While Ottman had been unavailable for the first film in 2000, he did compose the music for the 2003 X2: X-Men United sequel. For the 2014 film, Ottman not only provides the score but also edits the product (another fantastic talent for the man that, for some people, is actually superior to his compositional skills). Ottman himself has undergone a transformation over the previous ten years, evolving from a composer of wildly creative and almost devious scores to a workmanlike producer of rather mundane and conventional background noise. Unfortunately, X-Men: Days of Future Past is further evidence of that general transformation. Aside from the clear anomaly of Jack the Giant Slayer, there is debate in the film music community about the disintegration of Ottman's creativity since the 1990's. Some attribute it to the need to emulate the Hans Zimmer methodology of the 2000's to remain employed. Some believe that his earliest collaborators were actually responsible for his 1990's hits. Others suggest that Ottman has become more of a producer of soundtracks in the mould of Zimmer, relying upon his newer generation of contributors and arrangers in much the same fashion as he has become too busy to score the films himself. No matter the reason, the result speaks for itself: X-Men: Days of Future Past is an insipidly conventional and boring score. Some of it isn't any more inspiring than Non-Stop or Unknown, and the rest has distinct connections to Remote Control methodology of the worst kind. The mass of this score consists of either uninspired action music for tired drum loops, electric guitar, and basic orchestral figures or, on the other hand, underplayed dramatic meandering that stews without accomplishing any true emotional impact. There are exceptions in a few cues, of course, but most Ottman and film score collectors are justified in being tremendously disappointed in this work. In terms of instrumentation, a heavier electric guitar presence is the only deviation from what you'd expect for Ottman, the orchestra, electronic textures, and deep male choir all returning from previous endeavors.

The thematic element is where the composer really misses the mark in X-Men: Days of Future Past. He does thankfully reprise usage of his main theme from X2: X-Men United briefly in "The Future - Main Titles" and "Do What You Were Made For" before a full statement in "Welcome Back - End Titles," with the counterpoint usage in "Do What You Were Made For" a highlight of the work. Some listeners will appreciate the rearrangement in the final cue as well. Two other cues worthy of noting as important to the score are "Time's Up," a set action piece with deep male chanting that has its allure, and "Hope (Xavier's Theme"), a soft Inception-like progression that informs some of the contemplative moments in the score. A listener could combine ten minutes of solid material from this score for a suite, but the rest badly underwhelms. Downright unlistenable is "I Have Faith in You - Goodbyes," the Remote Control-guided hardest action cue on the product. The album concludes with two rather somber source cues from the 1970's era. A year after the film's debut, 20th Century Fox released the "Rogue Cut" version of the film, adding 17 minutes of material mostly dealing with a previously limited side-narrative for the Rogue character. In conjunction with this release, the score received expanded treatment in digital form, pushing the available Ottman music from 69 minutes to nearly 112 and dropping the source cues. The additional music is mostly mundane action, suspense, or drama filler, though there are exceptions. This album's "Xavier's Plan" and "There's Someone Else" present attractive brooding suspense tones while "We Need You," "Letting Raven In," and the end of "Charles n Charles" do the same on the dramatic side. The pair of "Raising RFK" cues is an action highlight, containing some impressive passages, and fans will enjoy the post-credits "En Sabah Nur" music, though it lacks some power without the associated, chanting crowd effects. That said, the duo of "Trask Hearing" and "Costly Escape" are highly obnoxious, and the sum of additional material is hardly worth a purchase. Overall, you have to wonder if Ottman and his crew mailed in this effort due to the composer's emphasis on editing the film. So much of it is underplayed or derivative that something definitely went wrong in the creative process. At least we finally have thematic continuity in the franchise. Baby steps.  **   @Amazon.com: CD or Download