WORST John Williams Theme...

[JoeinAR 1,949]

its elevator music for the Gods.

[A24 4,371]

You have to write something really good in order for it be used as elevator music.

[scissorhands 16]

I've never heard music in an elevator.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Good for you.

[scissorhands 16]

Good for you.

It can't be worse than talking to strangers about weather.

[SturgisPodmore 0]

I can't believe people not liking Dry Your Tears, Afrika! And the main theme from Far and Away. Best . . . theme . . . ever. No joke, it's my absolute favorite!

Ray, I think Lockhart's theme is supposed to be annoying like him. Notice how the first time it's played, every instrument is playing the same note, it's very dry, just like his personality. But I agree, I don't much like it either, I just think there's more to it than you would think at first.

~Sturgis, who has also never heard music in an elevator

(And Marc, you tricky monkey, you had Stefan's qoute in your sig as an actual quote, but you realized my way was better! BWAHAHAHAHAH!!!!)

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

(And Marc, you tricky monkey, you had Stefan's qoute in your sig as an actual quote, but you realized my way was better!  BWAHAHAHAHAH!!!!)

1. My layout differs from yours.

2. Your layout was of no influence whatsoever on mine.

3. I've been posting quotes in my sig since before you came here, so don't think you can teach me anything.

4. Don't call me a monkey, you son of a silly person!

- Marc

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,266]

I must point out that neither of you obtained permission (nor even bother asking for it).

The FBI and BREIN/BAF will be looking for you both.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Does it look like I care?

- Marc,

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Steef, if you need help, I know a couple of lesbian softball players who will kick their butts for free, or maybe a beer or two.

[Lurker 5]

Well at least you were credited, Steef. Some of us can't even get that kind of respect.

Neil

[SturgisPodmore 0]

Mine is different now.

~Sturgis

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,266]

Folly!

[Frosty 0]

Here's one:

The Family Theme from Presummed Innocent.

Made me cringe the first time I heard it...

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

The Jawa music - just annoying, don't know why

What? Williams' masterpiece from Star Wars? Annoying? I knew there was something about you, Ray!

Yep, cause I definitely said that John Williams masterpiece score for Star Wars is annoying. No surprise though, Alex; you see what you want to see.

Ray Barnsbury

[King Mark 3,631]

Here's one:

The Family Theme from Presummed Innocent.

Made me cringe the first time I heard it...

Sounds just like Stanley and Iris.

K.M.

[King Mark 3,631]

The Jawa music - just annoying, don't know why

What? Williams' masterpiece from Star Wars? Annoying? I knew there was something about you, Ray!

Yep, cause I definitely said that John Williams masterpiece score for Star Wars is annoying. No surprise though, Alex; you see what you want to see.

Ray Barnsbury

Alex likes movies about old people having pseudo intellectual conversations while sipping tea.

K.M.

[Sandor 799]

The worst theme? Ah man that's too easy: The Lost World ofcourse! After the highly memorable score for Jurassic Park John Williams comes up with this?! I'm beginning to like the percussion-driven underscore (Rescueing Sarah and all), but the theme doesn't do anything for me.

Second: the Patriot theme. After all the sweeping melodies written for epic-films like Braveheart, Gettysburg, Dances With Wolves, even Gladiator, Williams comes up with a melody that sounds like it could have been written by a 2 year old. da-da-daaa-da-da-da-daa-da-da-daaa-da-da-da-daaa. Ah man; that theme is so irritatingly mediocre!

[A24 4,371]

The Jawa music - just annoying, don't know why

What? Williams' masterpiece from Star Wars? Annoying? I knew there was something about you, Ray!

Yep, cause I definitely said that John Williams masterpiece score for Star Wars is annoying. No surprise though, Alex; you see what you want to see.

Ray Barnsbury

When I said "masterpiece from Star Wars", I meant his "piece the resistance" of Star Wars. His most outstanding track! To me it's what the original Star Wars was all about. It's how I see Star Wars. I do not understand why it is "annoying". Really, such comment can only come out of the mouth of a Prequel lover, or someone who has never been a fan of Star Wars, of course.

----------------

Alex Cremers

[A24 4,371]

The Jawa music - just annoying, don't know why

What? Williams' masterpiece from Star Wars? Annoying? I knew there was something about you, Ray!

Yep, cause I definitely said that John Williams masterpiece score for Star Wars is annoying. No surprise though, Alex; you see what you want to see.

Ray Barnsbury

Alex likes movies about old people having pseudo intellectual conversations while sipping tea.

K.M.

To you they are just blathering, to me it's 'drama'. Remains of the Day is a great film, K.M.!

----------------

Alex Cremers

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

When I said "masterpiece from Star Wars", I meant his "piece the resistance" of Star Wars. His most outstanding track! To me it's what the original Star Wars was all about. It's how I see Star Wars. I do not understand why it is "annoying". Really, such comment can only come out of the mouth of a Prequel lover, or someone who has never been a fan of Star Wars, of course.  

