This is part of a series.
- Here’s the last post ranking John Powell’s scores - https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=123204
- If you want the full set of links, click on my profile.

-----------------------

The Hans rankings cover all scores that I’ve heard where he’s credited as the primary composer or co-composer, or where he wrote some notable material like a recurring theme.

I’m not covering anything where he’s only credited as a producer, or where he wrote a main title theme that didn’t factor into the episodic scoring, though there are some primarily “in name only” compositions listed below - stuff like Millennium, the Madagascar sequels, and Spongebob.

Don’t expect this to be comprehensive. There are some gaps thanks to works I skipped over in the early days of the rundown - Black Rain and Thelma & Louise most notably.

*½
104. The Unforgivable
103. The Son
102. 12 Years a Slave
101. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
100. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
99. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
98. Blade Runner 2049


**
97. Dark Phoenix
96. The Bible
95. Inferno
94. Dunkirk


**½
93. Smilla's Sense of Snow
92. Millennium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World
91. The Road to El Dorado
90. The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run
89. Crysis 2 (Zimmer / Balfe portion)
88. The Dark Knight Rises
87. Man of Steel


***
86. True Romance
85. The Pledge
84. Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
83. It's Complicated
82. Renaissance Man
81. Something to Talk About

80. Rebuilding Paradise
79. A World Apart
78. Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
77. CHAPPiE
76. Thunderbirds
75. An Everlasting Piece
74. Mission: Impossible 2
73. Drop Zone
72. The Simpsons Movie
71. Planet Earth II

70. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
69. Rango
68. Madagascar
67. Dune
66. Batman Begins


***½ (round down to 3)
65. Green Card
64. Nine Months
63. The Survivor
62. Pearl Harbor
61. Tears of the Sun

60. Muppet Treasure Island
59. The Boss Baby
58. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
57. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
56. The Lone Ranger
55. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
54. The Rock
53. The Amazing Spider-Man 2


***½ (round up to 4)
52. The Weather Man
51. The Pacific
50. The Little Prince
49. Hidden Figures
48. The Boss Baby: Family Business
47. Army of Thieves
46. The Dark Knight
45. Rain Man
44. Point of No Return
43. White Fang (alternate)
42. Days of Thunder
41. Frost/Nixon
40. Blue Planet II
39. The Holiday


****
38. The Power of One
37. The Ring
36. Frozen Planet II
35. Prehistoric Planet Season 1
34. Rush
33. Pacific Heights
32. Kung Fu Panda 3
31. Matchstick Men

30. Laura's Star / Lauras Stern
29. The House of the Spirits
28. The Lion King (2019)
27. No Time To Die
26. Spanglish
25. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
24. Black Hawk Down
23. Beyond Rangoon
22. Broken Arrow
21. Hannibal

20. The Last Samurai
19. Angels and Demons
18. The Da Vinci Code
17. The Peacemaker
16. Sherlock Holmes


****½ (round down to 4)
15. Megamind
14. Top Gun: Maverick
13. King Arthur
12. Backdraft
11. Interstellar


****½ (round up to 5)
10. Kung Fu Panda
9. Kung Fu Panda 2
8. The Thin Red Line
7. Inception
6. Crimson Tide
5. Gladiator


*****
4. Wonder Woman 1984
3. The Prince of Egypt
2. The Lion King (1994)
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

-----------------------

Next time: The last post

> The Hans rankings cover all scores that I’ve heard where he’s credited as
> the primary composer or co-composer, or where he wrote some notable
> material like a recurring theme.

Whose rankings of the ones you did were the more/most difficult to arrive at, and were they easier with the lower or the higher rankings?

> 71. Planet Earth II
> 70. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

These are the two lowest ranked I own.

> *****
> 4. Wonder Woman 1984
> 3. The Prince of Egypt
> 2. The Lion King (1994)
> 1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

And there's little to argue with these!

> Next time: The last post

What, already? Great work, and I echo what others said prior that you ought to consider getting these printed/bound/published in some shape. Or at least get Mr Zimmer et al. aware of them, so that you get either an invitation for beers or some German yelling directed at you. Perhaps both?

