Was Brokeback Mountain the last movie to have a truly memorable theme?

[Yeti4928]

I don't mean the last good one, I'm talking about when you hear a theme you know the exactly where it's from. I think composers have run out of ideas, but I've also heard that studios tell them not to keep up with a memorable theme because it' too distracting or something.

[CyberpunkCentral]

**** Crash.

[John1701D]

Originally Posted by Yeti4928

I don't mean the last good one, I'm talking about when you hear a theme you know the exactly where it's from. I think composers have run out of ideas, but I've also heard that studios tell them not to keep up with a memorable theme because it' too distracting or something.

Nah, Avengers comes to mind immediately and I'm sure there's others.

[Aclea]

To be honest I found it very generic - it's pretty much the default identikit slow mournful elegiac guitar-led score for modern West character studies since the 80s - and while pleasant enough nothing about it was unique or distinctive enough to be memorable. While big budget studio scoring is more big beats and stings oriented there have been much more distinctive themes since if you look beyond the biggest hits.

[DanTheMan]

The Revenant’s theme stands out IMO

[filmbuffTX]

Brokeback Mountain is definitely one of my favorite scores of all time. The original and repurposed songs in the film are great too.

I just skimmed the list of Best Original Score nominees since Brokeback Mountain won in 2005 and the only three that are memorable to me are:

- How To Train Your Dragon
- Carol
- La La Land

[Poya]

Originally Posted by John1701D

Nah, Avengers comes to mind immediately and I'm sure there's others.

Avengers is memorable in how generic it was.

[J999]

Not exactly something you can hum easily, but Wonder Woman's theme has been instantly recognizable since Batman V Superman.

[klauswhereareyou]

Regardless of what people might think of the movie, The Adventures of Tintin (2011) had a really good John Williams score.

[John1701D]

Originally Posted by Poya

Avengers is memorable in how generic it was.

[ltb2.0]

There have been plenty of truly memorable themes in the intervening 16 years.

There are of course the obvious franchise themes, such as the Captain America theme, the Snyderverse DCEU themes, Etc.

Giacchino has crafted his share of memorable themes.

I'd argue that very few average movie goers today even know what the Brokeback Mountain theme is.

[CyberpunkCentral]

I don't like The Avengers theme. Even those who do, it took awhile for them to like it.

[John1701D]

Originally Posted by CyberpunkCentral

I don't like The Avengers theme. Even those who do, it took awhile for them to like it.

He didn't ask if there were memorable themes you liked.

[makaveli21]

Originally Posted by CyberpunkCentral

I don't like The Avengers theme. Even those who do, it took awhile for them to like it.

Thank you for speaking for everyone in the world who likes the Avengers theme and letting us know that no one liked it when they first heard it.

[Gieferg]

Avengers, TASM, Transformers, Jurassic World, Wonder Woman, Man of Steel, Star Trek 2009, first Thor and many more.

[Guy87]

Originally Posted by Gieferg

Avengers, TASM, Transformers, Jurassic World, Wonder Woman, Man of Steel, Star Trek 2009, first Thor and many more.

I've seen all of those, own most of them on Blu, and couldn't hum a single one of them right now, other than Avengers, if I had a gun to my head.

[trevanian]

Originally Posted by Gieferg

Avengers, TASM, Transformers, Jurassic World, Wonder Woman, Man of Steel, Star Trek 2009, first Thor and many more.

Can't stand any of those themes, myself. I think powerfully engaging melody, which has always been my thing, is practically a thing of the past in films. There's nobody working who touches Jerry Goldsmith's 20th Century work. I'd track any number of his scores over most 21st century films and relish the results.

I think this weakening in film music has been coming for awhile; I remember tracking Sol Kaplan's STAR TREK 'DOOMDAY MACHINE' music over a few TNG episodes, and while the music overpowered them to a degree (the visuals on the TNG shows tended to lack snap in terms of angle, lighting and editing), they made them a helluva lot more engaging. Try watching the of STARSHIP MINE with an ST-TOS cue and you'll see what I mean.

Even older work done more modestly, or in a more minor key, like Michael Small's stuff for MARATHON MAN and THE PARALLAX VIEW, still carries so much more emotional weight than the sturm-and-drang of most contemporary scores, which seem to be more about delivering volume than being useful supplements. I liked the forced docking music in INTERSTELLAR, but that is probably the exception when it comes to contemp filmmusic.

The guy doing THE MANDALORIAN and the lady who did JOKER might be bringing good filmmusic to table, but again, exceptions to the rule.

[starsteam]

Pacific Rim

[stardragon9]

How to Train Your Dragon trilogy
Kung Fu Panda trilogy

Both had incredible music.

[Cremildo]

I don't much care for the Brokeback Mountain score, and wouldn't use The Wings as a prime example of a memorable theme, let alone the most recent one.

This is subjective, anyway. To me, the Prometheus theme Life fits the bill nicely, though there are plenty of other instantly recognizable tracks post-BBM, like the themes from Pan's Labyrinth, First Man, The Shape of Water, Inception etc.

So, the short answer is a resounding NO.