Mmm, well musically the Jawa music may be brilliant. It's just not pleasant to my hears. Do I stubbornly state declare that Williams must've been uninspired just because I don't care for this particular piece, as many do here? No, I just accept the fact that it's not my favorite. Also, I'm definitely not a prequel lover - and though my SW fandom has decreased over the years, I still appreciate the greatness of the original trilogy, both as films and scores.

Ray Barnsbury

[Lurker 5]

The worst theme? Ah man that's too easy: The Lost World ofcourse! After the highly memorable score for Jurassic Park John Williams comes up with this?!

I never thought the original theme sounded like music for a dinosaur movie. The Lost World theme is a step in the right direction. I've loved it since the very first time I listened to it.

Neil

[JoeinAR 1,949]

The Lost World is one of my favorites theme. I wish Peter Jackson would use it for his King Kong theme.

[Bowie 45]

I'm not the hugest THE LOST WORLD fan, but I MUST defend the main theme. It is such a masterpiece. Who would have thought the undulating traversal of the minor scale could be so thrilling and adventurous! The construct here is second to none, in the film music realm at the very least. The barbaric simplicity of the melody gives way to the undeniable strength of the harmony and rhythm.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

what he said

[mahler3 478]

Agreed! The concert arrangement (as featured on Kunzel's Tribute to Spielberg CD) is excellent and worth checking out - slightly more ellaborate orchestration and a typically brilliant Williams ending! 8O

I also love The Hunt & Ludlow's Demise

- Tim, who loves Amistad and Far & Away and thinks Williams weakest theme is the 'Processional' from Thomas & the King and the 'Garrison Family' cue from JFK - also the weakest scene in the movie IMO.

[mahler3 478]

Second: the Patriot theme. After all the sweeping melodies written for epic-films like Braveheart, Gettysburg, Dances With Wolves, even Gladiator, Williams comes up with a melody that sounds like it could have been written by a 2 year old. da-da-daaa-da-da-da-daa-da-da-daaa-da-da-da-daaa. Ah man; that theme is so irritatingly mediocre!

Really? It's not that bad! There are some other great themes though! How about 'The Colonial Cause', 'Ann & Gabriel' and the 'Preparing for Battle' cue? Classic stuff if you ask me!

- Tim.

[Morlock 11]

I agree with all those defending The Lost World Theme. I am still not too familiar with the score, but the theme is brilliant.

Morlock- who doesn't think The original JP theme should've sounded like a dinosaur theme, and that it it perfect for the film

[SturgisPodmore 0]

Morlock- who doesn't think The original JP theme should've sounded like a dinosaur theme, and that it is perfect for the film

~Sturgis

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Yes, I think part of the brilliance behind that score is that neither of the two primary themes sound anything like what you'd expect from a dinosaur thriller movie. They really bring out the awe and majesty of what has been created on the island, and contrast well with the more intense and frightening music and scenes later on in the film.

Ray Barnsbury

[JoeinAR 1,949]

the main themes from Jurassic Park do not sound like a dinosaur score, but they do sound like the music of human discovery of dinosaurs.

[Bowie 45]

Appropriately so, since, as typical with Spielberg, the entire film was about the human drama. None of the music reflected the dinosaurs.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,266]

Not completely true.

[King Mark 3,631]

Is it morning in the Netherlands?

K.M.

[Sandor 799]

Yeah it's morning here in the Lowlands...

But...why are you people so shortsighted? Jurassic Park doesn't sound like a Dinosaur film score? Than I'm sorry, but what WOULD? The Lost World? That theme is sooooo cliche!

It's like people complaining about the 1977 score for Star Wars that it is not sounding like a SCIENCE FICTION score!! What do you want then: Ennio Morricone's The Humanoid?

I don't like The Lost World theme because it's way too conventional! The same goes for The Patriot Theme; no heart, all the clichés. It's exactly the kind of music you'd expect upon reading the track title 'The Patriot'. And I DO like the Love Theme; that's NOT the theme I'm talking about.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Everyone here who has said the JP themes don't sound like dinosaur themes has meant it in a postive way, except Neil. So I don't know why you're complaining.

Ray Barnsbury

[Sandor 799]

I'm just a very complaintive person.

[Morlock 11]

Yes, I think part of the brilliance behind that score is that neither of the two primary themes sound anything like what you'd expect from a dinosaur thriller movie.  They really bring out the awe and majesty of what has been created on the island, and contrast well with the more intense and frightening music and scenes later on in the film.

Ray Barnsbury

the main themes from Jurassic Park do not sound like a dinosaur score, but they do sound like the music of human discovery of dinosaurs.

Exactly. I always felt that the most interesting way to look at the movie was as Malcom said- The dinosaurs are the good guys, Hammond is the well meaning but narrow minded guy who is inadvertantly the bad guy, and Grant and co. are just dropped in the middle of it. I always felt the movie was far more interesting as not being a monster movie, but being about the selfishness of man. The concept of course is not exactly the driving force of the movie, but IMO the T-Rex saving our heroes by killing the raptors reinforces that outlook on the film.