Mario

> Whose rankings of the ones you did were the more/most difficult to arrive at, and were they easier with the lower or the higher rankings?

Not easier in either section.

6-8 (Crimson Tide, Inception, Thin Red Line) and 11-13 (Interstellar, Backdraft, King Arthur) were not stable until the last few days.

I have limited confidence in the order of the *** works.

> Great work, and I echo what others said prior that you ought to consider getting these printed/bound/published in some shape. Or at least get Mr Zimmer et al. aware of them, so that you get either an invitation for beers or some German yelling directed at you. Perhaps both?

Thanks! And lol, both sound fun. With Hans it would probably be wine though, something I have no quarrel with.

Had I known what this work/hobby/distraction was going to turn into, I would've been better about maintaining a record of sources in the early days.

(Message edited on Friday, April 28, 2023, at 10:19 a.m. and Friday, April 28, 2023, at 10:19 a.m.)

> 58. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
> 57. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
> 56. The Lone Ranger
I feel like all three of these deserve at least a weak 4.

> 13. King Arthur
> 11. Interstellar
I'd stick both of these in the 5 range.

> 6. Crimson Tide
> 5. Gladiator
These two definitely feel like they deserve a 5. Too legendary and entertaining to be anything else.

> 4. Wonder Woman 1984
> 3. The Prince of Egypt
> 2. The Lion King (1994)
> 1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Hard to argue with these 4. AWE is really something else

> Next time: The last post
I'll wait till then to share my closing thoughts on this extraordinary series.

> I feel like all three of these deserve at least a weak 4.

It's hard to elevate The Lone Ranger higher given how much of a derivative (but fun) mess most of it is. But Zanelli's contribution is almost good enough to change my mind!

I think the rundown got those two POTC scores an extra star in their respective ratings. Don't get greedy!

> I'd stick both of these in the 5 range.

I thought about bumping Interstellar a bit higher, but my reaction to the album last week was that it feels like 30 minutes of amazing ideas stretched into 2 hours.

Still, it was at **** before the rundown started.

> This is part of a series.
> - Here’s the last post ranking John Powell’s scores -
> https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=123204
> - If you want the full set of links, click on my profile.

> -----------------------

> The Hans rankings cover all scores that I’ve heard where he’s credited as
> the primary composer or co-composer, or where he wrote some notable
> material like a recurring theme.

> I’m not covering anything where he’s only credited as a producer, or where
> he wrote a main title theme that didn’t factor into the episodic scoring,
> though there are some primarily “in name only” compositions listed below -
> stuff like Millennium, the Madagascar sequels, and
> Spongebob.

> Don’t expect this to be comprehensive. There are some gaps thanks to works
> I skipped over in the early days of the rundown - Black Rain and
> Thelma & Louise most notably.

> *½
> 104. The Unforgivable
> 103. The Son
> 102. 12 Years a Slave
> 101. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
> 100. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
> 99. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
> 98. Blade Runner 2049
>
>
> **
> 97. Dark Phoenix
> 96. The Bible
> 95. Inferno
> 94. Dunkirk
>
>
> **½
> 93. Smilla's Sense of Snow
> 92. Millennium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World
> 91. The Road to El Dorado
> 90. The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run
> 89. Crysis 2 (Zimmer / Balfe portion)
> 88. The Dark Knight Rises
> 87. Man of Steel
>
>
> ***
> 86. True Romance
> 85. The Pledge
> 84. Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
> 83. It's Complicated
> 82. Renaissance Man
> 81. Something to Talk About

> 80. Rebuilding Paradise
> 79. A World Apart
> 78. Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
> 77. CHAPPiE
> 76. Thunderbirds
> 75. An Everlasting Piece
> 74. Mission: Impossible 2
> 73. Drop Zone
> 72. The Simpsons Movie
> 71. Planet Earth II

> 70. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
> 69. Rango
> 68. Madagascar
> 67. Dune
> 66. Batman Begins
>
>
> ***½ (round down to 3)
> 65. Green Card
> 64. Nine Months
> 63. The Survivor
> 62. Pearl Harbor
> 61. Tears of the Sun

