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Spider-Man: Homecoming
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Composed, Co-Orchestrated, and Produced by:
Co-Orchestrated and Conducted by:
Marshall Bowen III
Co-Orchestrated by:
Jeff Kryka William Ross Cameron Patrick Curtis Green
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LABEL & RELEASE DATE
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ALBUM AVAILABILITY
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Regular U.S. release. Also available on vinyl in shorter form.
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AWARDS
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None.
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ALSO SEE
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Buy it... if you seek the comfort of a conventionally symphonic
superhero score that hits all the right notes, entertaining music with a
tight narrative and serviceable themes.
Avoid it... if you expect Michael Giacchino to supply the same
intangible emotional connections and fantasy element that Danny Elfman
and James Horner had accomplished for the lead character.
BUY IT
 | Giacchino |
Spider-Man: Homecoming: (Michael Giacchino) Thanks
to the ever-shifting alliances of studios properties, the time arrived
in the mid-2010's to integrate the famed Spider-Man character back into
the Marvel Cinematic Universe, an expected financial decision that
necessitated the third franchise reboot for Spider-Man on screen in 15
years. So ubiquitous are these reboots now that 2017's Spider-Man:
Homecoming doesn't even bother depicting the actual origins of the
titular character to much extent; rather, he's simply fodder for high
school/teenage angst narratives mixed among Peter Parker's quest for
respect, including a sickening excess of sucking up to Tony Stark.
Although the film was a certain fiscal success, its story is ridiculous
and occasionally asinine, especially in the ferry-splitting sequence.
Still, enthusiasts of the 1994 romance Only You will appreciate
the Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei casting, and Michael Keaton
undoubtedly steals the show as a villain who gives the story its only
momentously successful mid-script twist. Witnessing yet another reboot
of this franchise is tiring, though, and it can be challenging to
separate the inherently unnecessary existence of this film from any
analysis of its soundtrack. Having successfully inherited the role of
John Williams in the generation of nostalgic, large-scale orchestral
film scores by this point, Michael Giacchino enters the equation having
excelled in Marvel's Doctor Strange, and it's comforting to see
Giacchino transition into yet another franchise to continue defying
trends towards anonymous, synthetic, droning music for brooding
superheroes. He follows superstar footsteps, Danny Elfman and James
Horner writing extremely memorable and accomplished scores for the
previous two reboots of the character on the big screen. Giacchino
contends with a fair number of pop culture song placements in
Spider-Man: Homecoming, hindering his ability to establish his
thematic base in lighter shades for Peter Parker and his love interest.
But, on the whole, Giacchino accomplishes everything he needs to in his
work here, supplying the right personality for the film even if the
result falls one step behind equivalent toils by Elfman and Horner.
The original three Spider-Man films were graced
by an extremely cohesive set of scores by Danny Elfman and Christopher
Young (with some props to John Debney along the way), the main theme
clearly identifying the main character with Elfman's uniquely restless,
high-strung but heroically elegant mannerisms. In 2012, James Horner
addressed The Amazing Spider-Man with a different set of themes
but an emotionally deeper musical narrative while retaining some of
Elfman's flightiness. The less said about Hans Zimmer and crew's
pointless music to the subsequent entry, the better, and Giacchino
thankfully returns to the mould largely established by Elfman for
Spider-Man: Homecoming, adopting slight electronic accompaniment
to his largely symphonic work. Gone is the noble trumpet identity as
means of signifying the loneliness of the lead character, and returning
are the skittish, slightly hip rhythmic undertones of Peter Parker,
addressed early in the film here by muted funk instrumentation and
throughout by hints of electric guitar. There is still nothing as
inspirationally "cool" in Giacchino's score as Elfman's rendition of his
main theme in the 2002 score's "Costume Montage" cue, however,
especially with Giacchino's "Academic Decommitment" taking a back seat
to song placements early on. Aside from these occasional diversions,
Spider-Man: Homecoming is remarkably organic and loyal to
orchestral superhero traditions, a mostly conventional score with
obvious devices like accelerating ensemble hits (end of "Fly-by-Night
Operation") and flowing, classically-inclined expressions of grandiose
harmony (end of "Lift Off"). As per usual for Giacchino, tapping
metallic percussion and a wide variety of drum sets keep the action
moving along. There are occasional connections to vintage Elfman
superhero material, such as the brass 16th notes in the middle of "High
Tech Heist," but these may be coincidental. Thematically, Giacchino
opens the score with a nod to the classic television theme, reworked to
a grand scale, and the first three notes of that theme inform the
opening of his own, primary identity as well. (He only occasionally
inserts the middle note, which makes then it more obvious.) And, as
satisfyingly heard in the film, Alan Silvestri's Avengers theme
is thankfully heard prominently but briefly twice as the story arc draws
Tony Stark's headquarters into the action.
