Michael Giacchino Fantastic 4 (2025)

[DangerMotif 1,079]

https://filmmusicreporter.com/2024/07/27/michael-giacchino-to-score-marvel-studios-the-fantastic-four-first-steps/

[Jay 38,749]

Woah.

 

 

[Edmilson 8,497]

At least he won't be a space fart again.

[DangerMotif 1,079]

Seems like the test footage shown had some Giacchino music in it

[Gabriel Bezerra 370]

 

[The Great Gonzales 6,019]

Robocop!

[Edmilson 8,497]

Wait, Gia's theme really had a choir singing "Fantastic!" by the end? 

 

I was expecting something more in line with his Incredibles scores given the 60s retrofuturist setting. 

[Once 662]

1 hour ago, Edmilson said:

Wait, Gia's theme really had a choir singing "Fantastic!" by the end? 

 

I was expecting something more in line with his Incredibles scores given the 60s retrofuturist setting. 

In the leaked teaser/test footage from Comic Con the choir sings "Fan-tas-tic Four!" as the title is spelled out. Quite fun!

[PrayodiBA 566]

4 hours ago, Gabriel Bezerra said:

 

Oh man….

Now I really lost hope on Giacchino 😔 How he progressed very badly over the years, in particular his themes. If this is his official F4 theme, then this further cements it 😔

 

Zimmer also writes simplistic themes, but at least he always does it with a bit of elegance and grandeur. While Gia, not only is simple, the way he writes it in repetition, sounds amateurish.

By the way, his F4 themes reminds me of Goldsmith’s AF1 theme, here:

But the synth and the choir part is quite interesting, I’ll give him that. I hope he further plays on that

[Jim Ware 535]

1 hour ago, PrayodiBA said:

Oh man….

Now I really lost hope on Giacchino 😔 How he progressed very badly over the years, in particular his themes. If this is his official F4 theme, then this further cements it 😔

I’m not sure which is more banal - this or John Ottman’s earlier theme.

 

Bring back Marco Beltrami and Philip Glass I say.

[Mr. Who 957]

2 minutes ago, Jim Ware said:

I’m not sure which is more banal - this or John Ottman’s earlier theme.

 

Bring back Marco Beltrami and Philip Glass I say.

After his work on Ant-Man and in particular WandaVision (which was by the same director as FF), I think Chris Beck would have been a great choice to score Fantastic Four. Shame that he didn’t get the gig.

[Edmilson 8,497]

1 hour ago, Jim Ware said:

Bring back Marco Beltrami and Philip Glass I say.

The 2015 Fantastic Four had a pretty good theme:

 

 

[Jim Ware 535]

4 hours ago, Edmilson said:

The 2015 Fantastic Four had a pretty good theme:

 

 

 

The Fantastic Four Prelude (or Quatroqatsi as it was originally titled) is fun too!

[PrayodiBA 566]

21 hours ago, Jim Ware said:

I’m not sure which is more banal - this or John Ottman’s earlier theme.

 

Bring back Marco Beltrami and Philip Glass I say.

Every modern superhero theme is banal, sadly. As if composer is limited to certain musical notes when working in superhero movies.

 

Ottman’s and Gia’s F4 theme suffers not only that, but they sound kinda awkward and corny

 

Anyway, I think the recent good example of modern superhero theme on how to at leats make that banality sounds interesting, is Laura Karpman’s Marvels theme:

 

 

20 hours ago, Edmilson said:

The 2015 Fantastic Four had a pretty good theme:

 

 

^^ 

It does in fact sound good, but it’s more suitable to that ‘dark and gritty’ tone of that movie then the optimism that F4 movie is supposed to have

[Tallguy 4,101]

I'm withholding judgement (looks it up -- Yes, I AM allowed to do that, good) until I hear a better recording. From what I can hear it has a "carousel of progress" kind of feel. (I haven't listened to Tomorrowland in forever. Does it sound anything like that?)

 

G wrote two of my top favorite MCU themes, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. So I'm optimistic.

