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Movie Music UK reviews SUPERMAN by John Murphy and David Fleming

Movie Music UK reviews SUPERMAN by John Murphy and David Fleming
Jonathan Broxton
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Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (7:43 a.m.) 

Hi everyone,

My latest film music review is of the score for the new super hero reboot SUPERMAN, with music by John Murphy and David Fleming.

https://moviemusicuk.us/2025/07/15/superman-john-murphy-and-david-fleming/

Enjoy smile

Jon


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Re: Movie Music UK reviews SUPERMAN by John Murphy and David Fleming
AhN
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Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (9:29 a.m.) 

> Hi everyone,

> My latest film music review is of the score for the new super hero reboot
> SUPERMAN, with music by John Murphy and David Fleming.

>
> https://moviemusicuk.us/2025/07/15/superman-john-murphy-and-david-fleming/

> Enjoy smile

> Jon

Insightful review Jon. This part in particular was fascinating:

> Although David Corenswet is closer to Reeve than Cavill was, his Superman is still almost 50 years removed from Reeve, and for me hearing the Reeve theme in this context constantly took me out of the movie. Look; I understand nostalgia. It’s a powerful thing. Children who grew up in the 1970s and 80s, as both Gunn and I did, love being reminded of the innocence of that era, and it’s tempting to wallow in that whenever you get the chance, but sometimes doing that results in an inferior piece of entertainment. Such is the case here. Every time I heard any fragments of Williams’s theme in this Superman, it just reminded me how much this Superman is not, and can never be, that Superman. This Superman isn’t a sequel to that Superman. It’s a completely different take on the character in a different universe, with different political and societal touchpoints. Part of what made the 1978 Superman score great was because it was very clearly and distinctly of its time, whereas this Superman seems to be trying to have one foot in both camps, having it’s super-cake and eating it too.

So a few thoughts about this.

1) I think your implication that the Williams theme is fundamentally un-adaptable to a modern film (and not just a throwback sequel like Superman Returns) is intriguing, but something I disagree with entirely. Obviously I was not a kid in the 70s, but in my head that theme is just Superman, not Christopher Reeve Superman. I saw Corenswet onscreen and my brain wasn't comparing him to Reeve or Routh or Cavill, I just saw him flying around in the blue and red and was like "Okay, that's Superman." It's like seeing Daniel Craig or Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. He does Bond-like things, the theme plays, and I think "Okay, that's James Bond" instead of thinking "But that theme was for Sean Connery's Bond!"

1.5) "This Superman is not, and can never be, that Superman." I get your point that Corenswet's Superman loses his temper here and there, but like, the main one I remember is him blowing up during the interview when he has to explain his actions in stopping the war. He did what he thought was right and would save lives, it's pretty obvious that's what he achieved if you're not drinking the propaganda, and he's frustrated at having to explain basic morality. Seems understandable to me lol. Compared to, y'know, Reeve losing it when the cute reporter he had a couple dates with dies tongue

2) I want to ask about "the innocence of" the 70s and 80s. WAS it an innocent time, or is it just the innocence of your own childhood?

2.5) What was the political context of the 1978 film? Because this film had very direct commentary on the current political climate (some of which translates to other periods pretty well I'm sure), and the Snyder films, if not having meaningful commentary on it, certainly capture a vibe and atmosphere from that period. All I really know of the 70s is like Watergate and Vietnam, so I feel like when I did see that movie it was detatched from the politics of that period. I wonder if that movie's earnest heroism wasn't a reaction to the period's paranoia and cynicism, which may place it closer to Gunn's film than we realize.

3) I'm not really sure the Superman theme is "distinctly of its time"? Part of this is because I recently finished a book (which I've been meaning to post about here) which frames Williams' work in the 70s and early 80s as a revival of 30s and 40s style scoring. So in that sense, Williams scoring approach during his breakout years went against the grain of film scoring conventions (though I guess by the time Superman had come out, he was already reshaping the industry in his own image). I also feel like some people here like to describe the sound of a symphony orchestra as "timeless," which I half agree with, so it's interesting to hear you think that the Superman theme is of its specific time.

Some of this I think also boils down to "Do you think any of the Williams aesthetic is viable in modern Hollywood?" and I think everyone I ask will have a different answer haha. Interesting to discuss though!


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Re: Movie Music UK reviews SUPERMAN by John Murphy and David Fleming
mastadge
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et)
Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (10:34 a.m.) 

> 1) I think your implication that the Williams theme is fundamentally
> un-adaptable to a modern film (and not just a throwback sequel like
> Superman Returns) is intriguing, but something I disagree with entirely.
> Obviously I was not a kid in the 70s, but in my head that theme is just
> Superman, not Christopher Reeve Superman. I saw Corenswet onscreen and my
> brain wasn't comparing him to Reeve or Routh or Cavill, I just saw him
> flying around in the blue and red and was like 'Okay, that's Superman.'
> It's like seeing Daniel Craig or Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. He does
> Bond-like things, the theme plays, and I think 'Okay, that's James Bond'
> instead of thinking 'But that theme was for Sean Connery's Bond!'