Giacchino's two major new themes for Spider-Man:
Homecoming are competently conveyed throughout the score, the
composer certainly not afraid to express them obviously and in sonic
battle when necessary. The main theme is not as memorable as the Elfman
and Horner identities, but it is workmanlike and applied appropriately
enough to suffice. The theme for Keaton's Vulture is more intriguing,
provided its own backstory in "The World is Changing" and roaring onto
the scene on brass every time the winged character makes an appearance.
One of the disappointments of the score is the musical disconnect
between the Vulture theme and the nascent love interest identity; given
how poorly the latter ultimately sinks in the film, it's unfortunate
that Giacchino didn't find some way to actually utilize the same theme
for both circumstances. That said, the latter half of "Vulture Clash"
does shift hints of the villain's theme into the domain of the love
theme in tone, perhaps out of a dose of sympathy. The love theme,
offered brief, underdeveloped moments in the score (the end of
"Monumental Meltdown" among them), strives to achieve Jerry Goldsmith
tenderness in its woodwind performances, but only in "Spider-Man:
Homecoming Suite" does it break through. Meanwhile, the well exercised
villain's theme, as well as an associated, chopping suspense motif,
provide the score's most effective moments in "Pop Vulture." Ironically,
despite all the pizzazz of the action in "Monumental Meltdown" and
elsewhere, it's in the bassoon performances of the Vulture theme and
chopping cello fear of "Pop Vulture" that Giacchino makes his greatest
single emotional impact on the film. This cue is mixed very prominently
over background source music as Parker walks dazed into a school dance,
an extremely effective moment. One other theme from Giacchino is a
slightly comedic acoustic guitar rhythm in "Stark Raving Mad" that seems
unnecessary given the previously existing Tony Stark themes available to
reference. Overall, Spider-Man: Homecoming is a conservatively
successful score that hits all the right notes, entertaining music with
a tight narrative that competes favorably with the film's sound effects.
It's an extremely dry recording as usual for Giacchino, and that sucks
some of the fantasy element out of the end product. As a stand-alone
work, this score is likely a weak four-star execution, but when compared
to the solid, preceding efforts by Elfman and Horner for the character,
Giacchino's entry fails to beckon the same repeated appreciation. *** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
Bias Check: |
For Michael Giacchino reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.5
(in 36 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.21
(in 18,138 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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Total Time: 68:17
1. Theme From Spider Man (Original Television Series)* (0:40)
2. The World is Changing (4:10)
3. Academic Decommitment (1:57)
4. High Tech Heist (1:27)
5. On a Ned-to-Know Basis (1:45)
6. Drag Racing/An Old Van Rundown (4:07)
7. Webbed Surveillance (4:40)
8. No Vault of His Own (2:28)
9. Monumental Meltdown (5:23)
10. The Baby Monitor Protocol (1:38)
11. A Boatload of Trouble, Part 1 (3:09)
12. A Boatload of Trouble, Part 2 (2:16)
13. Ferry Dust Up (2:51)
14. Stark Raving Mad (1:55)
15. Pop Vulture (3:06)
16. Bussed a Move (1:43)
17. Lift Off (5:26)
18. Fly-by-Night Operation (2:24)
19. Vulture Clash (4:07)
20. A Stark Contrast (4:42)
21. No Frills Proto Cool! (0:35)
22. Spider-Man: Homecoming Suite (7:29)
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* composed by J. Robert Harris and Paul Francis Webster
The insert includes a list of performers, a fold-out poster, and a very short note from the composer.
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