[crocodile 8,361]

14 minutes ago, PrayodiBA said:

Anyway, I think the recent good example of modern superhero theme on how to at leats make that banality sounds interesting, is Laura Karpman’s Marvels theme:

Yeah, that's my impression as well. The melodic line is very generic but she uses it very well. I wish she did more Marvel movies. But at least we get the What If series where she gets to play with so many ideas in each episode. There's a sense of fun to it.

 

Karol

[Alex 2,866]

I think Beck could have been a good choice for this.

[Not Mr. Big 4,719]

On 27/07/2024 at 8:54 PM, DangerMotif said:

https://filmmusicreporter.com/2024/07/27/michael-giacchino-to-score-marvel-studios-the-fantastic-four-first-steps/

Sure, why not 

[Richard Penna 3,999]

1 hour ago, Tallguy said:

I'm withholding judgement (looks it up -- Yes, I AM allowed to do that, good) until I hear a better recording. From what I can hear it has a "carousel of progress" kind of feel. (I haven't listened to Tomorrowland in forever. Does it sound anything like that?)

 

This. It's a bad recording and half hidden under other noises and stuff. Absolutely not the right conditions to judge how effective a theme is. Unless you're pre-disposed to dislike Gia, in which case criticise away  

 

I remember someone mocked up Williams' Geisha theme from some visible notes and it came out as fairly simplistic because it was missing the benefit of proper recording, orchestration, and good sonics.

 

I'm more amazed that they're trying again with F4.

[Edmilson 8,497]

 

Despite the movies themselves being crap, I like the design of the 2005 Doom. I don't care that they turned him from a Latverian dictator with a mastery of technology and sorcery in the comics to... just a CEO in the movie. But in terms of visuals and casting he was really good.

 

2015 Doom looks like dog shit. And again they forgot about the Latveria thing, this Doom is just some dude who uses computers.

[Mephariel 481]

On 30/07/2024 at 7:01 AM, PrayodiBA said:

Every modern superhero theme is banal, sadly. As if composer is limited to certain musical notes when working in superhero movies.

 

Ottman’s and Gia’s F4 theme suffers not only that, but they sound kinda awkward and corny

 

Anyway, I think the recent good example of modern superhero theme on how to at leats make that banality sounds interesting, is Laura Karpman’s Marvels theme:

 

 

^^ 

It does in fact sound good, but it’s more suitable to that ‘dark and gritty’ tone of that movie then the optimism that F4 movie is supposed to have

 

I hate to say it, but while I like The Marvels score, the theme is everything wrong with MCU's themes. Completely unmemorable. To me, only The Avengers theme and Black Panther's theme have instantly recognizable personalities. Everything else sounds like it came from an AI jukebox. I guess like a lot of those Marvel scenes themselves.

On 30/07/2024 at 7:26 AM, Alex said:

I think Beck could have been a good choice for this.

 

Has Beck ever written a memorable theme? I don't know who Disney should have gotten, but someone outside of the usual circle would have been nice. 

[tomsmoviemadness 3,417]

Beck's Ant-Man theme is incredibly memorable!

 

And I don't agree on the fact that all Marvel themes are forgettable. Yes, it's a shame there are so many different ones from different composers, but there are some fantastic ones in there!

 

The Avengers, Silvestri's Captain America, Iron Man 3, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, The Marvels, Black Panther, WandaVision & Loki are in my opinion all memorable themes. 

[Luke Skywalker 1,925]

Oh, i  was rigth the design of the new doom would be iron man variation. Pretty predictable i suppose.

[mstrox 6,778]

46 minutes ago, Luke Skywalker said:

Oh, i  was rigth the design of the new doom would be iron man variation. Pretty predictable i suppose.

Nobody has seen the design.  The graphic above is fan art.

[Luke Skywalker 1,925]

Ah. Well i predict it will be like that. Maybe with a small rectangular hole in the mouth or with light that will flicker as he speaks…

[PrayodiBA 566]

Okay I kinda retracted my first statement, based on the full test footage shown in the comic con, which you can see in full here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C99a1Q0OUTs/?igsh=MWZlaHl2ODV6d3l4OA==
 

it looks like Gia will mainly explore more on the 4-notes repeated motif and the choir part, which somehow sounds quite  powerful when combined with the footages as shown in the clip above. So i guess that’s why executives on top love him. 

