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| Giacchino |
Spider-Man: No Way Home: (Michael Giacchino) It's
nearly impossible to surprise audiences with cameos in this age of film
production, but Sony and Marvel did their absolute best with 2021's
Spider-Man: No Way Home. The two studios almost failed to come to
agreement over the future rights of the Spider-Man concept over the
previous few years, but the schedule of this third film of the Tom
Holland trilogy of
Spider-Man movies managed to keep its place
after blowback from throngs of concept fans. Whereas this concept's
movies had at one time teased connections between each cinematic entry
and the larger universe,
Spider-Man: No Way Home sought to
intentionally launch itself in the other direction, using the
increasingly popular "multiverse" idea to explain the constant reboots
of the franchise and conveniently bring heroes and villains from the
prior
Spider-Man franchises into the narrative of the current
one. With Doctor Strange carrying over from the Marvel Cinematic
Universe, his powers accidentally unleash a multiverse collision in
which both Peter Parkers and many of their villains from the prior
franchise iterations return to conduct an ultimate battle. For concept
enthusiasts, seeing characters going back to the early 2000's in
Spider-Man: No Way Home, some de-aged as necessary to maintain
their original appearances, is an immense treat. The plot supplies
Doctor Strange with a central role in both causing and healing the spell
setting all of these characters in motion, and the movie takes an
intriguing twist in that the three Peter Parkers endeavor to salvage the
villains of all their various reasons for evil rather than outright
defeat them. This decision is particularly poignant in the Otto Octavius
character, who always remained the most sympathetic villain from the
prior movies. In the end,
Spider-Man: No Way Home is an ultimate
"reset" story to shift all of the franchise's iterations back to their
early narrative times, and audiences rewarded the effort with immense
box office returns. The soundtrack for
Spider-Man: No Way Home,
like the story of the film, presented incredible potential for
intelligent integration between the franchise iterations, and Michael
Giacchino returned to tackle that delicate task.
Giacchino's output for the
Spider-Man franchise has
ranged from fairly proficient to occasionally impressive, a decent entry
for 2017's
Spider-Man: Homecoming enhanced by a rousing villain's
theme for 2019's
Spider-Man: Far From Home. Without considering
the sudden inclusion of material written by other composers due to the
multiverse components of its story,
Spider-Man: No Way Home falls
somewhere in between its two predecessors in quality. The general
palette remains the same, Giacchino's recordings lacking vivaciousness
and often struggling to enunciate themes in ways that make them
impactful. What nuance that does exist in
Spider-Man: No Way Home
has eluded some viewers because of the underemphasized mix of the score
in context. When separated from the picture, the composer's trademarks
are all in action here: solo piano for sensitivity, conservative choral
applications for fantasy, and a touch of electric bass and other
synthetic elements for coolness. The biggest change in the equation
instrumentally is the carryover of the processed East Indian tones for
Doctor Strange, though these influences are seemingly downplayed given
the character's secondary role in this story. The symphonic presence in
the work is extremely standard for Giacchino, which gives it a safe but
rather generic tone that reinforces the composer as a prudent choice in
the genre. The word "generic" is key, because it also extends to the
phrasing of the composer's themes. Throughout the score, the structuring
of his new themes is not always satisfactorily pronounced, causing the
listener to think that a theme is constantly being hinted without
actually being stated. Giacchino extends his tendency to use repeating
phrasing in his themes while altering the chords underneath, and some of
the new melodies build upon the same chord shifts as his main theme as a
means, it seems, of keenly blending purpose. There may be intellectual
merit behind these choices, but the end result for some listeners will
be a set of themes that doesn't distinguish itself and therefore fails
to stir memorable emotions. The primary reason
Spider-Man: Far From
Home remains superior in this trilogy of scores is because of
Giacchino's rousing identity for Mysterio. No equivalent identity
lingers in your mind from
Spider-Man: No Way Home even though
three new major themes are introduced.
Giacchino is due some credit for his juggling of his
previous identities for this franchise and the three new themes. But, at
the end of the day, it's hard not to get the feeling that many
opportunities were lost in both the spotting and execution of the score.
