Hans Zimmer, What's the Appeal?

[HotTastyChili]

Hans Zimmer is undoubtedly one of, if not the most sought after film composer of modern times. But I don't get it at all. I don't even think he's a good composer, let alone a great one. I'd like to hear from some of his fans, what is it that makes him so special? When I hear one of his soundtracks all I hear is generic filler music with no discernible melody, and when I see a movie he did the soundtrack for I never can remember any of the music after I've left the theater. Except for his Batman theme (it's only two notes!) and that xylophone motif he wrote for True Romance. Seems to me that his soundtracks are interchangeable. You could switch them around for any movie he's ever done and it would fit, because they're all so devoid of any personality. You probably could do it, and no one would notice the films were different.

I'm never going to like him as a composer, I came to that realization a long time ago. I'd just like to hear why people think he's special enough to be placed up with the likes of Elfman and Williams.

[ChainsawJedi]

Hannibal.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

I've always enjoyed his scores. They sound good with some of them particularly standing out. Some of my favorite scores of his are

Rain Man
Black Rain
Pacific Heights
Thelma and Louise
Backdraft
True Romance
The Rock
Batman Begins
Blade Runner 2049 (possibly my favorite score of his)

[DeadLikeMe]

The original Lion King score (not talking about the songs) is the best Disney score of all time.

[navydavey]

The Spies album (Helden)

[A Sith Lord?]

Interstellar. Never thought it would be one of my favorite scores ever. The organ and xylophone is just so good. Never thought it would capture space fiction so well.

Inception. So good. Really captures the fantasy/dream/imagination state to where some scenes you aren't sure if they are real or dream state.

Gladiator. So good. You can hear and feel the pain, the triumph in victory with the horns.

Dark Knight Trilogy: No words need to be spoken.

[wonderer99]

He is one of the greats. That's the appeal.

[Creed]

Interstellar is his best work.

Huge fan of most of his scores (2049, POTC, The Lion King, etc). HELL, his work for Dark Phoenix is one of the redeeming things about the film.

I do like his bombastic, chill-worthy style.

[buck135]

Two notes?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYZz...ature=youtu.be

[pwarner184]

It's all about the BWWWAAAAHHHHHs

[A Sith Lord?]

Originally Posted by Creed

Interstellar is his best work.

Huge fan of most of his scores (2049, POTC, The Lion King, etc). HELL, his work for Dark Phoenix is one of the redeeming things about the film.

I do like his bombastic, chill-worthy style.

I watched DP twice today (lol I know). The score was so good. There's touches from Interstellar in there.

[Bn43]

Not a fan either. He's gotten worse over the years. Blade Runner 2049 sounded so bland.

[HotTastyChili]

Originally Posted by wonderer99

He is one of the greats. That's the appeal.

I think he's a no talent ass clown, and I explained why. I can understand him getting work, because he does create decent background music, but "one of the greats" just seems insulting to the composers that actually wrote memorable tunes. In the same league as Williams, Morricone, Herrmann, Elfman? I don't see it at all.

Originally Posted by Bn43

Not a fan either. He's gotten worse over the years. Blade Runner 2049 sounded so bland.

I was pretty disappointed when it was announced he was going to do the new Dune. Hopefully they use some of Toto's old score, because that was a pretty decent soundtrack. I think they would have gotten better if more people had given them a chance to score films.

[AaronJ]

I probably agree with you that Zimmer doesn't typically create memorable, melodic themes in scores. I disagree that he never does, but I agree that it isn't his typical approach.

But I remember when I had season tickets to the opera for about 6 years and was a giant fan (don't listen as much as I used to anymore -- still a fan, jut not as "devoted"), the disagreements my father and I had over Wagner and especially his Ring Cycle would get fairly intense and extended. In film fan terms, it's like someone who is a giant Bergman fan attempting to convince someone who doesn't like Bergman, or foreign films in general about what a genius he was. I'm a huge fan of the film Last Year at Marienbad by Resnais. And I just accept that there are going to be a lot of people who will never even consider it anything other than self-indulgent, narcissistic silliness. That just means that we approach things with different expectations.

I think Zimmer is absolutely excellent at creating mood, and especially a creating a sense of momentum during particular segments. Others find it just boring. That doesn't mean that either of us is right or wrong. It just means, like I said, we come with different expectations.