 

On 30/7/2024 at 10:28 PM, Richard Penna said:

 

Unless you're pre-disposed to dislike Gia, in which case criticise away  

 I am. Currently 😄

 

I was a staunch Gia supporter in the past. Back when he created innovative works one after another (as the guy who combine jazz sensibilities with classical orchestra). I remembered my support began to deteriorate starting with John Carter with its rather off-putting theme. And it gets worse after that.

 

Bring back Gia who made this!

 

[Luke Skywalker 1,925]

If you think John Carter is Giacchinos start of a supposed decline, you never were a true fan beforehand then…

[PrayodiBA 566]

33 minutes ago, Luke Skywalker said:

If you think John Carter is Giacchinos start of a supposed decline, you never were a true fan beforehand then…

To me it was the start,

maybe the reason was a bit technical, here it goes:

 

I was a strong supporter;

- I fully adore his Star Trek theme when a lot of people despise it at that time. And I think till to this day, his ST theme is way superior than Horner’s and on par with Goldsmith’s, truly iconic!

- I remembered truly liked that intense motif iduring the opening scene of MI3, and at that time, I think Giacchino is the best Mission Impossible composer of all. I also like his Ghost Protocol’s score, in particular that Kremlin and Dubai theme

- and don’t get me started on Speed Racer, it was masterpice!

- I remember cheering to the heart when he accepted his first Oscar win for Up  ( and it was a close race with Avatar, with a lot of pundits predicted it to win) and how he delivered his love-for-cinema/Super 8 camera speech 

 

But then John Carter was released. I remembered hearing the theme first time, and thought to myself what a rather underwhelming theme. It also became quite a conflict of interest when that theme also sounds similar to John Powell’s Dark Phoenix theme in X3, which of course I’m way bigger fan of. So that truly became quite a stack of disappointments, which I tried hard to look past.

Unfortunately to me, it gets worse (again it’s my opinion). Jurassic World came, which was an even bigger disappoinment. Zootopia, Rogue One, Coco, and so on.

 

The ultimate reason is the theme. In the past, to me, as if he created a theme for the sake of the art of music itself (It’s hard for me to describe) Like they were labour of love for him.

Gradually, his writing became a sort of pastiche and parody of himself and the overall classical score works. And theme is getting simpler! And how it was played awkwardly in repeat! As if it was no longer a labour of love for him. Made worse how he became overly hired for big blockbusters movies, which as Filmtracks said, made a lot of score fan wished Powell and Gia changed assignments one with another.

 

 

 

 

[Mephariel 481]

13 hours ago, JNHFan2000 said:

Beck's Ant-Man theme is incredibly memorable!

 

And I don't agree on the fact that all Marvel themes are forgettable. Yes, it's a shame there are so many different ones from different composers, but there are some fantastic ones in there!

 

The Avengers, Silvestri's Captain America, Iron Man 3, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, The Marvels, Black Panther, WandaVision & Loki are in my opinion all memorable themes. 

 

I think our standards have fallen really far if the Ant-Man theme is considered memorable. All of the themes you listed, if you played those back to back in a concert, the only theme people recognize is probably the Avengers theme. Black Panther's theme, because of its African elements is probably the next one in line. The rest of them...like I can't even remember the hook of the theme. 

 

I would argue John Ottman's X-Men theme is probably more memorable than any of those besides the Avengers theme. 

[Smaug The Iron 552]

25 minutes ago, Mephariel said:

 

I think our standards have fallen really far if the Ant-Man theme is considered memorable. All of the themes you listed, if you played those back to back in a concert, the only theme people recognize is probably the Avengers theme. Black Panther's theme, because of its African elements is probably the next one in line. The rest of them...like I can't even remember the hook of the theme. 

 

I would argue John Ottman's X-Men theme is probably more memorable than any of those besides the Avengers theme. 

I could never remember the X-Men theme. But The Avengers, Silvestri's Captain America, Iron Man 3, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Spider-Man and Black Panther I do remember a lot 

[The Great Gonzales 6,019]

I have no problem remembering the Marvels theme, thought that's probably because it sounds like the Chuck theme haha

[tomsmoviemadness 3,417]

51 minutes ago, Mephariel said:

I would argue John Ottman's X-Men theme is probably more memorable

Maybe because Henry Mancini wrote it🤣

 

And let's just agree to disagree on your other statements.