Some of this dissatisfaction may result from an album presentation that
is missing key development of the new themes and references to old
favorites. But the composer does not rise to the challenge of
interpolating all of these ideas into the fantastic and, frankly,
evolved and resolved potential experienced by the characters the themes
represent. Simply repeating a phrase or two from a previous franchise
theme is a really good start, but it doesn't mean squat if that
reference has no more than the feel of a token insertion to check a box
on the list. The main franchise theme consists of three segments, and
only the primary segment receives considerable development in
Spider-Man: No Way Home. Giacchino throws in a brief reference to
Mysterio's theme, which is great, but the application of the MJ love
theme in this work is sorely lacking, restricted to only one prominent
performance. The Doctor Strange theme is all over the score but rarely
follows the full breadth of the actual identity. Danny Elfman's music
for the Tobey Maguire trilogy here includes the two primary themes for
Peter Parker and those for the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus. The pair
of Andrew Garfield films is represented by James Horner's theme for
Parker, which was inexplicably and inexcusably jettisoned by Hans Zimmer
for the second Garfield film. Zimmer's theme for Electro is seemingly
tracked into
Spider-Man: No Way Home without formal
interpolation. The Horner theme for the Lizard and Christopher Young's
theme for Sandman were not referenced by Giacchino, the latter a
particularly disappointing omission. These characters are more generally
represented by the composer's new theme for the combined villains of
this story, one that understandably builds upon some of the structural
elements of Elfman's Doctor Octopus theme given that character's
outsized involvement in this story. Joining that identity is a new theme
of lamentation that serves as Giacchino's answer to Elfman's family and
responsibility theme. Finally, an intriguing restoration theme rounds
out Giacchino's score, applying itself to a hopeful resolution and
providing the score's most significant fantasy presence.
Enthusiasts of Giacchino's main theme will appreciate how
often it is conveyed in this score, though the second and third segments
of the theme, in some ways its most attractive portions, are rarely
accessed. Just as the composer has difficulty conveying the fuller ideas
by Elfman and Horner, he struggles to afford longer, meaningful
development to his own. The main theme debuts at 0:08 into "Damage
Control," its underlying chords continuing for much of the cue. Pieces
of it are entangled at 2:36, 3:28, and 3:40 into "Otto Trouble." A quick
heroic burst finally prevails at 2:08 into "Ghost Fighter in the
Sky/Beach Blanket Bro Down," and brief snippets aid the action rhythms
at 0:19 into "Sling vs Bling," after which a fuller rendition at 1:32
fights for survival but accedes to a fragment at 2:34. Later in that
cue, the main theme overlays the Doctor Strange theme at 2:34 and
emerges on its own at 4:08 and 4:34 with choir. It's softly noble to
close out "Octo Gone" and is again relegated to action fragments at 2:36
into "No Good Deed." The second segment of the theme finally appears in
the solo cello performance at 1:02 into "A Doom With a View," and a
slight reference persists at 1:25 into "Spider Baiting." The closing
action scenes do offer the theme some breathing room, fragments on
woodwinds at 0:25 into "Liberty Parlance" building up to action that
culminates in a major choral and brass rendition at 1:02. It toils with
battle rhythms at 1:01 into "Monster Smash" and closes "Arc Reactor" in
the same stance. Horns and soft choir carry the theme more softly at
2:24 into "Shield of Pain," a single phrase on flute persisting at 3:36
into "Goblin His Inner Demons." This diminished posture continues on
solo piano at the outset of "Forget Me Knots" and extends out of the
Doctor Strange theme at 1:45; an epically sized, slow version at 5:47
eventually succumbs again to a solo piano reduction to end the cue. The
main theme opens "Peter Parker Picked a Perilously Precarious
Profession" on solo piano again before another major choral version
sends the story off, this time with more female voices in the mix, at
1:06. The first two minutes of the "Arachnoverture" end credits suite
are dedicated to the main theme, and it is only here that all three
segments of the theme receive due attention. After rotating through the
other themes, Giacchino returns to all three segments at 7:20, this time
at a faster pace and with choir. Hidden at the end of this album track
at 9:32 is the obnoxious version of the theme with rock-like Doctor
Strange instrumentation for the humorous Undercroft scene, and it should
be placed before "Ghost Fighter in the Sky."