[EvaDK]

He experiments with sound and instruments. Sometimes it results in great music, sometimes not so much.

If you want an example of an all time great composer that has fallen of the wagon, I'll give you John Williams. Made iconic scores in the 70s, 80s and 90s but most of his work since has been forgettable.

[wonderer99]

Originally Posted by HotTastyChili

I think he's a no talent ass clown, and I explained why. I can understand him getting work, because he does create decent background music, but "one of the greats" just seems insulting to the composers that actually wrote memorable tunes. In the same league as Williams, Morricone, Herrmann, Elfman? I don't see it at all.

Well I fundamentally disagree with you but OK, opinions and all. Calling him a no talent ass clown does not make me believe your opinion is worth a great deal however.

[Dreamliner330]

Originally Posted by HotTastyChili

Except for his Batman theme (it's only two notes!)

Like Jaws?

It takes skill to evoke an entire movie with a handful of notes. Williams did it was Jaws, Superman, Indiana Jones etc.

While John Williams is the best composer there has ever been; Hans Zimmer is easily in the top 10. His body of work is too large to ignore.

My biggest complaint about Zimmer himself is a lot of his songs take too long to build and then are over shortly thereafter. He’s gotten much better about this recently. His X-Men Dark Phoenix soundtrack is the best thing about that movie and the song “Gap” really stands out: https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=104&v=iD3uGMy3KTg

Zimmer hurt himself with that school thing he did and it resulted in many composers with the “Zimmer Sound” and it diluted his signature style...but he’s proven to be steadfast.

I posted this a few years ago but I think it is still relevant. I like Zimmer, but it really feels like this most of the time:

Originally Posted by Dreamliner330

Zimmer has a habit of killing great scores right when they are almost fully at the peak. MoS & TASM 2 are great examples. Their main themes are excellent, but they stop right when they start getting amazing.

I loved the music during the movie, but I'm finding the same problems as the previously mentioned when listing to the score.

Originally Posted by Dreamliner330

If your talking about the theme song, I challenge you to point me to more than 47 seconds of awesomeness. Zimmer has this trend of building and building and building then ending the dang song right when it finally gets incredible.

Example: https://youtu.be/qpBnxR2zPWk?t=159
Good from 2:40-3:27. One partial repeat and the rest is a slow build or slow kill....in a 5:27 song!!


I own the MoS and Interstellar soundtracks, but Zimmer needs to turn it up to 11 sooner and leave it there longer.

(I actually liked the theme song he put together for TASM2, but I liked the fan-made stretched theme better!)

[Gacivory]

What’s the deal with this Hans Zimmer guy?

[HotTastyChili]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

\
I think Zimmer is absolutely excellent at creating mood, and especially a creating a sense of momentum during particular segments. Others find it just boring. That doesn't mean that either of us is right or wrong. It just means, like I said, we come with different expectations.

I wouldn't say that any of his scores are all that bad, I'm just not seeing where the supposed greatness comes from. He sounds like several other c-list composers to me. They work while I'm watching the film, but I never feel like they elevate anything the way a truly great composer's score would.

Originally Posted by EvaDK

He experiments with sound and instruments. Sometimes it results in great music, sometimes not so much.

If you want an example of an all time great composer that has fallen of the wagon, I'll give you John Williams. Made iconic scores in the 70s, 80s and 90s but most of his work since has been forgettable.

Thank you for giving a reason. Experimentation. He does do that. I read somewhere that compared his soundtracks to sound effects. They meant it as a compliment, but to me it summed up a lot of what I don't like about his scores. I love zany off the wall music, (Zappa, Beefheart, Mr. Bungle, etc.), but Zimmer just doesn't do it for me. Different strokes I suppose. Thanks for giving a real reason and not just saying "because of he's one of the greats, so no one else can have a dissenting opinion, all he needs is his status".

[HotTastyChili]

Originally Posted by wonderer99

Well I fundamentally disagree with you but OK, opinions and all. Calling him a no talent ass clown does not make me believe your opinion is worth a great deal however.

Mostly a joke. He does have talent, obviously, or no one would hire him. He's just not my cup of tea.