[Tallguy 4,101]

I would think that the sort of film viewer that can't remember any Marvel themes other than The Avengers (and why THAT one?) probably can't tell the difference between Han Solo and the Princess and Marion's Theme.

[Mephariel 481]

3 hours ago, Tallguy said:

I would think that the sort of film viewer that can't remember any Marvel themes other than The Avengers (and why THAT one?) probably can't tell the difference between Han Solo and the Princess and Marion's Theme.

 

Why THAT one? Because it is catchy and you can hum it? It has an identifiable hook? I think you know what I am talking about.

 

If you play Star Wars, people go "Star Wars!"

 

If you play The Avengers, people go "The Avengers!"

 

If you play Ms. Marvel, people go "I am not sure what that is." 

 

And the fact that you mentioned Han Solo and Princess Marion's theme sort of proved my point. If only Beck was writing themes like that...

[Edmilson 8,497]

IMHO Giacchino's magnum opus is still the score to the 6 seasons of Lost.

 

And I do agree his more interesting work was in the early part of his career. Lost, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Up, Star Trek, John Carter, Super 8...

 

In recent years (2017 to today) I liked his first two Spiderman scores. The Batman was interesting. But early Giacchino is still the best.

[Stark 464]

Some of the greatest scores of all time are nigh unrecognizable, a good theme is one that serves as the foundation of a score and isn’t generic - and all the previously listed MCU themes fit that bill.

[Jurassic Shark 12,781]

Do I need to watch Fantastic 1-3 before seeing this one?

[Tallguy 4,101]

2 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Do I need to watch Fantastic 1-3 before seeing this one?

 

Oh, definitely.

 

11 hours ago, Mephariel said:

Why THAT one? Because it is catchy and you can hum it? It has an identifiable hook? I think you know what I am talking about.

 

Nothing to do with the fact that it's one of the most watched movies of the last twenty years? Or that it's one of the few themes that was repeated throughout the Marvel films? And you're comparing it with Miss Marvel, an unfortunate flop. It could have been the next Imperial March but nobody saw it so nobody knows it.

 

I would bet almost as many people could identify G's Spider-Man theme for the same reasons.

 

And I bet that if you played Marion's theme for a goodly chunk of the non-soundtrack obsessed population that many of them would say "Star Wars!"

[Edmilson 8,497]

2 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Do I need to watch Fantastic 1-3 before seeing this one?

Not really, no. Next year's movie is going to be a reboot, so it won't have anything to do with the 1994 movie, the 2005-2007 series or the 2015 Josh Trank movie. Unless they decide to throw some easter eggs, but still.

 

On the other hand, if you're planning to watch...

Spoiler

Deadpool & Wolverine

you might want to check the 2005 flick and its sequel... but it won't work the same way unless you have some kind of childhood attachment to it.

[tomsmoviemadness 3,417]

I think it was meant as a joke @Edmilson

 

Fantastic 4, as in the fourth film in the Fantastic film series. 😅

But that could just be my take on it, not sure if @Jurassic Shark's question was serious or not

[Tom Guernsey 2,570]

I’m looking forward the sequels, Fantastic 5eva and Too Four Two Fantastic: Fantastic Vs Football.

[Jay 38,749]

New clip just played at D23 expo:

 

 

 

[Tallguy 4,101]

It's OK. I'm sure it will work in the film. But it's not grabbing me by the eyeballs and not letting me go. It also sounds quite a bit like Tomorrowland.

 

*sigh* Color me meh.

[DangerMotif 1,079]

 

[Jay 38,749]

?

[Tallguy 4,101]

Well, he's excited.

[Edmilson 8,497]

 

Nah, it's meh actually. A blander version of Tomorrowland, one of the best scores of the later era of Giacchino's career.

[Jay 38,749]

First case of Cremeritis in a while I guess

[Luke Skywalker 1,925]

I can see it matching the 50’s setting

[Evanus 232]

Well.

 

If this keeps him away from Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Star Trek, whatever, that's fine with me!