Favorite Superhero score

[David Coscina 4]

The Superman thread got me curious as to what people think is the best superhero score

[David Coscina 4]

Yeah, looking at all these, I have to admit that Williams' music for Superman is still the strongest. Some amazing writing and I love how the score develops throughout the film. Thumbs up Johnny!

[Morlock 11]

Superman-Big dip-Batman-Conan-dip-Robocop-Unbreakable-Batman Forever-Spiderman-X2. Don't know Hellboy or The Punisher, don't like The Hulk, The Crow or X-Men. That sums it up for me.

[John Crichton 4]

Superman. Does anyone have to even think about this?

[Falstaft 2,133]

Not surprised this poll is a little...top heavy. Superman is the unquestionably best, a true genre-definer. But I'd say Batman is pretty close behind.

And I'm growing more fond of Spiderman the more I listen to it. Hellboy is a helluva score too, MB's possible breakout. And Conan is a classic as well, though I admit I listen to it very little (it just strikes me as such a lousy performance).

[Lurker 5]

I love Superman - The Movie. My second choice might be Goldenthal's Batman Forever.

Neil

[Kendal_Ozzel 36]

That was easy.

Superman!

There are some really great ones in there (Batman, for example), but Superman is simply the best.

[QMM 4]

Never watched all of Superman so I chose Batman

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I only saw one choice, so I voted for Superman.

[A24 4,369]

Superman.

[Guest]

Rocketeer.

[Nemesis 250]

Never watched all of Superman so I chose Batman

I thought we vote for the score? So, no question there:

Superman

Nemesis

[Dean1700 4]

This is no contest.

Look. Up in the sky. It's a bird. It's a plane. It's......

SUPERMAN

My other choices in order:

Conan

Batman (Elfman)

Robocop

[Morlock 11]

As I predicted.

[Marian Schedenig 8,259]

Conan. As I've said before, Superman has some of my favourite Williams cues, but I still think the score as a whole isn't that strong....Williams has done far better as far as whole scores go.

Batman Forever is very good as well, though not a contended with Conan I suppose. Where's The Matrix? I think that should be on the list as well.

Marian -

[Ollie 1,069]

Superman is the best, hands down. For 2nd place I'd choose Batman.

I really don't consider Conan a superhero but still a great score by Poledouris.

[Jay 37,536]

Superhero scores missing from this poll:

Superman II (Ken Thorne)

Superman III (Ken Thorne)

Superman IV (Alexander Courage, themes by Williams)

Supergirl (Jerry Goldsmith)

Spider-Man 2 (Danny Elfman)

Batman Returns (Danny Elfman)

Batman & Robin (Elliot Goldenthal)

Daredevil (Graeme Revell)

The Rocketeer (James Horner)

The Shadow (Jerry Goldsmith)

The Phantom (David Newman)

Steel (Mervyn Warren)

And if you are going to include stuff like The Crow, The Punisher, Robocop and Conan (I personally wouldn't consider them Superhero scores), then you also should include:

Blade (Mark Isham)

Blade II (Marco Beltrami)

Crow: City of Angels (Graeme Revell)

Crow: Salvation (Marco Beltrami)

Robocop II (Leonard Rosenman)

Robocop III (Basil Poledouris)

Conan The Destroyer (Basil Poledouris)

The Mask of Zorro (James Horner)

Spawn (Graeme Revell)

And while we're at it, I suppose you could also include

Flash Gordon

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III

Mystery Men

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Meteor Man

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Tank Girl

Barb Wire

[Trumpeteer 302]

I love Superman - The Movie.  My second choice might be Goldenthal's Batman Forever.

Neil

I concur.

Though Elfman's "Batman" is right up there.

[Romão 2,276]

Well, as much as I love Superman, my vote went to Batman. That score had an huge impact on me as a child and I guess being a die-hard batman fan doesn't hurt. Batman Returns should be on the list, it's also a great score.

Batman Forever is fun to listen to, Hellboy was a nice surprise, I find the Hulk score to be very interesting. Those are other highlights I think.

[Rogue_Leader 2]

The only two good choices ujp there are Superman and Batman 1.

All the other scores suck or are pretty weak. Except of course for Conan. However, that IMO DOES NOT count as a superhero score.

[A24 4,369]

It's a good thing that you said, "IMO".

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I voted for Conan, even though it's no Superhero score.