Hm. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and to me when I think Superman I can hum either the John Williams theme or the Sammy Timberg one from the 40s. And honestly the latter might be a better retro fit for this movie, given the types of adventures Superman was having back in the 40s. I guess if they were going to use the Williams maybe a moment or two when the camera zoomed in on the shield or something. I can certainly appreciate the argument either way but even going back to Justice League I've never really loved the appropriation of these legacy themes for very different iterations of the characters. New actor, new production design, my preference would be for a new theme. Or at least, in this case, a substantially new and coherent score. I've seen some reviewers calling out the music as what made this new movie work for them; for my part, it sometimes took me out of the movie.

> 1.5) 'This Superman is not, and can never be, that Superman.' I get your
> point that Corenswet's Superman loses his temper here and there, but like,
> the main one I remember is him blowing up during the interview when he has
> to explain his actions in stopping the war. He did what he thought was
> right and would save lives, it's pretty obvious that's what he achieved if
> you're not drinking the propaganda, and he's frustrated at having to
> explain basic morality. Seems understandable to me lol. Compared to,
> y'know, Reeve losing it when the cute reporter he had a couple dates with
> dies tongue

Agreed. It was a little awkward seeing an esteemed journalist getting flustered and losing his temper at some relatively straightfoward questions, but also he was on the spot being interviewed by his girlfriend. Didn't love it, sort of understood it, would have been nice for him to be able to articulate his positions a little better. I think one of the things that could have really strengthened the film could have been a better throughline involving the work that is investigative journalism and the power of journalism to present and frame the story. I do wish that the Superman who want out of his way to rescue a squirrel and to try to figure out how not to hurt an attacking creature could have been a little more evident in all the third-act punching.



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Re: Movie Music UK reviews SUPERMAN by John Murphy and David Fleming
Steven P.
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Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (3:17 p.m.) 
Now Playing: F1 (album)

> 1) I think your implication that the Williams theme is fundamentally
> un-adaptable to a modern film (and not just a throwback sequel like
> Superman Returns) is intriguing, but something I disagree with entirely.
> Obviously I was not a kid in the 70s, but in my head that theme is just
> Superman, not Christopher Reeve Superman. I saw Corenswet onscreen and my
> brain wasn't comparing him to Reeve or Routh or Cavill, I just saw him
> flying around in the blue and red and was like 'Okay, that's Superman.'
> It's like seeing Daniel Craig or Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. He does
> Bond-like things, the theme plays, and I think 'Okay, that's James Bond'
> instead of thinking 'But that theme was for Sean Connery's Bond!'

It's interesting to compare this situation with the other major DC character, Batman.

I think most people would argue that Elfman's theme is probably the definitive theme for the character, used in 2 film and also the opening credits of The Animated Series, despite being a different take on the character (and Walker writing her own theme for the character too).

Then you have the loose continuity of Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, which drops the Elfman theme. The you move on to the Nolan films, DCEU films, etc. Gunn bringing back the Williams theme feels as out of place as it would if Reeves used Elfman's theme for his reboot. Sure, I love that theme, but we've moved past it. Unlike Bond and Indy, the character has a history of different themes for different interpretations, and I feel that's the approach needed here.

It'll be interesting to see how much thematic continuity this new DC series maintains in future films. Especially compared to something like the MCU, where every time Tony Stark walks through the door he gets a new theme.



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Re: Movie Music UK reviews SUPERMAN by John Murphy and David Fleming
AhN
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Thursday, July 17, 2025 (11:04 a.m.) 

> It's interesting to compare this situation with the other major DC
> character, Batman.

> I think most people would argue that Elfman's theme is probably the
> definitive theme for the character, used in 2 film and also the opening
> credits of The Animated Series, despite being a different take on the
> character (and Walker writing her own theme for the character too).

Ngl, if you asked me to pick "The" Batman theme, I'd have to go with the Hefti 60s theme haha


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Re: Movie Music UK reviews SUPERMAN by John Murphy and David Fleming
Faleel
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Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (4:35 p.m.) 

> Seems understandable to me lol. Compared to,
> y'know, Reeve losing it when the cute reporter he had a couple dates with
> dies tongue

Surely it's tied into "all those powers and I couldn't even save him from the beginning of the (1978) film...


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Re: Movie Music UK reviews SUPERMAN by John Murphy and David Fleming
Solaris
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Wednesday, July 16, 2025 (2:35 a.m.) 

