Superman Returns | ||
 | Composer: John Ottman Label: Rhino/Warner Release Date: 2006-06-27 Producer: John Ottman Conductor: Damon Intrabartolo Performer: Hollywood Symphony Orchestra Buy this soundtrack:   |   |
 Track Listing | |||||||||||||
| 01 Main Titles (John Williams) (3:47) 02 Memories (3:05) 03 Rough Flight (5:11) 04 Little Secrets / Power Of The Sun (2:47) 05 Bank Job (2:19) 06 How Could You Leave Us? (5:47) 07 Tell Me Everything (3:11) 08 You're Not One Of Them (2:20) 09 Not Like The Train Set (5:10) 10 So Long Superman (5:29) 11 The People You Care For (3:25) 12 I Wanted You To Know (2:54) 13 Saving The World (3:10) 14 In The Hands Of Mortals (2:09) 15 Reprise / Fly Away (4:15) Total Length: 55:09 | |||||||||||||
More Soundtracks by John Ottman
Reviewed by James - Grade: B While far from perfect, Superman Returns deserved a better shake at the box office than it got. While audiences flocked to the latest and easily the worst film in the X-Men franchise, they pretty much ignored the vastly superior Superman after its first weekend. Thankfully, John Ottman’s score has gotten more respect—and deservedly so. It’s an interesting work, an adaptation of John Williams’ already famous themes combined with Ottman’s own original material. As far adaptations go, this might be one of the most superb I’ve ever heard. Ottman understands William’s themes and continues to develop and exercise them in new and exciting ways. The original music, with some exceptions, is also quite strong, particularly the action music in Rough Flight and some of more dramatic tracks in the second half of the CD.Which is not to say the score is perfect. Much like the movie, there are some flaws. First and foremost is surprisingly the Main Titles. I know I stand alone on this one, but while I appreciate that Ottman wanted to keep the Main Titles spot on faithful to the original, I found orchestra and conducting to be…too faithful. The orchestra seemed a bit mechanical, uninspired, and even timid—almost as if they are downright terrified of messing up and incurring the vicious wrath of fanboys everywhere. Sadly, the track comes off as a bit dull—which is something I never thought I would say about the Superman March. That said, after the opening track, Ottman and the orchestra seem to shake off any inhibitions and really start giving Williams’ themes a fantastic and most importantly, a fun workout. Occasionally, I noticed the score began to meander a bit, making me impatient for the next track. Perhaps this is just because Ottman’s original music, though very accomplished, just doesn’t compare with William’s themes and Ottman’s own incredible manipulation of those themes. It’s not fair to compare the two, I suppose, but once Bryan Singer and Company decided to use the original music, we were put in a position where we had no choice. But complaints aside, Ottman overall did a bangup job. This is a really good score, a fantastic adaptation, and certainly one of the better CDs of the year. Definitely check it out. More Movie Soundtracks
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