Josh500 1,615 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 This is a tough one. Which would have been better? These days, I actually prefer the Jurassic Park scores over the Harry Potter scores... by a very slight margin. The action pieces in both Jurassic Park movies are second to none (well, maybe the Star Wars and Indiana Jones action pieces)! So I voted for Jurassic Park! Raiders of the SoundtrArk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewy 2,391 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Harry Potter, better movies. I can't see how JW would have scored Jurassic World anyway, since it is kinda a remake of Jurassic Park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 2 minutes ago, Chewy said: Harry Potter, better movies. That's certainly true. But we're talking about the scores... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,076 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 JP, AINEC. Josh500 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 2 minutes ago, Chewy said: I can't see how JW would have scored Jurassic World anyway, Well, that just means these scores won't be predictable. Which is a good thing, isn't it? Jurassic Shark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,433 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Jurassic Park all the way, the movies are far better IMO TSMefford, Josh500 and Chewy 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post GerateWohl 4,370 Posted March 6, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 6, 2022 The HP movies provided a better palette of emotions and new characters, places and events. JP would have just been a canvas for more of the same action writing. Once, mrbellamy, oierem and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 4 minutes ago, GerateWohl said: The HP movies provided a better palette of emotions and new characters, places and events. JP would have just been a canvas for more of the same action writing. Not at all. Williams would have constantly come up with new themes and ideas, giving each installment its own unique personality and tone, the way he did with the 9 Star Wars movies that he scored. Or are you of the opinion that the 9 Star Wars movies all have the "more of the same" kind of action scoring, too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post GerateWohl 4,370 Posted March 6, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 6, 2022 5 minutes ago, Josh500 said: Or are you of the opinion that the 9 Star Wars movies all have the "more of the same" kind of action scoring, too? No. The 9 Star Wars movies provide each a wide palette of emotions and new characters, places and events. Just like Harry Potter. oierem, MaxTheHouseelf and MikeH 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 5 minutes ago, GerateWohl said: No. The 9 Star Wars movies provide each a wide palette of emotions and new characters, places and events. Just like Harry Potter. Well, the first 3 JP movies alone seem very different in tone, characters, and emotions to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,433 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 I would also add Fallen Kingdom which despite all his defaults has a very different tone, closest to the horrific than the others. The only JP which is redundant giving the plot is Jurassic World but Williams showed with TFA that no matter how close the script are as long as there are new characters he can write fresh and incredible music Josh500 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post bollemanneke 3,348 Posted March 6, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 6, 2022 Potter, but only if Doyle can keep his score. crlbrg, Tom Guernsey and Cameron007 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 2 minutes ago, May the Force be with You said: I would also add Fallen Kingdom which despite all his defaults has a very different tone, closest to the horrific than the others. Added to what? All JP and Jurassic World movies are included, including the new one not even released yet... 2 minutes ago, bollemanneke said: Potter, but only if Doyle can keep his score. Good one! bollemanneke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,433 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 3 minutes ago, Josh500 said: Added to what? All JP and Jurassic World movies are included, including the new one not even released yet... I was reffering to you previous post where you wrote that "the first 3 JP movies alone seem very different in tone, characters, and emotions". I think there's only JW which is not different enough Sorry for the misunderstood Josh500 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 Ah ok gotcha. Yeah, that's true... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bollemanneke 3,348 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 6 minutes ago, Josh500 said: Added to what? All JP and Jurassic World movies are included, including the new one not even released yet... Good one! I can't tell if you're agreeing or being sarcastic now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 15 minutes ago, bollemanneke said: I can't tell if you're agreeing or being sarcastic now. Funny. I couldn't tell whether you're joking or serious... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bollemanneke 3,348 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 I wasn't joking. I'd be very interested in JW or Doyle's scores for HP5-8. Desplat isn't bad at all, though, but Hooper needs to go. WilliamsStarShip2282 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerateWohl 4,370 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Same kind of poll we could make with Jaws and Superman. Josh500 and Brando 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxTheHouseelf 324 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 I voted for Harry Potter, because it tells one coherent story over the course of 8 movies. There would have been so much potential for continuing thematic development and introduction of new themes for characters and locations, if he had returned with Order of the Phoenix. Lots of missed potential. Josh500 and bollemanneke 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bollemanneke 3,348 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Then again, do we really want a JW/Yates score? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 38 minutes ago, bollemanneke said: I wasn't joking. I'd be very interested in JW or Doyle's scores for HP5-8. Desplat isn't bad at all, though, but Hooper needs to go. Maybe you didn't understand this poll? If JW had kept scoring... So he'd have scored the entire franchise. No other composer would have been involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bollemanneke 3,348 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 I did understand the poll, but that was my answer to the question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,504 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 JURASSIC PARK, of course. I only have a very casual relationship to everything Harry Potter, as I was 24 years old when the first film premiered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Edmilson 7,457 Posted March 6, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 6, 2022 I can only dream about how great JW's scores for the later Potter movies could've been. If PoA is any indication, he could write another deliciously dark and epic score like Revenge of the Sith Josh500, Andy, Molly Weasley and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 3 minutes ago, Thor said: JURASSIC PARK, of course. I only have a very casual relationship to everything Harry Potter, as I was 24 years old when the first film premiered. That's great, but... You make 24 sound like 64 or something. bollemanneke and Brando 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,504 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 He, he...just too old to have a childhood nostalgia connection to it. I think the films are fine, and the Williams scores wonderful (esp. 3), but JURASSIC PARK level enthusiasm, it's not. Josh500 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy 4,129 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Really tough one. I feel like both Hedwig’s and the JP theme after several films would completely loose their potency. Either way, I would hope for radical reimagining of tone and palette and new themes eclipsing old ones. I think I have to give it to Harry Potter though. The films matured along with the characters. Instead of “cutesy” magical themes with lots of celesta, I could imagine more dramatic tones with measured action music. JP on the other hand would certainly be tempting to ramp up the frantic strings and piccolos to accompany the modern camera angles and cg action. Lost World was a wonderful departure, but I can imagine more JP sequels being a bit exhausting. Josh500 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 10 minutes ago, Thor said: He, he...just too old to have a childhood nostalgia connection to it. I think the films are fine, and the Williams scores wonderful (esp. 3), but JURASSIC PARK level enthusiasm, it's not. Yeah, that's actually true for me as well... I think I was 18 when PS came out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Penna 3,690 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Probably Potter. There are two ways to look at this question - whose sequel scores would I prefer were Williams instead, or which franchise do I prefer had Williams' touch? Funnily enough, both have the same answer for me. I love Davis and Gia's scores, and I look forward to the day when I can have all six complete in my collection. But Potter also has far more thematic opportunities for Williams to add to his tapestry of themes. Imagine Voldemort's theme developing all the way to the final movie, instead of that generic RCP-inspired battle music Desplat was no doubt mandated to compose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datameister 2,043 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Both series are interesting. Williams ended his involvement in each with an enthralling score that largely reinvented the themes and overall sound. So predicting what later installments would have sounded like is difficult. Still, as others have mentioned, the JP films are weighted more toward action and suspense—areas where I don't necessarily think Williams has gotten better in recent years. The HP films are more character-focused by nature, and I think they would have been better-suited to Williams's strengths in the late oughts and early 2010s. So Potter it is for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundwave 0 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 1 hour ago, Thor said: JURASSIC PARK, of course. I only have a very casual relationship to everything Harry Potter, as I was 24 years old when the first film premiered. I was 19 when HP SS came out and I love the franchise! 1 hour ago, Thor said: He, he...just too old to have a childhood nostalgia connection to it. I think the films are fine, and the Williams scores wonderful (esp. 3), but JURASSIC PARK level enthusiasm, it's not. But that would make you 16 when JP came out, isn’t that a little out of the realm of “childhood nostalgia”? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,504 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 16 for JURASSIC PARK was perfect! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbellamy 6,287 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 1 hour ago, Richard Penna said: Imagine Voldemort's theme developing all the way to the final movie, instead of that generic RCP-inspired battle music Desplat was no doubt mandated to compose. Even a consistent Voldemort theme from 4-8 would have been good. Or 5-8. Or 6-8. Or 7-8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,076 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Hehe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 4,658 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 1 hour ago, Hedji said: I think I have to give it to Harry Potter though. The films matured along with the characters. Instead of “cutesy” magical themes with lots of celesta, I could imagine more dramatic tones with measured action music. Williams had already moved on from the cutesy by the third installment. Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,076 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 That's cute. bollemanneke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy 4,129 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Precisely. Hedwig was already taking a back seat, appropriately so, and to everyone’s delight the scoring matured. Just following that trajectory, and it’s Potter for the win. (Although I can’t say I enjoy either franchise’s sequels more than the other. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post GerateWohl 4,370 Posted March 6, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 6, 2022 I mean, it's not that I feel special admiration for the Harry Potter movies. They are all something between acceptable and terrible. But I love the books and Williams' music for the three first movies. I also love his first two Jurassic scores. But I am satisfied with the two JP scores. I never felt the need to get more of them. Very different for Harry Potter. There I would have wished for an expansion of Williams' musical universe. Maybe, because of the books I feel a closer connection to HP. I also would have been fine with the books and his music only. Holko, Edmilson, Chewy and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muad'Dib 1,802 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Azkaban was something special because Cuarón really took advantage of all the musical possibilites the movie to had offer. I have my doubts the following directors would be interested in expanding from that, and according to the actual movies, I don't think they would have allowed Williams to shine that much, really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Score 770 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 I don't feel particularly attached to the Harry Potter movies, but I think they would have given him the opportunity to build a musical universe similar to the Star Wars one, because they show many characters, many dramatic situations... and what he did with the first three movies is extraordinary. So, I voted HP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Mulder 154 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Harry Potter definitely! Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has several flying themes. It would be nice if Williams had a chance to compose them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Marian Schedenig 8,193 Posted March 6, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 6, 2022 Potter. I've seen all the Potter films but only seen the first three JPs, but my choice is based on the music and not (or not much) on the films. There doesn't seem to be much need (or perhaps even room) for thematic continuity/consistency in the JP franchise, but Potter, which is basically one long story told in multiple parts, would have been the ideal vehicle for it. Williams brilliantly laid the groundwork in the first film, abandoned (too) much of it for the second one (due to the time constraints I expect) and went into quite another direction for Cuaron, but it's still coherent enough and would have provided plenty of room for expansion and development - both in style (PoA is proof) and thematic content. It's a shame Williams never got to expand on his Voldemort material. Holko, oierem, Romão and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,483 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 John Williams doesn't score inferior sequels! (just remembered he scored Jaws 2) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edmilson 7,457 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 And Indy IV. bollemanneke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,483 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Just now, Edmilson said: And Indy IV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chen G. 3,949 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Harry Potter presents a better opportunity to craft a musical saga in the style of Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings: its less anthological than Jurassic Park. There's the same cast of characters, the same central conflict, Hogwarts and so forth: there's more of a chance to introduce a body of material and continue to develop it and expand on it. But, alas, that opportunity was never siezed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eitam 364 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Harry Potter, no brainer. The stories and characters have more range, and as far as the existing JW music goes I prefer Harry Potter to Jurassic Park. Even Chamber of Secrets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbellamy 6,287 Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 We would have found things to gripe about in a complete John Williams Harry Potter saga like we have with Star Wars, maybe POA would have remained the most interesting one, but it definitely would have been something. In 2011 it also would have resulted in more scores than Star Wars while completing the same kind of epic musical storytelling in a shorter timeframe, so that also would have been kind of a landmark for him in and of itself. Would have been interesting to compare to SW. Another Jurassic Park score - or four - would have been cool. Maybe on a micro-scale in terms of individual highlights or scores, they could have offered some stuff we wouldn't have gotten in Potter sequels. But I think HP is obviously a more unique missed opportunity, conceptually. I guess it's sort of like imagining if you had to give Star Wars vs Indiana Jones to other composers. Star Wars would take the bigger hit, but you could always choose to save Indy instead on personal preference. Cerebral Cortex and Josh500 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 If we had to decide before we even knew about the next films and what may come, although JP may have been a better head start for Williams, the HP scores were already becoming much more deep and sophisticated than the latter, being more like Star Wars in effectiveness and scope, and even beyond Star Wars imo in potential, we just desperately needed to witness Williams develop it. I think HP was Williams' greatest diamond in the rough, the greatest seed he planted. It's a no-brainer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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