> 60. Muppet Treasure Island
> 59. The Boss Baby
> 58. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
> 57. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
> 56. The Lone Ranger
> 55. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
> 54. The Rock
> 53. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
>
>
> ***½ (round up to 4)
> 52. The Weather Man
> 51. The Pacific
> 50. The Little Prince
> 49. Hidden Figures
> 48. The Boss Baby: Family Business
> 47. Army of Thieves
> 46. The Dark Knight
> 45. Rain Man
> 44. Point of No Return
> 43. White Fang (alternate)
> 42. Days of Thunder
> 41. Frost/Nixon
> 40. Blue Planet II
> 39. The Holiday
>
>
> ****
> 38. The Power of One
> 37. The Ring
> 36. Frozen Planet II
> 35. Prehistoric Planet Season 1
> 34. Rush
> 33. Pacific Heights
> 32. Kung Fu Panda 3
> 31. Matchstick Men

> 30. Laura's Star / Lauras Stern
> 29. The House of the Spirits
> 28. The Lion King (2019)
> 27. No Time To Die
> 26. Spanglish
> 25. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
> 24. Black Hawk Down
> 23. Beyond Rangoon
> 22. Broken Arrow
> 21. Hannibal

> 20. The Last Samurai
> 19. Angels and Demons
> 18. The Da Vinci Code
> 17. The Peacemaker
> 16. Sherlock Holmes
>
>
> ****½ (round down to 4)
> 15. Megamind
> 14. Top Gun: Maverick
> 13. King Arthur
> 12. Backdraft
> 11. Interstellar
>
>
> ****½ (round up to 5)
> 10. Kung Fu Panda
> 9. Kung Fu Panda 2
> 8. The Thin Red Line
> 7. Inception
> 6. Crimson Tide
> 5. Gladiator
>
>
> *****
> 4. Wonder Woman 1984
> 3. The Prince of Egypt
> 2. The Lion King (1994)
> 1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

> -----------------------

> Next time: The last post

Just gonna take this time to say once again to everyone out there...

Y'ALL FUCKIN WRONG ABOUT STRANGER TIDES IT'S A REALLY GODDAMN FUN ALBUM

> Y'ALL FUCKIN WRONG ABOUT STRANGER TIDES IT'S A REALLY GODDAMN FUN ALBUM

LOL even Hans wouldn't agree with that statement.

Geoff might, though it seems he had a better experience than most others as he didn't work on any of the redundant material.

> *½
> 104. The Unforgivable
> 103. The Son
> 102. 12 Years a Slave
> 101. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
> 100. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
> 99. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
> 98. Blade Runner 2049
>
>
> **
> 97. Dark Phoenix
> 96. The Bible
> 95. Inferno
> 94. Dunkirk
>
>
> **½
> 93. Smilla's Sense of Snow
> 92. Millennium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World
> 91. The Road to El Dorado
> 90. The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run
> 89. Crysis 2 (Zimmer / Balfe portion)
> 88. The Dark Knight Rises
> 87. Man of Steel
>
>

> ***
> 86. True Romance
> 85. The Pledge
> 84. Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
> 83. It's Complicated
> 82. Renaissance Man
> 81. Something to Talk About

> 80. Rebuilding Paradise
> 79. A World Apart
> 78. Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
> 77. CHAPPiE
> 76. Thunderbirds
> 75. An Everlasting Piece
> 74. Mission: Impossible 2
> 73. Drop Zone
> 72. The Simpsons Movie
> 71. Planet Earth II

> 70. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
> 69. Rango
> 68. Madagascar
> 67. Dune
> 66. Batman Begins
>
>
> ***½ (round down to 3)
> 65. Green Card
> 64. Nine Months
> 63. The Survivor
> 62. Pearl Harbor
> 61. Tears of the Sun