> 1) I think your implication that the Williams theme is fundamentally
> un-adaptable to a modern film (and not just a throwback sequel like
> Superman Returns) is intriguing, but something I disagree with entirely.
> Obviously I was not a kid in the 70s, but in my head that theme is just
> Superman, not Christopher Reeve Superman. I saw Corenswet onscreen and my
> brain wasn't comparing him to Reeve or Routh or Cavill, I just saw him
> flying around in the blue and red and was like 'Okay, that's Superman.'
> It's like seeing Daniel Craig or Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. He does
> Bond-like things, the theme plays, and I think 'Okay, that's James Bond'
> instead of thinking 'But that theme was for Sean Connery's Bond!'

I think James Bond is a bit different in the sense that the movies made between 1962 and 2002 were all set in a floating timeline and James Bond was always supposed to be the same Character, regardless of who played him. The series softly rebooted every time a new Actor took over, but there were several instances where it was made clear that its the same guy: Bonds marriage in OHMSS was brought up in "Spy who loved me", "For your eyes only" and "Licence to Kill". When the Series *completely* rebooted in 2006, the Theme has been part of the Series for over 40 years and it was obviously too late to turn back and change it.
In the "Superman" and "Batman"-Franchises, on the other hand, there was already plenty of precendence that they got new Themes when Actors changed. "Superman Returns" was an exception because it was set in the same timeline as "Superman" 1+2, with the events of those movies moved up date-wise.


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Re: Movie Music UK reviews SUPERMAN by John Murphy and David Fleming
Ethan R. Smith
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Wednesday, July 16, 2025 (9:55 p.m.) 

> Insightful review Jon. This part in particular was fascinating:

> So a few thoughts about this.

> 1) I think your implication that the Williams theme is fundamentally
> un-adaptable to a modern film (and not just a throwback sequel like
> Superman Returns) is intriguing, but something I disagree with entirely.
> Obviously I was not a kid in the 70s, but in my head that theme is just
> Superman, not Christopher Reeve Superman. I saw Corenswet onscreen and my
> brain wasn't comparing him to Reeve or Routh or Cavill, I just saw him
> flying around in the blue and red and was like 'Okay, that's Superman.'
> It's like seeing Daniel Craig or Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. He does
> Bond-like things, the theme plays, and I think 'Okay, that's James Bond'
> instead of thinking 'But that theme was for Sean Connery's Bond!'

Mission Impossible 2 is pretty different from the first one, but I'm so glad they kept the theme. JJ Abrams Star Trek is nothing like the old ones, but every time the Andrew Courage fanfare shows up, I get goosebumps. Hell, people in my audience cheered earlier this month when the Williams Jurrassic Park theme showed up in the dinosaur kissing scene.

I am always in camp use theme, especially when it comes to one of the most iconic film themes ever written. That said, I agree it sucks to see it get butchered in some cues.


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Re: Movie Music UK reviews SUPERMAN by John Murphy and David Fleming
AhN
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Thursday, July 17, 2025 (10:53 a.m.) 

> Mission Impossible 2 is pretty different from the first one, but I'm so
> glad they kept the theme. JJ Abrams Star Trek is nothing like the old
> ones, but every time the Andrew Courage fanfare shows up, I get
> goosebumps. Hell, people in my audience cheered earlier this month when
> the Williams Jurrassic Park theme showed up in the dinosaur kissing scene.

> I am always in camp use theme, especially when it comes to one of the most
> iconic film themes ever written. That said, I agree it sucks to see it get
> butchered in some cues.

Sorry, have we met?


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Movie Music UK reviews SUPERMAN by John Murphy and David Fleming
Jiden
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Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (12:29 p.m.) 

'a bad copy, which is both dumber, and more brutal, and which should be consigned to a black hole for everyone’s benefit.

Buy the Superman soundtrack from the Movie Music UK Store'

I know this is what it is, but the swing made me chuckle.



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Re: Movie Music UK reviews SUPERMAN by John Murphy and David Fleming [EDITED]
Tasos B.
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Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (1:20 p.m.) 

> Hi everyone,

> My latest film music review is of the score for the new super hero reboot
> SUPERMAN, with music by John Murphy and David Fleming.

>
> https://moviemusicuk.us/2025/07/15/superman-john-murphy-and-david-fleming/

> Enjoy smile

> Jon

I agree with your Review Jon.

/

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(Message edited on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at 3:04 p.m.)


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Movie Music UK reviews SUPERMAN by John Murphy and David Fleming
madtrombone
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Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (1:48 p.m.) 

Excellent review, can always count on an insightful take from you. Balancing the expected low points with deserved praise for the occasional thing Murphy and Fleming actually get right is something I haven’t really seen anyone do yet (myself included).


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Re: Movie Music UK reviews SUPERMAN by John Murphy and David Fleming
JBlough
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Tuesday, July 15, 2025 (3:14 p.m.) 

Honestly, given your post-MOS policy about trying to only write positive reviews, I thought we were in for something wayyyyyyyyyy different.



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