It blows everything else in that poll, plus 99% of all music ever written out of the water.

[Eplicon 53]

It seems like a "there's Superman and then there's everything" else type kind of poll. But what they hey, Supes it is. The music is the definitive version for the character. The film and music captures the scope of the character -- his origins, his coming to terms of who he is and the destiny that lies ahead and the decisions he has to make upon reaching adulthood are the oft-mentioned reasons.

While I liked Elfman's Batman score (didn't think much of the movie since Burton and the screenwriters were clueless about the Batman mythos -- it shudders me what Burton would have done to Superman) it lacked some scope and basically had no leitmotifs for each character. We just had the Batman theme in several permutations. Elfman doesn't really dabble with "B" (i.e., secondary) themes the way Williams does for all his scores. Without the B theme, it more or less paints the character as one-sided.

Elfman's other hero themes (Hulk, Spider-Man) are well enough but nearly interchangeable. Most of his main themes have been almost like that the past ten years or so. Of his Spider-Man theme, he said he wanted it to be brassy and percussion. That's how it's been for him. All the percussions we hear are him playing his samples. They all have a general sameness. And it's much harder to hum his themes!

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I don't see Conan as a superhero either, but I did love the score, '82 was simple a great year for film and film music.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Possible the best ever!

[Morlock 11]

Is this a new opinion?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It's far from a new opinion, just look at what was composed that year.

[Lurker 5]

1982 is great, but I prefer 1978.

Neil

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Nah...nothing much happened in 1978.

[Morlock 11]

It's far from a new opinion, just look at what was composed that year.

I have. You've got E.T. Conan's the only truely great score if you happen not to be crazy for Poltergeist. Ghandi's very good. Mosingor's good. Das Boot is good. Otherwise? maybe a few more good ones. That does not make for a great year for film music, and certainly not the best.

[Eplicon 53]

1982 is great, but I prefer 1978.

And easily Williams's greatest year. Hasn't matched it since, even if Moroder played spoiler.

[Danielle 0]

Out of those listed, there was no competition - Superman first by a wide margin, then Batman second. If Rocketeer had been on the poll, I might have had more trouble deciding.

[Lurker 5]

1982 is great, but I prefer 1978.

And easily Williams's greatest year. Hasn't matched it since, even if Moroder played spoiler.

It could also be Goldsmith's greatest year, too.

The Boys From Brazil

Capricorn One

Coma

Damien: Omen II

Magic

The Swarm

Neil

[Olivier 5]

Superman, whether movie or score, is at the top, in a class of its own.

Soaring theme, glorious march, the most beautiful love theme ever, another handful of beautiful passages ("Leaving Home"), a nice humorous march for the villains, action, suspense,...

The next best one I think is Batman Returns.

The first score introduces the great theme and has great action ("Charge of the Batmobile", "Attack of the Batwing").

Yet the second, sorely underrated/overlooked one is much much richer. Wonderful opening titles (choir, theme and all). Lots of great new themes. Very good action and "atmosphere". In fact, the album may even be an easier listen than the complete Superman.

Note:

I didn't think of Robocop as a superhero; in a sense, I can see why you do; after all, Batman and the Punisher don't have super powers. I considered only comic book superheroes in my answer.

Otherwise, we'll have to either consider all heroic characters or define many very specific categories.

[Justin 2]

I voted for Conan, even though it's no Superhero score.

It blows everything else in that poll, plus 99% of all music ever written out of the water.

Except maybe Superman. 8O

Justin -Who also loves Elfman's Batman.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

It's far from a new opinion, just look at what was composed that year.

I have. You've got E.T. Conan's the only truely great score if you happen not to be crazy for Poltergeist. Ghandi's very good. Mosingor's good. Das Boot is good. Otherwise? maybe a few more good ones. That does not make for a great year for film music, and certainly not the best.

ET, Ghandi, An Officer and a Gentlemen(Nitzche), Poltergeist, and Sophie's Choice(M. Hamlish) all were great scores, as was the other Oscar winning score that year Victor/Victoria, songs by Bricusse and Mancini, and Mancini's brilliant score. Vangelis has a great score in Blade Runner, Morricone's The Thing, the aforementioned Conan, Johnny Mandel's Deathtrap, David Whitaker's The Sword and the Sorcerer, and finally a little score by James Horner Star Trek II, the Wrath of Khan.