> 60. Muppet Treasure Island
> 59. The Boss Baby
> 58. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
> 57. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
> 56. The Lone Ranger
> 55. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
> 54. The Rock
> 53. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
>
>
> ***½ (round up to 4)
> 52. The Weather Man
> 51. The Pacific
> 50. The Little Prince
> 49. Hidden Figures
> 48. The Boss Baby: Family Business
> 47. Army of Thieves
> 46. The Dark Knight
> 45. Rain Man
> 44. Point of No Return
> 43. White Fang (alternate)
> 42. Days of Thunder
> 41. Frost/Nixon
> 40. Blue Planet II
> 39. The Holiday
>
>
> ****
> 38. The Power of One
> 37. The Ring
> 36. Frozen Planet II
> 35. Prehistoric Planet Season 1
> 34. Rush
> 33. Pacific Heights
> 32. Kung Fu Panda 3
> 31. Matchstick Men

> 30. Laura's Star / Lauras Stern
> 29. The House of the Spirits
> 28. The Lion King (2019)
> 27. No Time To Die
> 26. Spanglish
> 25. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
> 24. Black Hawk Down
> 23. Beyond Rangoon
> 22. Broken Arrow
> 21. Hannibal

> 20. The Last Samurai
> 19. Angels and Demons
> 18. The Da Vinci Code
> 17. The Peacemaker
> 16. Sherlock Holmes
>
>
> ****½ (round down to 4)
> 15. Megamind
> 14. Top Gun: Maverick
> 13. King Arthur
> 12. Backdraft
> 11. Interstellar
>
>
> ****½ (round up to 5)
> 10. Kung Fu Panda
> 9. Kung Fu Panda 2
> 8. The Thin Red Line
> 7. Inception
> 6. Crimson Tide
> 5. Gladiator
>
>
> *****
> 4. Wonder Woman 1984
> 3. The Prince of Egypt
> 2. The Lion King (1994)
> 1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

When you see the sheer volume of scores, you realize that while it feels like Zimmer's churned out a high amount of meh, it's probably proportionally equivalent to most composers.

Can't argue much with that top 5, although I'm still unsure about how WW1984 will hold up. After that I'd bump a lot of scores down in rating (just in general, per our previous convo).

Our biggest difference of opinion is on The Amazing Spider-Man 2. I think it's one of his most effective and fun scores in the past decade. The gap between TLK original and redux also seems strange, but maybe I'm just worse at separating the two in my mind.

> Our biggest difference of opinion is on The Amazing Spider-Man 2. I think it's one of his most effective and fun scores in the past decade.

I came into the rundown never having heard a note of it and expecting not to like it that much. I was happy to be wrong.

> The gap between TLK original and redux also seems strange, but maybe I'm just worse at separating the two in my mind.

The score portions are comparable, though the marginalized presence of the 2019 score on its album doesn't help matters.

But that separation is mainly driven by the gap in the quality of the songs.

Lion King 2019 was also one of the films I watched because of the rundown. Sometimes that worked out pretty well; I was very pleasantly surprised how the Madagascar series improved with each sequel. Lion King was the antithesis of that experience, somehow turning out to fall below even my very low expectations, though it at least avoided the distinction of being the worst one I saw thanks to this.

> The score portions are comparable, though the marginalized presence of the
> 2019 score on its album doesn't help matters.

> But that separation is mainly driven by the gap in the quality of the
> songs.

Ah ok, that makes much more sense. I haven't heard the songs and don't tend to factor them in anyway.

> Lion King 2019 was also one of the films I watched because of the
> rundown. Sometimes that worked out pretty well; I was very pleasantly
> surprised how the Madagascar series improved with each sequel.
> Lion King was the antithesis of that experience, somehow turning
> out to fall below even my very low expectations, though it at least
> avoided the distinction of being the worst one I saw thanks to this.

Have not and don't plan on seeing this, given reactions like yours.

5 stars for me are:

Interstellar
Gladiator
The Last Samurai
The Lion King
At World's End
Wonder Woman 1984

> *½
> 104. The Unforgivable
> 103. The Son
> 102. 12 Years a Slave
> 101. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
> 100. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
> 99. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
> 98. Blade Runner 2049
>
>

I don't think BvS or Blade Runner 2049 are quite this bad, but they're definitely on Zimmer's lower end works.

