Music is supposed to make you feel things. Smarter people than I can explain to you exactly why that is, but good music hits a nerve – even if it’s music you normally wouldn’t like. (Personally, I think Rihanna’s “Stay” is extremely infectious, but I don’t care for the rest of her discography.) Sometimes an album just sucks, but there’s one song that becomes an earworm.
What if it’s a score from a movie that sucks?
There have been times (not a lot; I tend to see movies that I end up liking, thank you very much) where I’ve left a movie not liking it at all, but being captivated by a certain theme I heard. So I’d go home and search ferociously on iTunes for the score and find that theme. (I do the same thing now, except I go on Spotify because I can hear more than just a 1-minute, thirty-second clip.) Sometimes the composer does a great job, but the director falls flat, and for me, that still makes the film (reasonably) enjoyable to watch.
And here are a few examples of my favorites (non-favorites? Un-favorites?)
Eragon – 2006 (Music by Patrick Doyle)
Eragon is up there when it comes to bad movies. Poorly-executed plot, unfaithfulness to source material, and a pretty terribly animated dragon. It let down a lot of fans of the Christopher Paolini book (honestly, his Inheritance cycle would do a lot better as a Game of Thrones-esque HBO saga, wouldn’t you think?) The movie tried to cram everything into a ridiculously short amount of time. Nevertheless, we still got a beautiful, heroic theme for our hero and his dragon that carried us through the film. It smacks of Dragonheart with a little bit of viv and verve from a World War II-era aviator film (he is riding a dragon, after all.) Some of the lesser themes are enjoyable too, including those of the Ra’zac (the baddies of the film) and Eragon’s older cousin, Roran (who’s theme is teary and pastoral, since they’re basically both farm boys.)
Highlights: “If You Were Flying,” “Fortune Teller,” “Battle for Varden”
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time – 2010 (Music by Harry Gregson-Williams)
Oh, Hollywood. Maybe next time you should actually cast indigenous actors if you’re going to set a movie in the ancient near east. White-washing aside, there’s very little compelling about the plot of this video-game-inspired film, other than some of the subtle nods to its source material. Jake Gyllenhaal’s acting is too subtle for a swashbuckling hero (also why does he have a British accent?) and the plot falls apart quickly. But, we have Gregson-Williams’ deft hand conducting a sweeping score that’s perfectly indicative of the film’s setting. He employs Middle Eastern-inspired instruments like the duduk to seamlessly craft a near-flawless score for a less-than-flawless movie.
Highlights: “The Prince of Persia,” “The Sands of Time”
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – 2007 (Music by Hans Zimmer)
After Hans Zimmer took the reins on writing the Pirates score after Klaus Badelt established the familiar themes, Zimmer expanded on his themes and made them a true cinematic treat – but it’s too bad that the subsequent movies didn’t follow suit. The first Pirates was a fun, slightly-dramatic, very-comical romp with an infectious soundtrack to match. The second film took us to the dark side – a little farther than most audiences wanted to go. The third one was just two hours of confusion. The plot meandered, the characters seemed half-drawn, and it all just seemed like a big pile of “What?” (Is Barbosa an ordained minister? Probably not. But it was cute.) However, Zimmer, ever the musical expert, gives us a tasteful soundtrack to enjoy while our minds are reeling. We get some new themes (the “world’s end” theme is sweeping and dramatic, just how I like it) and augmentations of original themes (Davy Jones’ haunting theme is at its PEAK in this movie.)
Highlights: “Wit’s End,” “I Don’t Think Now is the Best Time”
Man of Steel – 2014 (Music by Hans Zimmer)
It’s no surprise that Hans appears multiple times on this list. He can make a terrible movie into a work of art with his music (or a great movie into an even better one, a la The Dark Knight trilogy.) I had my hopes sky high for Man of Steel (I think we all did.) But in the end, I was supremely disappointed (I think we all were.) Henry Cavill was probably the most boring Superman I’ve ever seen (I know Superman’s biggest criticism is he’s a bit flat, but he needs to have at least a little cheeky personality) and Amy Adams was the worst possible choice for Lois Lane. The plot was contrived, flat, and too Batman-esque. The music is beautiful and stirring, but a bit too etheral for our hero. Zimmer uses heavy amounts of synth to full effect that would make more sense in a space movie than a superhero movie, but it’s still brilliant all the same.
Highlights: “This is Clark Kent,” “Man of Steel – Hans’ Original Sketchbook” (not featured in the movie but still amazing)
Troy – 2004 (music by James Horner)
Troy’s biggest flaw is that it is wildly historically inaccurate, according to its source material, Homer’s The Iliad. It’s also just a bunch of douchey, A-list white guys playing gods. But with a soundtrack by Horner, you get the tone the film was trying to set. Horner uses horns (ironic) to indicate battle marches and heroic themes (as one does) and to great effect. We get the feeling of the bravery of the Trojans and the tension of an unrivaled opponent. Plus, we get some sumptuous (dare I say, sexy) themes for our lovers Briseis and Achilles.
Highlights: “The Trojans Attack,” “Achilles Leads the Myrmidons,” “Briseis and Achilles”
The Lone Ranger – 2013 (music by Hans Zimmer)
I think most of us can agree – this movie was not good. Armie Hammer is cute, but not the greatest actor when it comes to swashbuckling heroes. And Johnny Depp playing a Native American? A whole lot of no. The weird mystical ju-ju going on? Also a whole lot of no. But the soundtrack? The soundtrack is great. Again, it’s thanks to Hans Zimmer, who could re-arrange “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and it would make me cry. He re-arranged The William Tell Overture (which was The Lone Ranger’s theme for many years) into music for a chase scene in the most perfect way possible (ever wondered what that piece would sound like in a minor key? Wonder no more.)
Highlights: “Finale (William Tell Overture),” “Absurdity,” “You’re Just A Man in A Mask”
Audrey D. DeBoer 