is a testament to how much of an impression it leaves on most people).

 

Spoiler

Also, apparently the studio logos for the film features clips from the Raimi and Webb films, with music from them accompanying the images. So that already tells us that the OST is using full on alternates/has unused pieces if it's just a somber rendition of Gia's regular MCU fanfare that's present.

 

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Just seen it. Movie just released here today in my country.

 

In short, I watched this movie mainly to feel the “theatre experience”. The crowd went banana in Endgame, and I expect this to be same.
And I got just that, the crowd just went wild on a lot of moments in this movie.

 

The movie itself? 
Very mediocre. But at least I got fun counting the moments when meme/fan theories etc got realized on screen. But that’s it, sadly. 
 

And one disappointing thing is the score. First, it’s mixed quite poorly. Second, I honestly felt Gia missed the opportunity to go full blown mode on the existing spidey themes. But then I got the point to not do that, as this is a Tom Holland movie. But hey, why not just go wild fan-servicing in an already fan service movie at the highest order.

Finally, when I heard the end credits suite, I got nothing from the new music. It’s really serviceable. So getting a big franchise gig doesn’t mean that “big”, judging from the new music, I guess Gia came mostly for the money. It brings nothing fresh out of him

 

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I overall like the score, but the new themes are not its strongest assets, and they are definitely the weakest of the themes he's come up with for this trilogy.  It's a bit surprising, because he was clearly very enthusiastic about getting a chance to score this character, and he came up with good themes for the first 2 scores.  Maybe he just wasn't that inspired by this entry, or maybe with so much existing stuff to use (main theme, Strange theme Elfman, Young, and Horner themes), the new themes just didn't have a chance to shine anywhere.  I dunno.

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1 hour ago, PrayodiBA said:

And one disappointing thing is the score. First, it’s mixed quite poorly. Second, I honestly felt Gia missed the opportunity to go full blown mode on the existing spidey themes.

 

That is disappointing. Seeing how smartly Giacchino incorporated themes from other composers before (Speed Racer, Mission Impossible, Jurassic and etc), I thought that he could be the composer to properly do really go full blown past themes.

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6 hours ago, PrayodiBA said:

The movie itself? 

Very mediocre.


Out of curiosity, did you think Avengers: Endgame was mediocre? Did you think other Marvel Studios films were mediocre?

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6 hours ago, PrayodiBA said:

Just seen it. Movie just released here today in my country.

 

In short, I watched this movie mainly to feel the “theatre experience”. The crowd went banana in Endgame, and I expect this to be same.
And I got just that, the crowd just went wild on a lot of moments in this movie.

 

The movie itself? 
Very mediocre. But at least I got fun counting the moments when meme/fan theories etc got realized on screen. But that’s it, sadly. 
 

And one disappointing thing is the score. First, it’s mixed quite poorly. Second, I honestly felt Gia missed the opportunity to go full blown mode on the existing spidey themes. But then I got the point to not do that, as this is a Tom Holland movie. But hey, why not just go wild fan-servicing in an already fan service movie at the highest order.

Finally, when I heard the end credits suite, I got nothing from the new music. It’s really serviceable. So getting a big franchise gig doesn’t mean that “big”, judging from the new music, I guess Gia came mostly for the money. It brings nothing fresh out of him

 

 

It's a strange conundrum.

 

I think it can be an ego thing.

 

I think the Elfman and Horner themes are just obviously better that his own theme. So maybe he felt egotistical in not letting them shine and keeping his own theme for all the big moments.

 

But he was not always this way. He was more than happy - more than happy - to give the stage to the Alexander Courage theme for Star Trek for extended period of times rather than his own new main theme which contrary to his Spiderman theme is quite good.

 

Fun fact, as I was typing the sentence above I tried to hum the Star Trek theme to myself to remind me how good it is and I ended up humming the Dr. Strange theme. Go figure!

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The score was disappointing. It was always there but I never really felt like it added anything.

 

Horner's theme is completely lost in the mix and Elfman's, though there, really doesn't land the way it should. It reminded me of Endgame and Justice League in that you have all these themes cameoing but the way they're buried in the mix/orchestration makes it seem like the filmmakers are almost embarrassed by them. I even felt like this was the case with Strange's theme.

 

A let down after I really enjoyed FFH - mostly for Mysterio's super fun theme.

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I mean, you guys are analyzing a 74 minute score album to a 2 1/2 hour movie.  We have no idea how many unreleased variations there could be to all the non-Giacchino themes

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9 minutes ago, Jay said:

I mean, you guys are analyzing a 74 minute score album to a 2 1/2 hour movie.  We have no idea how many unreleased variations there could be to all the non-Giacchino themes

I saw the movie today. There aren't many at all. 