Aside from Giacchino's main theme, the only identities
from this franchise to return in
Spider-Man: No Way Home are the
MJ love theme and Mysterio's theme. The former is badly underutilized in
this picture, conveyed only during the entirety of "Being a Spider
Bites" on piano in very slight form and totally lacking gravity. This
idea is supplanted by the family/responsibility theme in later
conversational scenes. The brief statement for Mysterio at 1:21 into
"Damage Control" on brass over groovy rhythms and guitars is a reminder
of better musical times for this franchise, but kudos to Giacchino for
tossing it in there. Of the three new themes for this film, the one for
the villains stumbles in its attempts to define itself. A stomping
series of downward phrases, this idea shares some phrasing and pacing
with Elfman's Doctor Octopus theme. Its first four notes repeat several
times at 0:40 into "Otto Trouble," and the theme takes on the Doctor
Strange instrumentation while it stews during the villains' confinement
in most of "Strange Bedfellows." That style persists with electric bass
as the theme meanders through the opening of "Octo Gone" but turns more
romantic and hopeful as Octavius is given new life. At 0:56 into "No
Good Deed," the villains' theme consolidates into stomping action mode
with organ and choral power, and Giacchino announces their arrival with
a fanfare at 1:16 into "Liberty Parlance." Hints persist early in
"Monster Smash," a brief phrase recurs at 0:52 into "Arc Reactor," and
the theme extends out of the Doctor Strange identity for a huge choral
crescendo at 4:33 into "Shield of Pain." The theme oozes from Green
Goblin fragments for choral menace at 1:00 into "Goblin His Inner
Demons." The villains' theme's presence in the "Arachnoverture" suite
arrives at 2:32, though it starts from a poor transition out of the main
theme into an eerie synth version that is slow and inert. Better
structural connections with the main theme are revealed at 3:37 into the
suite, and Giacchino offers it a massive choral passage at 4:04 that
makes one wonder if he was alluding to the adaptation of Christopher
Young's
Hellraiser material for Doc Ock in the second film of the
original franchise. The composer's restoration theme in
Spider-Man:
No Way Home is the best of the new ideas, its resolution following
the same chords as the main theme. A solo synth performance at 0:20 into
"Spider Baiting" yields to a string version, and the full ensemble
handles the theme at 2:00 into "Arc Reactor." It shifts into major
fantasy mode in the crescendo at 3:42 into "Shield of Pain," enjoys
pleasant choral and string shades at 2:58 into "Goblin His Inner
Demons," and is used briefly in accelerated form at 7:01 into
"Arachnoverture."
The final new theme in
Spider-Man: No Way Home
is necessitated by the franchise's pointless need to kill off a major
supporting character and treat this scene and its ramifications with a
musical identity for lament that doubles as Giacchino's equivalent of
Elfman's family and responsibility theme. It's a nicely touching theme,
but its performances fail to provide any emotional power. The composer
is really hit-or-miss with these themes of introspection, and this one
is merely average at its task. Yet another Giacchino theme with
repeating phrases over different underlying chords, this one moves in
static fashion with no secondary phrase to swell into. Those chords
alone occupy much of "Gone in a Flash" before the actual melody is
driven by solo piano during all of "Exit Through the Lobby" and the
opening of "A Doom With a View," the latter joined by light strings. It
returns after the climax at 2:57 into "Forget Me Knots" on solo piano
with light synthetics on top; it's a bit underplayed in this cue until
finally a full choral performance with the ensemble carries the idea at
4:35. The lamentation theme is featured on solo cello at 4:21 into
"Arachnoverture" before building to a large choral rendition for that
suite. As for the pre-existing themes from other composers, only the
work of Elfman and Horner is explicitly referenced, and the latter is in
more casual passing. The Electro theme by Hans Zimmer from by far the
worst score in any of these
Spider-Man franchises,
The Amazing
Spider-Man 2, is likely tracked in for only a scant handful of
seconds and would appear in between the "Ghost Fighter in the Sky/Beach
Blanket Bro Down" cues combined on album. The Doctor Octopus theme by
Elfman can be a little deceptive in
Spider-Man: No Way Home, as
it seemingly shares progressions with Giacchino's own villain theme.
