Gareth Edwards' THE CREATOR (Hans Zimmer, 2023)

[Thor 7,508]

This doesn't appear to have its own thread, only the A.I. news bit.

 

Saw the film on Monday, writing about it now. It's good, but with some 'grand folly' elements as well. 

 

The score was quite eclectic. Wasn't thrilled with the action music (straightforward ostinato stuff), but some other really good moments -- a theme that, at least instrumentation-wise, had a BEYOND RANGOON vibe. Only less synth and more acoustic strings. Not as great as that score, obviously (my alltime favourite Zimmer), but within the same landscape. Also a bit of an INTERSTELLAR vibe, complete with organ. Some lovely chord progressions for the more intimate scenes. And then a HUGE melodramatic theme at the end, kinda E.T. style. Hopefully, it's possible to make a succinct album out of this.

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

Oooh, that sounds great!

 

Seeing it tomorrow, I'm very excited

[Edmilson 7,466]

Album details:

 

 

1. They’re Not People (2:19)
2. A Place in the Sky (2:25)
3. Where It All Began (4:11)
4. Surrounded (2:34)
5. She’s Not Real (2:13)
6. Standby (6:12)
7. Missile Launch (3:01)
8. Prayer (2:47)
9. The Wounded (3:08)
10. Lab Raid (4:31)
11. Heaven (6:57)
12. True Love (3:30)

[Brónach 1,302]

so who's the composer?

[Edmilson 7,466]

4 minutes ago, Brónach said:

so who's the composer?

Max Steiner.

[Thor 7,508]

37 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

Album details:

 

 

1. They’re Not People (2:19)
2. A Place in the Sky (2:25)
3. Where It All Began (4:11)
4. Surrounded (2:34)
5. She’s Not Real (2:13)
6. Standby (6:12)
7. Missile Launch (3:01)
8. Prayer (2:47)
9. The Wounded (3:08)
10. Lab Raid (4:31)
11. Heaven (6:57)
12. True Love (3:30)

 

Brilliant. Looks like a proper conceptual affair!

 

9 minutes ago, Brónach said:

so who's the composer?

 

Cheeky post notwithstanding, there's only one composer credited with additional music in the end credits, Steve Mazarro.

[Brónach 1,302]

it wasn't completely cheeky! you've seen the end credits i presumed!

[Thor 7,508]

Just now, Brónach said:

it wasn't completely cheeky! you've seen the end credits i presumed!

 

Yup.

[Faleel 5,355]

So who's picking up the Thor-e Album?

[Stark 316]

2 hours ago, Edmilson said:

Album details:

 

 

1. They’re Not People (2:19)
2. A Place in the Sky (2:25)
3. Where It All Began (4:11)
4. Surrounded (2:34)
5. She’s Not Real (2:13)
6. Standby (6:12)
7. Missile Launch (3:01)
8. Prayer (2:47)
9. The Wounded (3:08)
10. Lab Raid (4:31)
11. Heaven (6:57)
12. True Love (3:30)

Yikes, kinda short!

[John F 100]

Too short!

[Thor 7,508]

Perfect length!

[Stark 316]

Of course, this could just be the first of multiple albums!

[HunterTech 994]

The next will be all the AI tracks that didn't get used!

[JTN 2,030]

2 hours ago, Thor said:

 

Cheeky post notwithstanding, there's only one composer credited with additional music in the end credits, Steve Mazarro.

Because everyone else at RC was busy working on the new Lorne Balfe score.

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

Samples. It sounds fantastic!!

 

https://music.apple.com/nz/album/the-creator-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/1708191452

 

[Thor 7,508]

I'm listening to the album now -- bloody brilliant! His best since INTERSTELLAR, and I ain't even jokin'. OK, so I'm still not thrilled with some of the action cues, but thankfully only a couple of them were carried over to the album (like "Missile Launch" and "Lab Raid"), which otherwise focusses on the intimate/spiritual parts of the story.

 

"A Place in the Sky"......fuck me, I almost cried listening to that track. The closest he's ever been to my favourite score of his, BEYOND RANGOON. The organ in "Prayer"....again goosebumps.

 

And it's all in a beautiful, 44-minute presentation.

 

5 out of 5.

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

Fully agree, just had my first listen!

 

It's only the 3rd score this year by which I'm really blown away and which surprised me so much! Zimmer was the composer who got me into filmmusic, and it was with music like this. So I'm in heaven right now 

 

I especially love those big bold sweeping moments. And I cried when the brass played on top of the string section in "True Love".

 

It's Score Of The Year Material for me!

[Thor 7,508]

4 minutes ago, JNHFan2000 said:

I especially love those big bold sweeping moments. And I cried when the brass played on top of the string section in "True Love".

 

Yes, Edwards has said that E.T. is one of the inspirations for the film, and there's a big E.T.-like moment in the film where that particular music gets to soar. Completely unashamed, over-the-top melodrama, of course, but perfectly in line with the charming 'grand folly' approach of the film in general. Loved it!

