> Even the late great Jerry Goldsmith was often predictable, as are John
> Williams, John Barry, James Horner, Patrick Doyle, etc. With the exception
> of true geniuses who push the envelope with works the likes of which no
> one, including them, had ever done before (examples: Wagner, Beetoven,
> Vangelis, Goldsmith on occasion) if a composer isn't predictible, it
> usually means he or she hasn't found an identity.

Yes but while these composers are predictable at least they put an effort into it. It is one thing to be predictable, and quite another to be lazy. Sure, Williams is incredibly predictable, one can simply look at the project he is doing and know exactly what they are in for, but at least it has its differences from the similar projects he has already done. For example, "Munich" and "Schindler's List" are similar types of sounds in some respects, but they both maintain their own identity. The problem with Zimmer is that one can legitimately forget what score they are listening to when they hear his work... is this "Gladiator" or "Pirates," "Backdraft" or "Drop Zone?" Thats the difference - Williams and Horner* are predictable... but Zimmer is lazy.

*yes at times Horner gets lazy too, but every so often he does something marvelous and that keeps me believing in him! (The Four Feathers, The Legend of Zorro for example)