> **
> 97. Dark Phoenix
> 96. The Bible
> 95. Inferno
> 94. Dunkirk
>
>

Liked Dark Phoenix more than you, but also haven't revisited it since it came out so... fair?

> **½
> 93. Smilla's Sense of Snow
> 92. Millennium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World
> 91. The Road to El Dorado
> 90. The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run
> 89. Crysis 2 (Zimmer / Balfe portion)
> 88. The Dark Knight Rises
> 87. Man of Steel
>
>

Lots I haven't heard in this group. Agree with 88 and 87, though.

> ***
> 86. True Romance
> 85. The Pledge
> 84. Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
> 83. It's Complicated
> 82. Renaissance Man
> 81. Something to Talk About

> 80. Rebuilding Paradise
> 79. A World Apart
> 78. Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
> 77. CHAPPiE
> 76. Thunderbirds
> 75. An Everlasting Piece
> 74. Mission: Impossible 2
> 73. Drop Zone
> 72. The Simpsons Movie
> 71. Planet Earth II

> 70. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
> 69. Rango
> 68. Madagascar
> 67. Dune
> 66. Batman Begins
>

I like Batman Begins, Dune and Spirit more than you, but Spirit also desperately needs a "score only" release. The commercial product with ALL the Brian Adams songs is such... way too much Brian.

>
> ***½ (round down to 3)
> 65. Green Card
> 64. Nine Months
> 63. The Survivor
> 62. Pearl Harbor
> 61. Tears of the Sun

> 60. Muppet Treasure Island
> 59. The Boss Baby
> 58. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
> 57. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
> 56. The Lone Ranger
> 55. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
> 54. The Rock
> 53. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
>

Of the ones I've heard in this group... seems fair. I might like Dead Man's Chest a bit more but mostly from in-film presentation.

>
> ***½ (round up to 4)
> 52. The Weather Man
> 51. The Pacific
> 50. The Little Prince
> 49. Hidden Figures
> 48. The Boss Baby: Family Business
> 47. Army of Thieves
> 46. The Dark Knight
> 45. Rain Man
> 44. Point of No Return
> 43. White Fang (alternate)
> 42. Days of Thunder
> 41. Frost/Nixon
> 40. Blue Planet II
> 39. The Holiday
>

The only contention here is that I still stand by the fact that TDK is a 4.5/5 work.

>
> ****
> 38. The Power of One
> 37. The Ring
> 36. Frozen Planet II
> 35. Prehistoric Planet Season 1
> 34. Rush
> 33. Pacific Heights
> 32. Kung Fu Panda 3
> 31. Matchstick Men

> 30. Laura's Star / Lauras Stern
> 29. The House of the Spirits
> 28. The Lion King (2019)
> 27. No Time To Die
> 26. Spanglish
> 25. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
> 24. Black Hawk Down
> 23. Beyond Rangoon
> 22. Broken Arrow
> 21. Hannibal

> 20. The Last Samurai
> 19. Angels and Demons
> 18. The Da Vinci Code
> 17. The Peacemaker
> 16. Sherlock Holmes
>
>

Very happy to see House of the Spirits, The Ring, The Last Samurai, Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, Broken Arrow and Hannibal in the solid 4/5 category. I still think No Time To Die in complete form is almost 5/5, but that's just me.

> ****½ (round down to 4)
> 15. Megamind
> 14. Top Gun: Maverick
> 13. King Arthur
> 12. Backdraft
> 11. Interstellar
>
>

Haven't heard (or seen) Megamind but the others check out... oh yeah, still need to see Maverick as well and maybe finally understand why everyone loved that score.

> ****½ (round up to 5)
> 10. Kung Fu Panda
> 9. Kung Fu Panda 2
> 8. The Thin Red Line
> 7. Inception
> 6. Crimson Tide
> 5. Gladiator
>
>

Yay! Thin Red Line!!

> *****
> 4. Wonder Woman 1984
> 3. The Prince of Egypt
> 2. The Lion King (1994)
> 1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Yeah, this feels right. Especially #1.

