Though the various facets of Elfman's main theme and
Parker's responsibility theme begin to blend more and more as the
Spider-Man scores progress, he devises the most unique identity
for Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin. While Willem Dafoe's performance
of the character steals the film, Elfman's sinewy, 16-note theme for the
villain is distinctive but impossible to remember structurally. Its
truly oddball progressions are fairly adept at denoting insanity, but
that elusiveness causes its related material to yield the disappointing
moments in the work, especially by comparison to the wild, Christopher
Young-related material representing the villain in the sequel. Making
its first impact in "Something's Different," this theme is formally
announced with bravado in "Enter the Goblin" but is given extended
treatment on deep, sinister tones (often woodwinds) in "Specter of the
Goblin," "Norman's Troubles," and other low-key, menacing cues. Like
much of the score, the trick to the thematic integrity of this idea is
not in the blatant recapitulation in wholesale form but rather in the
subtleties of its standard instrumentation. The Green Goblin theme may
be appropriately clever in its twisted progressions, but it espouses
absolutely zero memorability outside of its evil inflection. Generally,
for casual listeners, the lack of easy continuity to the themes could
prove disappointing. Pieces of thematic material, such as the heroic
crescendo in "Revelation," are singular, though variations of these
ideas show up as fragments in not only this score but Elfman's portions
of
Spider-Man 2 as well. This especially applies to MJ's almost
intentionally obtuse musical identity, a concept that doesn't really
take flight until the later score. Elfman instead seems content using
this first entry to emphasize the maturation of the Parker
responsibility theme, and he even sometimes applies the descending motif
from the main theme during the Parker/MJ interactions, almost as if to
unsuccessfully trial the use of the heroic identity in softer variants.
One of the intriguing aspects of the thematic statements in this score's
lighter moments is how similar parts of the themes for
Spider-Man
are to that of Elfman's
The Family Man when reduced to soft
woodwind performances. There is a definite tie between that 2000 score
and what you hear in "Getting Through" in
Spider-Man, for
instance.
When you pull back and look at the music for
Spider-Man from a broader viewpoint, it indeed has all the basic
ingredients of a strong superhero score even if Elfman reinvented the
formula to include less grandiose and obvious constructs. It includes a
collection of his finest action cues in the genre, adding a congruence
of thematic accessibility and bold instrumentation not heard in early
2000's efforts like
Planet of the Apes. He replaced the
dissonance of those works with satisfying resolutions such as the ending
of "Parade Attack," which wraps up a climactic scene with a burst of
choral and orchestral energy in the decidedly dramatic shifts of
progressions that are trademark Elfman. The score has several such
defining moments, including the touching equivalent to close out "Final
Confrontation," making it a varied and often exciting experience on
album. The sense of momentum in the Parker responsibility theme at the
start of "City Montage" and the end of "Farewell" is extremely
effective. Another key to the success of
Spider-Man is its
instrumental balance, which unsurprisingly includes medium drums,
electric guitars, and even a vinyl-record manipulation effect, but these
merge with the banging of chimes and gongs, among other familiar Elfman
superhero elements, to help produce a satisfying identity for the
character. No better an example of Elfman's unique touch of attitude
exists than in "Costume Montage," the short but definite highlight for
the main theme in the score. The creation of the character's costume has
Men in Black percussion and acoustic ambience accompanied by a
suave interpretation of the main theme that builds in brass and choir as
the superhero devises his visual persona. If only Parker had more
confidence, then perhaps this kind of snazzy treatment could have
dominated the score. Instead, that obsession with his own inadequacy
yields the cues of melancholy reflection that serve to break the
constant action of the work, not to mention the stewing Goblin material.
Another singular moment worth mentioning is the woodwind and piano work
in "First Web," with a fluttering figure that once again allows Elfman
to score a freak's abilities with pizzazz, a la
Edward
Scissorhands. Much of this instrumental creativity exists in the
first third of the score as suspense factors into the narrative,
contributing to "Spider Bite/Deadlines" and "Transformations."
The overarching format of the score is one that will
please most listeners. Not only is there an overture that is mostly
carried over to
Spider-Man 2 (with a bridge section changed to
reflect back upon a faint hint of the Goblin material), but the common
finale sequences are also a guilty pleasure. Elfman has a knack for
producing satisfyingly grandiose finale cues, a trait that shows itself
in everything from
Batman to
Men in Black, and that habit
continues in
Spider-Man, complete with the usual toll of a chime
at the end. The only annoyingly baffling weakness in this score is the
obnoxious layering of percussion in the short "End Credits," especially
at its beginning. The original 2002 album, while limited to 45 minutes
in length, provides a cross-section of vital music from the film,
unhindered by a single song to interrupt Elfman's work. That said, the
song compilation soundtrack album that also debuted with the film's
release included the longer, film variations of "Main Titles" and
"Farewell." The score contains a fair number of alternate versions, and
several of them inhabit the 2002 score-only album. In 2022, La-La Land
Records provided an immense, 3-CD set of music from
Spider-Man,
including the music heard on the two original albums on its first disc
and the film versions of the full score on the second and third disc.
That final CD also includes eleven alternate takes, sometimes featuring
changes to only the start or end of a cue. A few alternates are totally
divergent, the newly revealed "Costume Montage" variation substantially
different and far less snazzy than the one built upon the main theme in
the picture. Otherwise, the presentation of the film versions helps
illuminate the evolution of the Parker responsibility theme and offers a
few extra nuggets of intrigue for the other two primary themes. The
struggling intersection between the various protagonist themes in "A New
Man" and "Backyard Connection" is particularly appealing, the first
twenty minutes of the score really benefitting from the additional
narrative perspective. In the end, though, the originally released music
in 2002 included all the most pertinent material, and only concept
enthusiasts will find substantial interest in the 78 minutes of film
versions and wealth of alternates. It's a superhero score of many
strengths, and while
Spider-Man may not have the magnificent
stature of
Batman, it spun the genre in an impressive and viable
new direction, yielding messy but effective sequel scores in the
process.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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