Some casual listeners also forget that the monumental horror-inspired
material in
Spider-Man 2 was technically not the character's main
theme, and Elfman's identity has been somewhat marginalized over the
years by comparison to the more glamourous replacement music in that
film by Young. Here, Elfman's theme opens "Otto Trouble" on tortured
strings, with one phrase returning at 2:42. At 3:54 in that cue, a more
pronounced rendition of the first four notes exert brass force. The
theme figures only very faintly at 2:23 into "Octo Gone," is afforded a
brief brass burst at 0:05 into "No Good Deed," and concludes its
presence with a single phrase at 1:46 into "Arc Reactor." All but one
performance of this theme is presented on the album, though the two
major Doc Ock tracks on the product are actually a combination of five
or six separate cues.
Utilized just as frequently in
Spider-Man: No Way
Home as Elfman's Doc Ock theme is his earlier, sinister identity for
the Green Goblin. The production's inability to avoid the allure of
Willem Dafoe causes the Norman Osborn character to play a bigger role
here, and Giacchino inserts his theme into at least five cues in this
score. Sadly, though, the majority of these placements are not provided
on the album release. It opens "Arc Reactor" with only one phrase, but
its placement there is a bit odd given the narrative at that moment on
screen. It's also very faint under brooding atmosphere at 0:20 into
"Goblin His Inner Demons." The more prominent references remain
unreleased. For the two alternate Peter Parkers, the Maguire version
receives more musical respect than the Garfield one. For Maguire's
Parker, Giacchino uses Elfman's primary and secondary themes, though
only one outright light, affable phrase of the family and responsibility
theme is heard on album at 1:50 into "Shield of Pain." Four notes of
this same idea seem to mingle with Giacchino's lamentation theme at 5:12
into "Forget Me Knots" as well. The Horner theme from
The Amazing
Spider-Man is provided one solemn but pretty statement at 1:11 into
"Shield of Pain." Given the screen time for the other two Parkers, the
relative absence of the Horner and Elfman identities disappoints, and
the enunciation of the returning villains' themes frustrates. It's great
that the composer accessed these themes for
Spider-Man: No Way
Home, but their handling isn't spectacular, and some viewers may
even miss them in the film. If a score wishes to truly embrace this
strategy and the film is intent upon reconciling some major character
relationships from those earlier franchises, then they needed more than
what sounds like token placements. Even Giacchino's own returning ideas
are muted, his opening logos theme slowed down and the MJ theme confined
to the one cue. The Doctor Strange theme applications are decent but
underwhelming, hinted in the drama at 1:36 into "Gone in a Flash" and
stewing in ambience throughout "All Spell Breaks Loose" until its formal
statement at 2:16. Its first phrase is repeated several times after 0:26
into "Sling vs Bling," extended at 0:52, more prominent on brass at 1:58
and 2:20, and manipulated into action at 2:57 before reasserting itself
at 4:18. Single phrases return at 0:10, 2:14, and with greater emphasis
at 4:29 into "Shield of Pain," turning melodramatic on strings at 1:08
into "Forget Me Knots." Like everything else in the score for
Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Doctor Strange material fails to
really connect, the overall product of sufficient volume but lacking in
character. Opaque new themes, a disengaged mix, and the incomplete album
negate a few epic choral highlights in this missed opportunity.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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| Bias Check: |
For Michael Giacchino reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.46
(in 43 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.21
(in 22,573 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes a list of performers but no extra information about the score or film.
