Buy it... if you seek an engaging Danny Elfman superhero score that merges the troubled and lonely tones of Darkman with the flashy, modern energy and instrumentation of Men in Black.

Avoid it... if you require the score to exude the magnificent stature of Batman, something that Spider-Man's more fragmented thematic approach does not allow for.

Elfman

Spider-Man: (Danny Elfman) Long overdue on the big screen, the famed Marvel comic character of Spider-Man spun a web in 2002 that led to a successful franchise over subsequent years. Sam Raimi's interpretation of the concept was highly likable, taking advantage of the best elements of the superhero formula to not only introduce the origins of the character in Spider-Man, but also establish his love interest and an immediate villain in a style both effectively dramatic and spirited. The film, altered in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks for the purpose of removing the World Trade Center from various special effects shots, was an immediate success on screen, rivaling even the concurrent Star Wars: Attack of the Clones in its longevity and popularity in theatres. As soon as Raimi's Spider-Man was announced as an official production, film score fans predictably rallied behind the singular idea that composer Danny Elfman was the only acceptable choice to provide the musical score. While the composer's knack for writing engaging superhero scores was their primary reason for this belief, Elfman's already established relationship with Raimi was more likely the clinching part of the deal. Nevertheless, anticipation for Elfman's take on Spider-Man was palpable throughout the first half of 2002. The contemporary classic status that had been awarded by both critics and mainstream fans to Elfman's 1989 music for Tim Burton's Batman gave him a reputation as being a natural for dual-identity superhero films. Though the genre may be the same, Spider-Man has less of the gothic fantasy element than Batman and therefore includes a technologically modern, less grandiose approach in its tone. Instead of producing a magnificently black and white score, as Batman is, Elfman's Spider-Man is a colorful work with streaking flashes of acoustics, electronics, and choir.

A straight comparison between the scores for Spider-Man and Batman, however tempting, remains a mistake, because no matter how popular Spider-Man seemed at the time, its impact on the movie business (both in film and score) was never very likely to challenge that of Batman. Additionally, Elfman was at a different point in his career in 2002. In 1989, Batman was for him the opportunity of a lifetime, and he scored it with the overwhelming and yet simple bravado that you'd expect to hear from a young composer striving to reach new territory. More than ten years later, Elfman's scores had returned to the more acoustically inclined nature that was an integral part of his years prior to film scoring. His stylistic niche in Hollywood at the time was best summed up by his score for Men in Black, for which quirkiness was a goal achieved with a remarkably untraditional combination of orchestra and electronics. After several years of favoring this electronically-aided tone as the emphasis of his works, Elfman had 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 large-scale scores early in the 2000's, Spider-Man is a perfect combination of both elements. It is an orchestral work with acoustic and electronic accents that appeal to a younger and more urban fantasy audience, yielding an awkwardly successful melding of Darkman's agony and Men in Black's spunk. The film didn't take itself as seriously as Batman had, 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 the music for what it is, rather than dismissing it for what it is not (as an older generation of fans may be inclined to do).

While the score may not have an overwhelming, immediate impact on the listener, Spider-Man is Elfman at his best, scoring a dark character with two identities and providing a musical magic carpet on which to sustain his flight while he saves a city. The unsentimental title theme tears into a series of dramatic chord changes; it's not a particularly hummable theme, nor is it as effective in its lighter interpretations. But while Elfman's chord progressions lack easy fluidity, they are nevertheless appealing, and Spider-Man makes repeated use of this thematic approach in nearly every action cue of elevated volume. The interesting aspect of this theme is its multiple parts. You have the noble five-note motif at its start, on whining strings to open both this and Spider-Man 2, and on solemn solo horn before the conclusive statement of the theme during the finale in "Farewell." The actual title theme is a pair of two six-note phrases heard first at 0:40 in "Main Title," and this idea, often staggered and fragmented throughout the score, takes a while to make a really strong impression because of its slow development. A 1:32 into that opening cue, Elfman introduces the third portion of the theme, the octave-descending motif that is also singularly employed in the remainder of the score. Finally, the fourth part of the theme exists at 2:50 into "Main Title," and this is perhaps the most satisfying part of the thematic tapestry for Spider-Man, usually representing the coolness of the character's abilities (it's the basis for the hip, drum-laden performances at the start of "City Montage" and the end of "Farewell"). Elfman's theme for the Goblin is really quite weak, perhaps the greatest disappointment of the score (especially by comparison to the wild Christopher Young-related material representing the villain in the following sequel). Heard first in "Something's Different," this theme is given extended treatment on deep, sinister tones (often woodwinds) in "Specter of the Goblin" and other low-key, menacing cues.

Like much of the score, the key to the thematic integrity is not in the blatant recapitulation of those ideas in wholesale form, but rather in the subtleties of their instrumentation. The Goblin theme is appropriately clever in its twisted progressions, but it has absolutely zero memorability capability outside of its evil tones. 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 the material representing the love interest in the story, a concept that doesn't really take flight until the later score. One of the intriguing aspects of the thematic statements in this score's lighter moments is how similar the title theme for Spider-Man is 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. When you pull back and look at this score from a more basic standpoint, it indeed has all the basic ingredients of a strong superhero score even if Elfman has reinvented the formula to include less obvious constructs. It includes a collection of his finest action cues in a very long time, adding a congruence of thematic harmony and bold instrumentation not heard in early 2000's efforts like Planet of the Apes. He has 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 key and chord 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 motif heard at the start of "City Montage" and the end of "Farewell" is extremely effective.

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Another key to the success of Spider-Man is the instrumental balance, which indeed 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 of an example of Elfman's unique touch exists than in "Costume Montage," the short but definite highlight of 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 approaches his visual persona. If only Peter 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 score. Another singular moment worth mentioning is the piano solo work in "First Web," a fluttering figure that once again allows Elfman to score a freak's abilities with pizzazz (a la Edward Scissorhands). 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 only a bridge 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 wildly erupting finale cues, a trait that shown 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 baffling weakness in this score is the obnoxious layering of percussion in the short "End Credits." The album, while limited to 45 minutes in length, provides a cross-section of vital music from the film, without a single song to interrupt Elfman's work. It may not have the magnificent stature of Batman, but Spider-Man spins the superhero genre in a impressive and viable new direction. ****   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Danny Elfman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.18 (in 61 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.17 (in 115,373 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.