Damon Intrabartolo Album Review:
A Grand Return at 2006-07-25
Finally John Ottman has written a score worthy of much praise and adulation, and not just because He used some of Williams themes either!After the good but forgettable X2 and the rather weak Fantastic Four, I was worried about how his take on Superman would be. There was no need to worry. I actually think this CD improves on what John Williams did in the original soundtrack!Blasphemy? Maybe.Right off, Ottman gives us a slightly more intense rendition of the classic Superman Theme. I have felt lately that the Superman theme hasnt aged particularly well, but Ottman was able to modernize it without changing a note. Bravo! Then he pulls out a surprising and attention-grabbing rendition of the Kent family theme that is also top-notch. The way he inserts the love theme into his new Lois theme is also very impressive.His new material, like the Lois Theme, is very memorable. I liked the fact that Lex Luthor finally got a nice and nasty motif, even though I have a soft spot for March of the Villains from the original.I dont know if this was on purpose or not, but I enjoyed the Goldsmithian rhythms in track 5, the Bank Job, which my Dad pointed out as sounding similar to Capricorn One, and I also really like track 9, Not like the Train Set, which seems to borrow from Danny Elfmans Hulk Theme.With this CD, Ottman has finally been able to add a worthwhile addition to all the great Comic Book Soundtracks. Again, BRAVO!
Damon Intrabartolo Album Review:
Look up, its Williams! Its Ottman! No, its Superman Returns! at 2006-07-31
To be honest, Ive never regarded John Ottman as a composer who could tackle such a project, but hey, its Superman, and I would be more than glad to discard my doubts about him. So, I approached Superman Returns with every bit of enthusiasm I could summon, but it didnt completely convince me.John Ottman himself said numerous times that his score was bound to fail because it will always be compared to John Williams effort, so he just did the best he could. The album starts with the Main Title March that we all learned to love over the passing years. It has been cut down to its most basic form, but it is still as powerful as ever.The rest of the score uses Williams material, the love theme, Kryptons theme and the march, quite frequently, sometimes in full form, sometimes in fragments.This move by the director and Ottman himself is highly welcome and very appropriate, and sometimes the integration into the score is quite exquisite, like in Memories, but in the end the flawed moments outweight the bright ones. Often, Williams march, although different in orchestration, sounds like just thrown in. The truth is, the marriage between Ottmans and Williams styles doesnt go very well. John Ottman is a huge Williams fan, so his intentions are undoubtly the best, but his skills simply dont match the level of perfection Williams themes suggest.When you hear Ottmans own theme, Supermans personal theme, heard in full form in Power Of The Sun, you quickly realise that without Williams, Superman Returns would be nothing.Lex Luthors new theme (Bank Job) is decent, but as far away from the 1978 original as Kevin Spacey is from Gene Hackman. This is indeed something you cant blame Ottman for because the movie is what it is, and although being a sequel, Returns completely neglects Hackmans Luthor.But the incoherence remains.Its hurts every cell in your brain when you hear the Superman march being abruptly cut off by choral noise (the technical terms are different of course, but noise describes it best).The clash of cultures is just too jarring. Maybe Ottman knew this and changed orchestration and harmonisation of the love theme (Can You Read My Mind?) significantly. I was so looking forward to it when I heard he was going to use it. Its amazing that modern composers can make even the most classic theme sound like run off the mill stuff. Change the chord progression to a simple I- IV- V, use lush strings, mid- range horns, and voila!Now, I could have made peace with the incoherence of the soundtrack, were it just a matter of bad editing, but there are no edits, this is the way its played in the film! These arent even scoring necessities anymore, when a composer has to cut short a thematic line to match the imagery, this is just guillotine writing, a couple of ideas glued together by Williams material!Plus, the score is very very badly spotted. Correct me if Im wrong, but dont film composers just long for scenes like the plane rescue or the flight sequence with Lois and Superman? Scenes in which they dont have to pay attention to the musical balance in order to not detract the audience from the film? These scenes must be heaven for a composer, especially when he can draw from such brilliant material; he can let the music take off.But Ottman isnt anywhere near that. Hes more focused on hitting sync points than the overall feel of the scenes or indeed musical coherence. Every time the music gains some decent rhythm and melody, its suddenly cut off. This is a general trend in film scoring lately, but its as bad for Superman Returns as it is for any other film. Of course the score has moments to cherish. The choral use is extremely good, and when done properly, the integration of Williams music is thrilling.Nevertheless, listening to Superman Returns makes you wonder whether Ottman compromised John Williams musical intentions for being allowed to use his music, or whether he just doesnt understand it.Either way, the result is anything but perfect, and in retrospect, I wouldnt buy the score because of John Ottman. I listen to it from time to time because its simply good to hear John Williams getting a new twist here and there, and thats how you should shift your own expectations.I give 3 stars instead of 2 because John Ottman has his heart in the right place, although his skills arent developed enough to translate his ideas into music.
