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Spider-Man on DVD
• Danny Elfman commentary • Dolby Digital 5.1 More DVD info... |
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Spider-Man on DVD
• Danny Elfman commentary • Dolby Digital 5.1 More DVD info... |
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
A straight comparison between the scores of Spider-Man and Batman is a mistake, however, because no matter how popular Spider-Man seems now, its impact and impression on the movie business --both in film and score-- is very unlikely to rival Batman. Additionally, Danny Elfman is at a different point in his career. In 1989, Batman for him was the opportunity of a lifetime, and he scored it with the overhwelming and yet simple bravado that you'd expect for a young composer striving to reach new territory. More than ten years later, Elfman's scores have returned to the more accoustically inclined nature that was a integral part of his years previous to film scoring. His modern stylistic niche in Hollywood is best summed up by his score for Men in Black, for which quirkiness was meshed with a remarkably untraditional combination of orchestra and electronics. After several years of favoring the latter as the emphasis of his works, Elfman has shown in Sleepy Hollow and Planet of the Apes an urge to return to his gloriously dark orchestral tendencies. And perhaps more than any other of his recent scores, Spider-Man is a perfect blending of both elements. It is an orchestral score with accoustical accents that appeal to a younger and more urban fantasy audience. The film didn't take itself as seriously as Batman does, and thus, Elfman's score for Spider-Man is more spirited and somewhat less memorable in its earthly level. If you accept, therefore, that Spider-Man never was and never will be Batman --on the screen or your stereo-- then you can really enjoy Spider-Man for what it is, rather than dismissing it for what it is not, as an older generation of fans may be inclined to do. Spider-Man is Elfman at his best, scoring a dark character with two identities and providing a musical magic carpet for that character to help him fly while he saves a city. This score is an awkwardly successful melding of Darkman's agony and Men in Black's spunk. The unsentimental title theme tears into a series of dramatic chord changes; it's not a particularly hummable theme, nor is as effective in its lighter interpretations. But Elfman's chord progressions are always jagged in a gorgeous way, and Spider-Man makes repeated use of this thematic approach in nearly every elevated action cue. He has produced in this score a collection of his finest action cues in a very long time, adding a congruence of theme and instrumentation not heard in efforts such as Planet of the Apes. He has replaced the dissonance with satisfying thematic resolutions such as ending of the cue "Parade Attack," which wraps up a climactic scene with a burst of choral and orchestral energy in those decidedly dramatic shifts of key and chord. The score has several such defining moments, making it a varied and often exciting listen on album. No better of an example of Elfman's unique touch can be heard in the third album track. The creation of the Spider-Man costume has Men in Black percussion and accoustics accompanied by a suave interpretation of the main theme that builds in brass and choir as the superhero approaches his visual persona. Elfman also shows us three cues of meloncholy reflection on the album (8, 11, 12) that not only serve to break the constant action of the score, but also show a glimpse of the delicate thematic skills that graced scores such as Family Man and Edward Scissorhands. Elfman also seems to be developing the knack for producing wildly erupting finale cues --a trait that showed itself so well in Men in Black and continues in Spider-Man. Every masked superhero deserves a mammoth performance of theme in the finale, and Elfman does not fail here (he even includes the mandatory toll of a bell at the end). The album, while limited to 45 minutes in length, provides a cross-section of the vital music from the film, without a single song to interrupt Elfman's work. The song album was released a few weeks prior to the score album, so be sure not to confuse the two. Overall, the Spider-Man score is a fascinating and enjoyable combination of Elfman's troubled and lonely efforts (Darkman) with his flashy and modern action pieces (Men in Black). Sure, it would be nice to hear another score of the the serious and magnificent stature of Batman from Elfman, but Spider-Man spins the superhero genre in a different direction... one that may not be as memorable and may not even be as good, but it's still an impressive and viable piece of music for its film. Elfman fans should not hesitate a moment to embrace this one. ****
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