Sorry Morlock, 1982 is indeed a great year for film music, the best in my 44 years.

Oh yeah a couple more great scores, First Blood by Goldsmith, and Tootsie, by Grusin and "unnamed" collaborators who would later win for Beauty and the Beast.

[Romão 2,276]

Superman, whether movie or score, is at the top, in a class of  its own.

Soaring theme, glorious march, the most beautiful love theme ever, another handful of  beautiful passages ("Leaving Home"), a nice humorous march for the villains, action, suspense,...

The next best one I think is Batman Returns.

The first score introduces the great theme and has great action ("Charge of the Batmobile", "Attack of  the Batwing").

Yet the second, sorely underrated/overlooked one is much much richer. Wonderful opening titles (choir, theme and all). Lots of great new themes. Very good action and "atmosphere". In fact, the album may even be an easier listen than the complete Superman.

Yeah, I agree. I also love Batman Returns. The orchestration on the main titles is great and I love the new themes for Catwoman and the Penguin. And it contains of the best uses of choir by Elfman.

[A24 4,369]

Well, I have to say this, the Elfman score annoyed me during my theatrical visit of Batman Returns. Sometimes it's like I hear a metronome clicking when I listen to Danny's work, as if it was written with a sequencer program. It distracted me fom the movie. I miss the fluent organic flow in his compositions, something that Williams so effortlessly controls.

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Alex Cremers

[ridan 0]

I think I like the themes in Spider-man more than the themes in any other superhero score. The Green Goblin theme, THe SPider-man theme itself, the Peter Parker theme, the Ben Parker theme, Doc Ock's theme, the Love theme...

Overall, I think Spider-man is better than most otheres, all of them I've heard.

[Marian Schedenig 8,259]

Oh yeah a couple more great scores, First Blood by Goldsmith, and Tootsie, by Grusin and "unnamed" collaborators who would later win for Beauty and the Beast.

Not to forget two other great Goldsmiths (which I like better than the first Rambo): Secret of N.I.M.H. and Night Crossing.

Marian - who thinks the Spider-man score sucked.

[stewdog1 50]

I guess I'll go with Superman, but just for the first half of the score. When Clark gets to Metropolis, the score just doesn't hold my attention much after that.

The Rocketeer is a wonderful score, but would you consider that a super hero? If you do, then you would have to throw Bond into that list as well. You would be better off saying, Comic Book hero score.

[ridan 0]

[

Marian - who thinks the Spider-man score sucked.

Why is that?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Because it's an Elfman score and Marian has some incomprehensible hatred for Elfman.

Probably cause Elfman is a hummer.

[ridan 0]

A hummer?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Elfman did not have a musical education, so he does not read not or conduct.

Many classical elitists think he's a hummer, someone who hums his tunes to others and they arrange it into music.

Danny Elfman is a geniune artist with a musical voice of his own.

Damn the elitists!

[Marian Schedenig 8,259]

Because it's an Elfman score and Marian has some incomprehensible hatred for Elfman.

I have and like his scores for Batman, The Frighteners (though the actual movie is a bit overscored I think) and Sleepy Hollow, and I remember liking a few others of his, like Dolores Claiborne (sp?).

However, I'm not overly excited about him. And in the specific case of Spider-man, I thought the score added exactly nothing to the movie. It was, at best, just there, but often I found it out of place and even too loud - I don't mind loud music in a movie, as long as it fits, but this was, IMHO, just loud.

Marian - who hasn't seen the sequel yet.

Lionheart (Jerry Goldsmith)

[ridan 0]

Danny Elfman is a geniune artist with a musical voice of his own

I second that!

[A24 4,369]

Elfman did not have a musical education, so he does not read not or conduct.

Many classical elitists think he's a hummer, someone who hums his tunes to others and they arrange it into music.

Amazing! Read my post again! You mean I guessed all that from hearing his music during Batman Returns? Sometimes I even amaze myself.

"Well, I have to say this, the Elfman score annoyed me during my theatrical visit of Batman Returns. Sometimes it's like I hear a metronome clicking when I listen to Danny's work, as if it was written with a sequencer program. It distracted me fom the movie. I miss the fluent organic flow in his compositions, something that Williams so effortlessly controls."

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Alex Cremers

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Amazing! Read my post again!

Please....no more!!!

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I'd say Superman has smashed the competition.