 

Spoiler

Zimmer's Electro music appears for literally around three seconds. It's tracked straight from that score.

 

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Yea, you submitted your post the same time I submitted mine.  I was replying to the posts before yours and hadn't seen your post yet when I typed all that

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The brief Horner and Elfman statement are so beautifully handled, made me go back and listen to Horners Amazing Spider-Man.. and funnily enough, I don’t like the theme that much on that score. The way that it plays on track 19 here tho, with the choir is just perfect. Best moment in the score. 

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3 hours ago, JohnnyD said:


Out of curiosity, did you think Avengers: Endgame was mediocre? Did you think other Marvel Studios films were mediocre?


Haha,

 

Well I love Endgame. I think they set the bar really high with this one. 
 

And I like Spidey FFH, as I thought it’s smart what they have done with the Mysterio storyline.

 

But then, came the phase 4 movies.

 

Black Widow IMO the worst MCU movie I’ve ever seen. It’s so bland. (And it ties with Captain Marvel)

 

Shang Chi missed a lot of marks. The end result is just decent, on the borderline forgettable.

 

But The Eternals,…

I really like it! This is the freshest Marvel movie in a long time (that doesn’t say much sadly). Yes, it’s a bit too long. But I’ve never been that invested in its character and plot than any MCU entries. It’s sad critics condemn it, as well as poor box office result.

And that’s worrying, as studio will then be afraid of trying new things, and will stick to that same old, bland formula.

 

Superhero movies used to be a thing for me, especially in the age of Iron Man, The Dark Knight, etc

But MCU just force the general stigma down that superhero movies should be big, crowded, and interconnected. So long good story and character development 😔 

And made worse by its bombardment in Disney+ too. (I used to support MCU , but now, they are too much)


I somehow concurred with Martin Scorsee when he first said superhero movies are theme park rides, but now, I FULLY agree
 

3 hours ago, Jay said:

I mean, you guys are analyzing a 74 minute score album to a 2 1/2 hour movie.  We have no idea how many unreleased variations there could be to all the non-Giacchino themes

 I havent heard the score in the album, I only read your analysis on the themes. 
But judging from that, then that’s only it.

 

Not a lot of music in the movie apparently ( I guess the poor mixing has something to do with it too).

And really small non-Gia theme variations, so I guess what you heard in the album (again, judging from your theme analysis) , is about 90%what you will hear in the movie.

 

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12 hours ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

Peter Parked Picked a Perilously Precarious Profession

 

It looks like MG wanted to put some emphasis on the importance of letter "P" here somehow.

 

Either that or Horner's "art" of train-long titles has found a new practitioner.

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4 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

That's a shame.  I was willing to give Giacchino the benefit of the doubt here as Far From Home was surprisingly good but nothing I've heard from the score really warrants him being chosen over Elfman or Young.  Just a really lackluster and perfunctory effort.  

 

He's just more "in" with Marvel than Elfman (and certainly Young).

 

In this age of Hollywood, he's done an admirable job holding onto large franchises to complete musical trilogies (Jurassic, Spiderman, Star Trek). Wouldn't be surprised if Batman is next.

 

I think Marvel have put more effort into composer choices lately (moving towards the likes of Giacchino, Silvestri, Elfman and Gorannson) so it's understandable they wanted Gia to complete his trilogy (especially with Doctor Strange 2 going to Elfman).

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10 hours ago, Jay said:

I mean, you guys are analyzing a 74 minute score album to a 2 1/2 hour movie.  We have no idea how many unreleased variations there could be to all the non-Giacchino themes

I don't think there were that many. But then, mix isn't the greatest. Not that it matters, it's probably best if the score services the core story rather than what is already present (and in ridiculous amounts) on screen. 

 

Karol

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I wonder if "Kraken" from Hans Zimmer's "PotC 2" was used in the temps for the "Sling vs Bling" scene. At first I thought of Elfman's "Men in Black" theme (a very unlikely choice for temp tracks, I know). Then the brass part at 3:47 mark began and I thought, whoa, that's the "Kraken" tune right there.

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19 hours ago, Jay said:

I mean, you guys are analyzing a 74 minute score album to a 2 1/2 hour movie.  We have no idea how many unreleased variations there could be to all the non-Giacchino themes

From what I've seen there only appear to be two or three notable uses of themes from the other franchises that weren't on the album. Granted each one that happens is important to me that it's there, but it's still not much. 