Damon Intrabartolo Album Review:
Too little music, but great extras... at 2006-07-29
Well done of John Ottman, who found a good balance between using the majestic greatness of the John Williams music and his own new themes and ideas.About the CD: because he is enhanced and therefor contains 4 mov-files, there was not enough space left on the CD for the music. For example: I miss the music played when Superman gets out of the plane he just rescued and is being welcomed back and cheered by the people around. In fact, when a customer buys a MUSIC-CD, he expects AUDIO and not VIDEO. Allthough the Behind the scenes: Superman Returns Score is very very good, (almost got a heart-attack seeing and hearing it for the first time) it should be on the DVD (on which there is a lot more space) who is yet to come soon, and not on this CD.Finally, the Look up in the Sky is in fact free publicity for an other feature we can buy. And the two trailers are legaly available on the internet.So because of al this extra video-material, there is not enough space on the CD for the soundtrack.Nowing the marchandise, we may soon be expecting a double-CD with the whole soundtrack, so as they did with Moulin Rouge.*GSX july 2006*
Damon Intrabartolo Album Review:
A great score for a great movie at 2006-07-24
Like hundreds of other comic book fans worldwide I was eager to watch SUPERMAN RETURNS on the theater. The very same feeling I also had about its music score, considering maestros John Williams masterpiece recorded for Richard Donners 1978 blockbuster starring the late Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman and Margot Kidder. Well, may I say the waiting has worthed. Bryan Singer does a terrific job revisiting the original 1978 movie and John Ottman brings out a refreshing and vibrant score that pays a beautiful tribute to John Williams work. Ive just listened to the new score again, this time on the CD, and I cant stop repeating it over and over again on my player. I recomend this score to any true fan of the movie and the character. The Man of Steel is really back, folks. You can bet.
Damon Intrabartolo Album Review:
no symphonic work in old tradition, but fresh ideas at 2006-07-20
Firstly, excuse me for my bad english. I am no native speaker.Secondly, I did not see the movie so far.Thirdly, I was never really impressed by John Ottman. So I was expecting with some doubts, what the new superman score would sound like. I was not insisting on John Williams doing the score. Let there be no mistake, I love his music. But a new superman score would have been very predictable, I suppose.Ottman succesfully delivers a fresh music for the man of steel, with a lot of good ideas and moments.What this recording lacks, is a sinfonic treatment in a traditional way. There is no End Title Suite, which was a trademark of John Williams; maybe because of studio politics. But this is really disappointing. The same is true for the Lord of the Rings scores, which I admire. But you ask yourself, is Howard Shore and John Ottman and so many others not able to write a symphonic piece of music? Or they simply dont want do?The length of the CD is way to short. In a year there will most likely the Deluxe Edition with a lot more music, and in two years there will be the ultimate edition with all of the music. Anyway, I hope there are a lot more good moments in the score which are not on the CD.John Ottmans uses the Love Theme and the the theme for Luthor in somewhat incomplete ways. In the cause of the Love Theme this might make sense, because the listener is already familiar with the theme, and in the movie the relation Supe/Lois is obviously also far from perfect. But listening to the soundtrack, the incomplete quotes which form no entire theme sound clumsy.With Luthors theme, it is the same. Unfortunately, you dont know what exactly the luthor theme is. There is actually just a phrase appearing sometimes starting with a declining chord.Concerning the material for the man of steel himself and smallville, Ottmans use is sometimes very imaginative, but very good moments are unfortunately not developed further (probably in demand of the needs on screen).I wished for some more contrapunctial work on the fanfare (like Williams fantastic cue which underscores the Air Force One rescue in the original movie) and less of simply quoting the fanfare, and that some promising beginnings would go much longer and would be elaborated further.I read that the conductor of the score arranged a concert suite from which was performed at the Hollywood Bowl. Maybe this is much more symphonic. Hopefully, there will be a recording sometime.If you are a fan of the old score, of the old movie, of superman, of John Ottman, buy it definitely.If you are not, think twice.


Damon Intrabartolo Album Editorial:
Stunning original score for the hotly anticipated Warner Bros. Pictures epic feature film Superman Returns.


Damon Intrabartolo Album Editorial:
John Williamss theme for 1978s iSuperman remains one of the most famous of the 70s so its both obvious and a little weird that it would feature so prominently in the score for iSuperman Returns: Why would director Bryan Singer and composer John Ottman so willfully compare themselves to the earlier movie? Not only does a turbocharged version of Williamss theme (Main Titles) open the album but the Behind the Scenes: Superman Returns Score featurette thats part of the CDs bonus enhanced section is all about the orchestra performing the 1978 theme. Ottmans own work thus has to unfold in the shadow projected by Williams which is a bit unfair since while the new score isnt revolutionary it delivers all the pomp triumph and vaguely atmospheric choirs that are now de rigueur in Hollywood action films. Ottman of course is used to dealing with superheroes (he wrote the scores for i X2: X-Men United and i Fantastic Four ) but this time around hes had to reflect the essentially noble nature of his main character and so hes come up with themes that reveal even more pomp pathos and atmospheric choirs than before. Its not what youd call subtle but it does the job. Elisabeth Vincentelli