 

Definitely score-of-the-year material. 

[GerateWohl 4,370]

47 minutes ago, Thor said:

and there's a big E.T.-like moment in the film where that particular music gets to soar.

Blasphemy!

[badbu 123]

Wow!!! Just wow!!!

[Brónach 1,302]

perhaps too long of an album for what it is

[Lockdown 238]

Credits:

 

Spoiler

Music by Hans Zimmer

Score Produced by: Steve Mazzaro
Music Editors: Ryan Rubin, Graeme Stewart & Nevin Seus
Temp Music Editor: Georgiana Ramsland
Featured Vocalist: Stephanie Olmanni
Pitched Percussion: Aleksandra Suklar
Woodwinds: Pedro Eustache
Cello: Tina Guo
Synths: Matt Bowdler & Kevin Schroeder
Music Clearance & Legal Services: Christine Bergren and Julie Butchko
Music Production Services: Steven Kofsky
Score Recordist: Geoff Foster
Score Editor: Chris Barrett
Score Mixer: Alan Meyerson
Score Mix Assistant: Jacob Johnston

Additional Music: Steve Mazzaro
Orchestration and Music Preparation by: Oscar Senén
Orchestra Contractor: Isobel Griffiths
Orchestra Conductor: Gavin Greenaway
Choir Conductor: Ben Parry
Librarian: Jill Streater
Synth Programming: Hans Zimmer
Technical Score Engineer: Chuck Choi
Score Technical Assistant: Alejandro Moros
Digital Instrument Design: Mark Wherry
Studio Manager for Remote Control Productions: Jessica Gibson
Assistant to Hans Zimmer: Cynthia Park
Score Recorded at: AIR Studios
Score Mixed at: Remote Control Productions, Santa Monica

Soundtrack album to be released by Hollywood Records

 

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

 

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

Just saw the film, really loved it! I'll have more thought about it later.

 

The music works extremely well. It is very well spotted. There are quite a lot of moments without music, but I never felt that it needed any in those. The score is especially strong dueing a travel montage ("A Place In The Sky") and in the final 20-30 minutes.

The film actually brought me to tears. One part due to the performances and one part the music.

 

Listening to the album now after the film, I feel it is even better!

 

 

Thought based on cue titles the album is not 100% chronological.

[Mephariel 451]

I just got back from the theater. If it wasn't for the rushed third act, this would have been an incredible movie. The visuals are stunning and the story was engaging throughout. I wish the villains were stronger though. I think this movie is missing that T-1000 antagonist. The fact that this film cost $80 million is hard to believe. It looks leagues above those endless Marvel films. I thought this was John David Washington's best performance, but that doesn't mean a whole lot. The relationship with him and the kid sort of worked, but not everything was earned. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it fell short of being a great film. I would say 7/10 or 7.5 out of 10.

 

As for the score, As for the score, I am not sure if this is one of Zimmer's best, but it is definitely not a derivative Dark Knight clone. Some of the emotional stuff are truly soaring. Without spoiling the film, the final sequence with the music is probably Zimmer at his most dramatic. I really like the ethnic touches, the organ, and the non-Christian religious tones as well. But there aren't a lot of score in the film. Even the action sequences are usually without music, especially in the first half. However, JNH is right that the music is very well spotted. It enhanced every scene and never felt out of place. 

 

EDIT: Just finished the album and I have mixed feelings. "True Love" is absolutely one of best cues I heard this year and maybe any year. But cues like "Lab Raid" does feel kind of rusted. And "Heaven" is your standard Zimmer low key stuff. But "Prayer" and "A Place in the Sky" are lovely expression of his ethnic prowess. 

[Drawgoon 100]

The score does have some of Hans Zimmer's trademarks, particularly the early parts of "Missile Launch", but for the most part I never would have thought of him if I had listened to this without knowing who the composer was. Such a departure from his trademark of the past decade. Or perhaps this was largely a Steve Mazarro work?

Good listen nevertheless. Hopefully either composers get to score movies this way.

[JTN 2,030]

46 minutes ago, Drawgoon said:

Or perhaps this was largely a Steve Mazarro work?

 

[Giftheck 916]

On 27/09/2023 at 9:05 PM, JTW said:

Because everyone else at RC was busy working on the new Lorne Balfe score.

[Mr. Who 919]

Here is my collection of covers for The Creator:

¨

[Thor 7,508]

Great work, Mr. Who! The original cover isn't bad, but some of these alternatives are at least on the same level.

 

By the way, here's my review of the FILM (published today), as run through Google Translate. For anyone interested.

 

I will post my review of the SOUNDTRACK soon.

[Thor 7,508]

Aaaand here's my soundtrack review too, in English:

https://celluloidtunes.no/the-creator-hans-zimmer/

 

There, got it all out. Both film and soundtrack review. Phew. But it speaks to the quality of the score that it managed to inspire that much writing in me, in a period where I have a writer's block-type lack of motivation.

[Stark 316]

Very nice music!

[Thor 7,508]

I got a "thank you" from Hans Zimmer after my review. These things always boost my motivation.

