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By now, “Watchmen” has been assessed and widely shat on from a large array of angles, but one voice I didn’t necessarily expect to pipe in was that of classical music critic Tom Service. Writing for the Guardian, Service praises the film’s “carefully conceived” use of existing music, particularly the heavily intertextual use of Wagner, though he complains:
A shame, then, that they go for the easy option of Mozart’s Requiem, in a poorly edited version, near the end of Watchmen, after the pseudo-apocalypse that wipes out Manhattan. Surely a bit of 80s electro would have made the point better, and saved Mozart from becoming yet more of a morbid musical cliche?
Against such familiar themes, however, Service is distinctly unimpressed by Tyler Bates’ original score for the film, and uses this as a springboard for a broader lament on the state of Hollywood scores in general. He claims composers have recently “trodden the path of the generic or the frankly redundant” — with Jonny Greenwood’s extraordinary work on “There Will Be Blood” the last notable exception.
I tend to agree with him, having found 2008 a particularly weak year for film scores in general. But we part ways when Service chooses to single out for criticism one of the few scores that actually got under my skin (and onto my iTunes) last year:
Anyone remember “The Dark Knight’s” score? Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s music, I thought, got mired in a single idea, an obsessively repeated minor third, that gloomy interval of impending doom, but could not generate any real tension or dramatic counterpoint with the onscreen action. It’s a pity, given the complexity of drama and ideas in both films (“Knight” and “Watchmen”), that the music didn’t add to the experience.
To each their own, I guess.
11 responses so far
1 3-15-2009 at 5:20 pm
RJNeb2 said...
Have to completely disagree with him regarding The Dark Knight’s score. It was utterly outstanding in every regard, twisted, compelling, and daring too. Especially in the light of the fact its two composers haven’t done anything quite so adventurous in a heck of a long time.
I thought WALL-E had a charming score and must be one of the few people left in the country not to have seen Slumdog so can’t comment on that, but amongst the numerous travesties that the Academy gave us this year, the snub for Zimmer and Newton Howard still rankles.
2 3-15-2009 at 6:01 pm
Chris said...
I love the “Ben Button” score, and still keep listening to it on my iTunes. Surely it’s traditional, but does tradition equal convention? I don’t think so.
3 3-15-2009 at 6:15 pm
Marvin said...
Speaking about ’08 scores, what little music there was in Happy Go Lucky was beyond excellent
4 3-15-2009 at 6:49 pm
Speaking English said...
I don’t think it was a weak year for scores at all. He’s absolutely right about “The Dark Knight” score, not really memorable, but the work on “Benjamin Button,” “WALL-E,” “Waltz with Bashir,” “Australia,” “Milk,” “In Bruges,” “Changeling,” and, to some extent, “Slumdog Millionaire” was all excellent.
5 3-15-2009 at 6:51 pm
Bryan said...
I must agree with you that 2008 sucked (with Button being the notable exception), but must agree with Service that The Dark Knight was nothing special. It was competent, but nothing special.
What I’d like to see: James Newton Howard and Thomas Newman collaborating on a score.
That would be interesting.
6 3-16-2009 at 12:57 am
Gareth said...
Umm… obviously tastes differ, and clearly, as evidenced, there are those who agree with Service’s assessment of “The Dark Knight” score, but it is the ONE score from 08 that plays prominently on my ipod. It is amazing. From start to finish.
Also, as “Chris” said above, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” has a score built on such emotion that it actually moves the audience to connect to the material in a way the film itself perhaps wasn’t concerned with doing. I echo Chris’ sentiments: Traditional, but not conventional.
Though I have to agree with Service in saying that Johnny Greenwood’s score still stands head and shoulders above all that have come after it. And many that came before it for that matter.
7 3-16-2009 at 2:41 am
Guy Lodge said...
Gareth: Yeah, no disagreement from me on the Greenwood front. Totally different league.
As for Button, I agree it’s beautiful work, but it hasn’t stayed with me the way much of Desplat’s other work has. I think he’s done much more distinctive work elsewhere.
8 3-16-2009 at 7:53 am
Chase Kahn said...
“Writing for the Guardian, Service praises the film’s “carefully conceived” use of existing music”…
I just threw up…
9 3-16-2009 at 11:38 am
Jonathan Spuij said...
I ain’t gonna defend TDK anymore. People just hate Zimmer. Anyhow, he’s right about the Watchmen soundtrack. It all feels a bit cheesy.
10 3-16-2009 at 2:37 pm
Chris said...
I completely disagree with what he said about the TDK score. It built tension and suspense for me. Especially when the Joker is about to crash the party, and the music’s tension builds more and more as it comes closer to the Joker’s appearance. It’s a shame it was snubbed at the Oscars.
11 3-16-2009 at 9:39 pm
Lacey said...
The DArk Knight score was flawless. These conventional musicians miss the point of that score. IT was beautifully done.