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8 hours ago, superultramegaa said:

From what I've seen there only appear to be two or three notable uses of themes from the other franchises that weren't on the album. Granted each one that happens is important to me that it's there, but it's still not much. 

Yeah.. that seems about right… the movie is so weirdly paced (and one of the visually ugly) that it never really stops for any theme to shine. Think about any montage in the original trilogy, or the Birth of sandman scene.

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I just saw the film. Relating to the topic, I thought Michael Giacchino did a great job with the score. As for the film, this is not only the best Spider-Man film ever; it is the best Marvel Studios film in Phase 4, one of the best Marvel Studios films, and I really have to applaud the cast and crew. I had a great time.

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3 hours ago, Jay said:

Just saw the film. Giacchino didn't write the whole score himself! There is additional music credited to Curtis Green and Griffy Giacchino

 

Are you surprised by this? Giacchino has been using assistants for a while now.

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8 hours ago, Jay said:

Here's a list of all the music in the final film

There's also a cue that uses Elfman's Spider-Man theme rather than the Peter Parker one, once in the brass, and again in the celeste. Don't know where chronologically it appears in the film though. 

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1 hour ago, crocodile said:

Oh I know about the listing. But they all say it is unavailable. Maybe they cancelled it? 

 

Karol

 

The release date is Friday January 7th.  If you click all the links, some of them the pre-order button is live, some not.  It just takes time to propagate across all the different Amazons

 

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09MYVXH51

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09MYVXH51

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B09MYVXH51

https://www.amazon.es/dp/B09MYVXH51

https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B09MYVXH51

https://www.amazon.it/dp/B09MYVXH51

https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B09MYVXH51

https://www.amazon.pl/dp/B09MYVXH51

https://www.amazon.se/dp/B09MYVXH51

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B09MYVXH51

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B09MYVXH51

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09MYVXH51

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On 15/12/21 at 9:18 PM, JohnnyD said:


Out of curiosity, did you think Avengers: Endgame was mediocre? Did you think other Marvel Studios films were mediocre?


I saw both Infinity War and Endgame for the first time recently. Infinity War is an absolute car crash of a film. It’s less of a film and more of a 2.5 hour series of semi interrelated vignettes to set up Endgame.

 

Endgame has a pretty decent ending with Tony’s death and Cap getting his dance and all that… but it’s Marvel so those moments will be undermined when those actors eventually come back in a later movie. 
 

I’m looking forward to No Way Home though. I don’t even care if it’s a good film or not. From what I’ve heard it sounds like an absolute blast! 
 

 

Gia’s score is pretty poor. I think he made great use of the choir, great use of old themes but it’s all a bit flat. I usually think Gia writes a good theme but fails to do anything interesting with it but I think he wrote the worst Spider-man main theme. I’m probably in the minority who prefers Horner’s of Elfman’s (although I love both) and Zimmer’s grew on me eventually (but I still dislike the score in general). 
 

But look, I’m here for the old characters anyway. I think the multiverse might be the best thing to happen to MCU. Let’s them bring in characters from all sorts of films and TV shows.

 

Hopefully less of Chris Evans brooding over the pressure of being a perfect flawless individual all the time and more silly stuff. 

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1 hour ago, superultramegaa said:

There's also a cue that uses Elfman's Spider-Man theme rather than the Peter Parker one, once in the brass, and again in the celeste. Don't know where chronologically it appears in the film though. 

 

That might be Unreleased Cue #25 and I identified the wrong theme.  I'll be going through everything again, as I also missed where that second cool harpsichord version of Dr Strange's theme is

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How brave of Giacchino to use music from other films. To bad though it reveals his limitations especially when he plays Horner's amazing work.

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The score is probably the 2nd best thing about that movie. (the main actors being the 1st)

 

I will accept a 5second nod for Electro. But I understand using the Horner theme over the Zimmer one.

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Release date is February 22nd in Canada instead of Jan 7: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09MYVXH51

 

In the US, looks like we're only getting a vinyl edition that's cut down to 9 tracks, on July 8th: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NCKFMYV/

 

A1 (OST 06) All Spell Breaks Loose (3:25)
A2 (OST 07) Otto Trouble (4:19)
A3 (OST 10) Sling vs Bling (5:00)
A4 (OST 12) No Good Deed (5:00)
A5 (OST 16) Liberty Parlance (1:28)
B1 (OST 17) Monster Smash (1:21)
B2 (OST 19) Shield of Pain (4:51)
B3 (OST 20) Goblin His Inner Demons (3:54)
B4 (OST 23) Arachnoverture (10:06)

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