[JTN 2,030]

26 minutes ago, Thor said:

I got a "thank you" from Hans Zimmer after my review. These things always boost my motivation.

How do you know he “thanked” you?

[Thor 7,508]

26 minutes ago, JTW said:

How do you know he “thanked” you?

 

Because he said it to me on Facebook.

[JTN 2,030]

1 hour ago, Thor said:

 

Because he said it to me on Facebook.

What did he say? Would you share it with us? 

[Thor 7,508]

He just said thank you after I mentioned my love of the score and my review. Nothing remarkable beyond that.

[fenrik 36]

12 hours ago, Thor said:

He just said thank you after I mentioned my love of the score and my review. Nothing remarkable beyond that.

Thats awesome! I also had some replies from him. He answered me once that the new LIVE album is mostly based on the Oslo show (to my delight since I went to that date!) and once he shared a picture from backstage the same night after the first Dubai show this year to confirm that it was filmed for release! I also once shared a Lorne Balfe track from a score no one seems to talk about or even know about and he (Hans) "heart" it. I love that he communicates with fans so much! And everytime he replies or "likes" my comments it makes my day! Like the fan boy I am! lol!

[Thor 7,508]

Yes, he's pretty good at that.

[LSH 969]

Yeah, he's active on the VI Forum too. Answered a few of my queries in the past.

[Thor 7,508]

He's very good at relating to his fans and the "outside world".

 

Personally, I think it's a great property to have. To have some sort of interaction. I would never call Zimmer my "friend", of course, nor an "acquaintance". We've met a few times, in Ghent and Krakow (over a few beers), and we've interacted a little bit on Messenger over the last 13 years, but that's it. He (barely) knows who I am, but it ends there.

 

Still, I felt in this particular case -- since I think it's his best score since INTERSTELLAR and since he taps into some elements of my favourite score BEYOND RANGOON -- I wanted to tell him how much I liked the score (without being fanboyish), and without really expecting any acknowledgement. When he did, that was a nice gesture, period. Nothing more, nothing less. 

[CrimsonRain96 11]

So, does anybody else think the score is absolutely gorgeous and some of the best work he’s done in quite some time? On par with his work on Dune and Dark Phoenix (not the best movie, but the DP score and the supplementary “sketches” album are fantastic). 

[Mephariel 451]

8 hours ago, CrimsonRain96 said:

So, does anybody else think the score is absolutely gorgeous and some of the best work he’s done in quite some time? On par with his work on Dune and Dark Phoenix (not the best movie, but the DP score and the supplementary “sketches” album are fantastic). 

 

I don't know if I love the whole score on the same level as some of the praises it has been getting, but I definitely think this is up there as one of my favorite Zimmer cues:

 

 

[Knight of Ren 789]

Haven't watched the movie yet, but I listened to the album a couple of times now, and I like it a bit more each time. It's nothing groundbreaking, but I missed this kind of Zimmer score, where he gets to create an absorbing and interesting soundscape that doesn't entirely rely on cheap scoring tricks, even if there's a bit of that in here, especially in the action cues like Lab Raid.

 

But this has some absolutely stunning tracks that I really enjoyed, like Standby, Prayer and obviously, True Love, where we get an orchestral and emotional piece that was sorely missed from the compiser's recent work. I agree that it's his best work since Interstellar, even if not on the same level, but the short album presentation also makes it quite easy to enjoy!

[A. A. Ron 1,742]

On 28/09/2023 at 6:20 AM, Thor said:

I'm listening to the album now -- bloody brilliant! His best since INTERSTELLAR, and I ain't even jokin'.

 

Really? You have my attention then. Interstellar is the last Zimmer score I actually loved.

 

On 28/09/2023 at 6:39 AM, JNHFan2000 said:

Fully agree, just had my first listen!

 

...

 

It's Score Of The Year Material for me!

 

Ok, ok, I'll give it a spin!

[iamleyeti 114]

It's very strange how… here and there… but maybe it's me… Zimmer is inspired by Giacchino. "True Love" for example has an evocation of the ROGUE ONE theme, while the ending is exactly what Giacchino would do with the timpanis… something I'm not sure Zimmer would ever considering.

 

I listened to the album only once and it's very good. A wide open soundtrack, filled with peaceful strength, evoking some of the more atmospheric Zimmer. I really, really like it.

 

EDIT: I must add, what a delight of having a 44 minute-long album once in a while

[Thor 7,508]

1 minute ago, iamleyeti said:

It's very strange how… here and there… but maybe it's me… Zimmer is inspired by Giacchino.

Hey hey now, no need for that kind of language. MG wouldn’t be able to create something on THE CREATOR’s level in his wildest dreams.

[iamleyeti 114]

Ha ha ha

[Brónach 1,302]

8 minutes ago, iamleyeti said:

It's very strange how… here and there… but maybe it's me… Zimmer is inspired by Giacchino.

 

it does have that vibe. if it stuck to the Giacchinoish bits the album would come across as better