Of most interest to die-hard fans of the franchise will be
Ottman's loyalty to Williams' most heralded presentations of themes,
recording a faithful rendition of the original "Main Titles" that
reintroduces us to the primary march and the "Can You Read My Mind" love
theme. The title march integration into the score is masterful, existing
just often enough to punctuate pertinent victories for the hero without
rambling on and becoming tiresome. Where Ottman really shows off his
research is in the plentiful incorporations of melodic and rhythmic
fragments. Pieces of the march, whether it's the chopping strings below
or the octave-spanning brass above, pop up everywhere throughout
Superman Returns, sometimes in full glory but usually in more
interesting fragmented form. Rearrangements of the title theme are top
notch, from the first life-saving moments of "Rough Flight" to the
triumphant finale burst in "Fly Away." The love theme is a sentimental
favorite from Williams' score, faring better through the decades as the
title march becomes a tad tiresome, though the nature of the distanced
relationship between Lane and Superman doesn't allow Ottman to expand
the theme to the same flourishing levels of romance that Williams could.
Statements of the theme are often subtle and fragmented, only performed
in significance twice (and the theme typically doesn't have a chance to
develop to its conclusion, leaving it hanging, mostly). Ottman's
interpretation of the "Kent Family Theme" is perhaps the most intriguing
on the album, offering a jubilant, choral performance in "Memories" and
merging the idea with the primary new one and the love theme in "I
Wanted You to Know," a fantastic touch of maturity for both the
character and Ottman. Only a few statements of the noble "Krypton Theme"
(another Williams idea that has held up well with time) are to be heard,
one by a whispering woodwind in "How Could You Leave Us?" and then by
defiant brass in the following "Tell Me Everything." Absent from
Ottman's score is Williams' "March of the Villains," a piece that many
agree was far too upbeat for the Luther character in the original film
(despite Gene Hackman's sense of humor) and better representative of the
sidekick, Otis. The awkwardly silly, humorous element was played down by
Singer in the 2006 sequel, so those quirky mannerisms were thankfully
not considered for inclusion here. On the whole, Ottman's infusion of
Williams' ideas is so frequently engrained in the background of this
work that you will find that the mass majority of cues contain at least
one reference and credit to Williams. Despite these efforts, the
significant length of the score means that these reflections never
overstay their welcome.
Ottman's new ideas in
Superman Returns include a
replacement for the villains' theme, interestingly still set to a
strongly rhythmic base, with mechanized strings and woodwinds prancing
above blasts of dissonant brass. The construct is by no means
spectacular, but it is recognizable immediately upon arrival in "Not
Like the Train Set" and is far more convincing in its menace than
Williams' original. As this theme is reprised later in the score, Ottman
throws in a diverse drum array that causes some of the score's primary
action sequences to sound closer to the Danny Elfman and
Spiderman side of the superhero equation. Staggered rhythms,
disjointed octave-hopping, and a hefty bed of timpani in "Bank Job" is a
singular throwback to Jerry Goldsmith's
Capricorn One. The most
important new idea in
Superman Returns is Ottman's introduction
of a "personal theme" for Superman's inner turmoil, an idea that
appropriately descends a note before progressively rising as the
character's confidence grows. It's exactly the kind of uplifting
major-key idea that had eluded Ottman in prior years, and by its
resolute choral statements in "Reprise," it clearly identifies itself as
the heart and soul of the score. Some listeners had criticized Ottman in
the past for writing decent scores that are plagued by poor thematic
concepts and integration, and on the surface, these listeners might
argue that
Superman Returns succeeds because John Williams wrote
the themes and Ottman was able to use his typically strong arranging and
editing skills to make the score soar. But the invention and
interpolation of the "personal theme" directly refutes that notion.
Additionally, the action material in
Superman Returns doesn't
suffer from the anonymity of his work for
Fantastic Four or
X-Men 2. It moves with purpose and direction. There are some
extremely impressive, accessible explosions of rhythmic performances in
this work, often balanced very well by slight dissonance or a layer of
two of effective counterpoint. Even in the frenziest moments of new
battle material, Ottman's use of fragments from Williams' score can be
distinctly noticed. Much of your ability to enjoy each element of
Ottman's score is owed to a fine recording quality. The Hollywood
performers are not on the same level as the London Symphony Orchestra,
and in the opening reprise of the title march, a direct comparison in
ambient force does not favor
Superman Returns. But the
performance is enthusiastic and mixed well; some listeners may not care
for the dry mix (and they can certainly add some reverb on their own to
rectify that if they choose), but it does allow for the intelligence of
Ottman's highly layered score to shine through.
Of particular note in
Superman Returns is
Ottman's use of the choir. In previous scores, his best use of voice had
often involved solo, synthetic, or unconventional performances, with
usage such as
Apt Pupil retaining far more memorability than the
rather mundane employment of choir in his more recent superhero scores.
His incorporation of the two singing groups in
Superman Returns
ranges from the majestic (the opening of "So Long Superman" is a
highlight in Ottman's career) to the higher-ranging, innocently magical
style of Elfman's early fantasy scores in the reflective "How Could You
Leave Us?" and "Reprise." Ottman even gives you the opportunity to hear
short snippets of Williams' title theme and march with choral
accompaniment throughout the score as well, a nice treat given the lack
of such identity in the original. Overall, Ottman's intelligence finally
matured fully in this, a project that gave hope that he would gain
greater widespread recognition as a result. Unfortunately, due to the
ultimately lukewarm reception the film received, the project was not a
transcendent career entry for the composer. Still, his handling of this
task, even going so far as inviting Williams to attend a recording
session of the score (which the maestro was unable to do because of
distance), is admirable. He gave Singer and the producers several
options in
Superman Returns, recording additional pieces, some of
which loyal re-recordings of original Williams cues, that were
ultimately rejected but showed Ottman's intent for goodwill. Some of
this material eventually arose on DVD releases from the franchise. The
original Rhino/Warner CD product contained a satisfying 55 minutes of
musical material, its remaining space reserved for bonus content that
includes trailers and a short "behind the scenes" film about the
recording of the score. Everyone was well aware at the time that there
existed significant additional material begging for an expanded release,
however, and in 2013, La-La Land Records pressed over two hours of that
material onto a limited 2-CD set. This product is very impressive in its
revealing of additional depth to Ottman's composition, the expansion's
listening experience only held back by a few ambient cues of
disinterest. The commercial album may have provided casual listeners
with the best tonal highlights of the score, but the 2013 set is
remarkable in its illumination of additional noteworthy moments of
grandeur and heart. The product gives you even greater appreciation for
the across-the-board quality that Ottman placed into this work, effort
all the more impressive considering his role as editor on the film as
well. In the end,
Superman Returns was a great artistic success
for Ottman, and it continues to serve as a fine example of how to
intelligently and successfully score a sequel or remake.
***** @Amazon.com: CD or
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