> -----------------------

> Next time: The last post

The End of All things.

> I like Batman Begins, Dune and Spirit more than you, but Spirit also desperately needs a 'score only' release. The commercial product with ALL the Brian Adams songs is such... way too much Brian.

Not helping matters is that minutes of score are embedded within the songs, so there really is no way to have a 'score only' experience.

> Very happy to see House of the Spirits, The Ring, The Last Samurai, Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, Broken Arrow and Hannibal in the solid 4/5 category.

I'm intrigued to hear how The Ring sounds in more complete form now that I'm finally allowing myself to listen to the La-La Land expansion that's been sitting on a shelf for months.

It's too bad Hans still despises the film Broken Arrow so. That music would be perfect for his concerts.

Hannibal wasn't the first instance of Hans emphasizing low strings in his ensemble (that may have been The Fan), but he did start using that technique with greater frequency after that movie. Heck, he talked about it in an interview for The Ring the very next year!

> I still think No Time To Die in complete form is almost 5/5, but that's just me.

Funny enough, I'm in the middle of my first listen to Black Rain as I write this and I totally understand what you were saying earlier about bits of it showing up in the Bond score. Quite humorous indeed.

> Haven't heard (or seen) Megamind

As a film it's not outright bad, but it never feels like it's living up to its potential, and the animation is ugly compared to what Disney was churning out that year (Tangled and Toy Story 3).

The music plays much better in expanded format - but even most unmentionables on the internet don't include the terrific climactic fight music, which only seems to exist on Lorne's webpage.

> Not helping matters is that minutes of score are embedded within the
> songs, so there really is no way to have a 'score only' experience.

Oh yeah... that's true. Rats. I'd be willing to have a complete release with songs included (just not the 'extra' songs), but I'm sure that would be a complete nightmare to license.

> I'm intrigued to hear how The Ring sounds in more complete form now
> that I'm finally allowing myself to listen to the La-La Land expansion
> that's been sitting on a shelf for months.

If you liked the material as heard on the Ring/Ring 2 album or especially within the film, then you'll love it. There's nothing to surprisingly revelatory on the complete presentation outside of the original versions of some cues compared to their film counterparts (included on the second disc of extras).

> It's too bad Hans still despises the film Broken Arrow so. That
> music would be perfect for his concerts.

That is too bad as his score is a ton of fun, even if it was written in contempt of the film itself.

> Hannibal wasn't the first instance of Hans emphasizing low strings
> in his ensemble (that may have been The Fan), but he did start
> using that technique with greater frequency after that movie. Heck, he
> talked about it in an interview for The Ring the very next year!

It's a sound that is now 'so Zimmer' that it's hard to believe there was a genesis point for it.

> Funny enough, I'm in the middle of my first listen to Black Rain as
> I write this and I totally understand what you were saying earlier about
> bits of it showing up in the Bond score. Quite humorous indeed.

Haha, yep. It also popped up at the end of 'Molossus' in Batman Begins and 'Soccent Attack' in Jablonsky's Transformers. It's fun action/drama material but after seeing Black Rain, it always sticks out to me.

> As a film it's not outright bad, but it never feels like it's living up to
> its potential, and the animation is ugly compared to what Disney was
> churning out that year (Tangled and Toy Story 3).

> The music plays much better in expanded format - but even most
> unmentionables on the internet don't include the terrific climactic fight
> music, which only seems to exist on Lorne's webpage.

Well, that's disappointing.

(Message edited on Friday, April 28, 2023, at 10:28 p.m.)

> *½
> 104. The Unforgivable
> 103. The Son
> 102. 12 Years a Slave
> 101. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
> 100. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
> 99. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
> 98. Blade Runner 2049

I actually like 12 Years a Slave in context, but never heard it outside of the film. Sure, it's derivative of "Time", but I don't mind it. BvS and Stranger Tides are certainly disappointments, but still have a few moments I like in each.

> **
> 97. Dark Phoenix
> 96. The Bible
> 95. Inferno
> 94. Dunkirk

Dark Phoenix is an odd one. As a superhero score it mostly fails, but the style has been very enjoyable as background working music for me, almost in a hypnotic way, if that makes sense.