[batmanand 0]

The main theme is not a dino theme: it is a reflective theme. It represents wonder, beauty, human ingenuity and above all awe. It is to represent the human achevement at having created dinosaurs, and the human reaction to them (awe). It is a brilliant theme precisely because it represents what the film represents (ie not "dinosaurs! wow!", but "humans creating dinosaurs! wow!").

The island theme is also not a dino theme: it is an adventure theme. It represents the other reaction to the dinosaurs: pure excitement. And boy, does it work well. I defy anyone to watch the film and not be swept away when the theme plays in the helicopter. It is just spectacular. It is also very effective at conveying the sense that the film is like an old fashioned adventure film, but with cutting-edge technology. It brings out the best in both the old and new senses.

The dino music is much of the "other" stuff, particularly the brachiosaurus (sp?) music, the raptor motif and the amazing music for many of the action sequences.

[Morlock 11]

IMO it is "dinosaurs! wow!", and I think JW is expressing that the humans creating dinosaurs are bad (or misguided) when right after the beauty of the dinosaurs he goes to the military, threatening music as they drive up to the visitors center, which also looks threatening from the outside. Once Hammond speaks, he's back to the theme, because Hammond did it all with the purest intentions.

I think that's a strategy used throughout the book and film (though it varies to what extent it's used)- the dinosaurs aren't bad like in a monster movie, the humans aren't all that good either. In the opening scene, for example- what's creepy is that these group of guys, who seem like evil henchmen, are transporting something, probably illegaly, something highly confidential. The dinosaur ain't no saint, eating a sympathetic looking worder, but still, I feel a distinct effort was made to make the humans just as suspicious as the creature they were moving. Or Hammond's mining expedition, looking for the fossilized mosquitos- it feels like the evil overloards expedition sent halfway across the world in search of the sceptor of power.

Spielberg chooses the raptors in particular as his real villains, the real monsters of the movie (even though, as Malcom said, that's merely their nature, they shouldn't have been brought back in the first place). They are the only dinosaurs portrayed really negatively in the movie. The scene with the T-Rex digging into the running herd, that illustrates the food chane, and the impressiveness of the T-Rex. The chase scene, while it does have a purely thrills part of the T-Rex chasing the car and crushing it (when Sattler and Muldoon go), the most interesting part is with Grant and the kids, and learning about the nature of the T-Rex. Him killing Gennaro was done in a comical way on purpose, and aside from that, all the harm T-Rex did was hurt Malcom, and he's brought back victoriously at the end, the real hero of the movie.

The dinosaur that kills Nedry is kind of cute and playful, like a dog, until Nedry insults him, then he attacks. The audience is clearly supposed to be on the dinosaur's side.

Muldoon seems like a bad guy in the opening scene, but then you see he's threatening looking because he doesn't think these dinosaurs are a good idea, and you get the sense that the only reason he took the job is because he admires the way they hunt, and just couldn't pass up the chance to see them in action. And he gives the raptors full credit, only forgetting his own advise at the crucial moment.

And finally, as opposed to a usual adventure movie the main hero with the two plucky kids are not really the main focus of the movie. The film goes for a long time without showing them, and finally, the whole climax is overshadowed by the T-Rex coming to their rescue.

My two cents, and one of the reasons why I like JP not as a remnant of my childhood (which Alex seems to think is the only way to like the movie).

Sorry for going off topic, I didn't plan on it.

[Morn 8]

Across the stars.

[Bowie 45]

Well for me the film is all about instinct. Curiosity, fear, survival, power. Yes there are parts of the film and score that depict amazement at (and subsequent hatred of) the dinosaurs, and parts depict the amazement at (and subsequent hatred of) the technology, but what pervades all aspects of the film and score are the instincts of the humans and the dinosaurs when they are forced to share an environment.

Certain key scenes describe this well. The blood-sucking lawyer running to the toilet instead of staying in the car, Lex being told by Grant not to scream or move (against her instinct), Elly feeling relief when the arm "taps" on her shoulder, Malcolm doubting everything, and in general, the curiosity to create dinosaurs.

[Dr. Jones 0]

I'll never understand how people can mention Sabrinas Theme as the worst he ever composed. I think especially, well being a pianist , for piano he has never written anything better. But of course tastes are different...

I don't really dislike a special theme of him but atleast my opinion his worst song, or the one I really don't like to listen to would be, John Goldfarb Please Come Home

and even if it tries to be funny, it's not. It's just terrible :?

[muehlopwer 0]

I don't all the music from The 3 Indiana Jones movies (only the main theme)!!

And of the course The lost World!

But the themes you mentioned (Across the stars, Augies, Dobby The House Elf, and The Patriot) are wonderful masterpieces!!