Still haven't heard Inferno or Dunkirk outside of their films, but seems like scores I'd only want a few of the best cues from and ignore the rest.

> **½
> 93. Smilla's Sense of Snow
> 92. Millennium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World
> 91. The Road to El Dorado
> 90. The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run
> 89. Crysis 2 (Zimmer / Balfe portion)
> 88. The Dark Knight Rises
> 87. Man of Steel

Surprised to see Dark Knight Rises so low. Might be our biggest disagreement on this list, I have no issues with giving it 4 stars.

> ***
> 86. True Romance
> 85. The Pledge
> 84. Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
> 83. It's Complicated
> 82. Renaissance Man
> 81. Something to Talk About

> 80. Rebuilding Paradise
> 79. A World Apart
> 78. Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
> 77. CHAPPiE
> 76. Thunderbirds
> 75. An Everlasting Piece
> 74. Mission: Impossible 2
> 73. Drop Zone
> 72. The Simpsons Movie
> 71. Planet Earth II

> 70. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
> 69. Rango
> 68. Madagascar
> 67. Dune
> 66. Batman Begins
>
>
> ***½ (round down to 3)
> 65. Green Card
> 64. Nine Months
> 63. The Survivor
> 62. Pearl Harbor
> 61. Tears of the Sun

Pearl Harbor is a top 10 Zimmer score for me. Would love to get an official expanded release of it someday.

> 60. Muppet Treasure Island
> 59. The Boss Baby
> 58. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
> 57. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
> 56. The Lone Ranger
> 55. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
> 54. The Rock
> 53. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
>
>
> ***½ (round up to 4)
> 52. The Weather Man
> 51. The Pacific
> 50. The Little Prince
> 49. Hidden Figures
> 48. The Boss Baby: Family Business
> 47. Army of Thieves
> 46. The Dark Knight
> 45. Rain Man
> 44. Point of No Return
> 43. White Fang (alternate)
> 42. Days of Thunder
> 41. Frost/Nixon
> 40. Blue Planet II
> 39. The Holiday
>
>
> ****
> 38. The Power of One
> 37. The Ring
> 36. Frozen Planet II
> 35. Prehistoric Planet Season 1
> 34. Rush
> 33. Pacific Heights
> 32. Kung Fu Panda 3
> 31. Matchstick Men

> 30. Laura's Star / Lauras Stern
> 29. The House of the Spirits
> 28. The Lion King (2019)
> 27. No Time To Die
> 26. Spanglish
> 25. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
> 24. Black Hawk Down
> 23. Beyond Rangoon
> 22. Broken Arrow
> 21. Hannibal

> 20. The Last Samurai
> 19. Angels and Demons
> 18. The Da Vinci Code
> 17. The Peacemaker
> 16. Sherlock Holmes
>
>
> ****½ (round down to 4)
> 15. Megamind
> 14. Top Gun: Maverick
> 13. King Arthur
> 12. Backdraft
> 11. Interstellar
>
>
> ****½ (round up to 5)
> 10. Kung Fu Panda
> 9. Kung Fu Panda 2
> 8. The Thin Red Line
> 7. Inception
> 6. Crimson Tide
> 5. Gladiator
>
>
> *****
> 4. Wonder Woman 1984
> 3. The Prince of Egypt
> 2. The Lion King (1994)
> 1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Solid top 10. Guess I need to hear Megamind at some point, but I was hoping for an expanded release of that one too.

> Next time: The last post

> Pearl Harbor is a top 10 Zimmer score for me. Would love to get an official expanded release of it someday.

I was going over some older articles today and was amazed about a point I'd forgotten: Hans had to put together his album before he was done writing the score, and apparently knocked it out in a few hours one night just to get it done.

I've never bothered exploring the full score. Something to fix this year...or I could brave watching the film again (lol), which is maybe only the second movie I ever saw in theaters that I found disappointing - the first was The Lost World - which led my father and I to wonder if this was gonna be an every-four-years thing with Memorial Day releases.