'Superman Returns' composed by John Ottman

Let me preface this review by saying that I am a big fan of John Williams original 'Superman' score and of John Ottman's previous efforts.

For those that do not know, Bryan Singer (the film's director) and John Ottman (the film's editor & composer) decided to mine John Williams' original themes to help establish ties to the original films (at leaset the first two). This score walks a fine line: adhere too close to the original and fans will say it's just a copy. Change too much and fans will be up in arms at the radical departure. I applaud John Ottman for finding and maintaining that delicate middle ground.

Ok, where to begin? Listening to the 'Main Title' reminds me of listening to Eric Kunzel conduct the Cinncinati Pops Orchestra through Hollywood's greatest hits. That's not a bad thing; Eric Kunzel does great work. However, the arrangement is almost identical to the original concert version (actually it combines elements from several versions but mostly the concert version). It sounds great, but I find myself asking "why"? As I said before, the filmmakers are deliberetly tying this movie to the original; I get that. But it still comes across as very 'concert in the park'.

Several of JW's themes make an apperance throughout; the 'main title march', the 'love theme/Can You Read My Mind' (thankfully, no dramatic reading of the lyrics), the 'Krypton theme' and even a variation of the 'growing up' music. After all of that I have to ask "no 'March of the Villians'"? I know that piece is written as comedic but I think it could easily be manipulated to suit the Lex Luthor of the new millennium.

Track 5 - 'Bank Job' has bongos in it that reminded me of Danny Elfman. Also, there's some choir work later in the score that reminded me of 'Edward Scissorhands' also Elfman.

About halfway through track 11 'The People You Care For', there is a stacatto piano that reminded me of Jerry Goldsmith's 'Planet Of The Apes' ('The Hunt' - great track!).

Not everything reminds me of something else; I think that Ottman's contibutions are fantastic. This might just be his most "hopefull" score yet and his action music is dynamic and exciting. I did however find myself waiting to catch the next borrowed theme, which I feel kept me from being able to completely immerse myself in Ottman's work. My hope is that with time I will be able to see past the recycled music to hear and appreciate the new material.

Listening to 'Superman Returns', I found myself continually being drawn back to 1978 through the use of the original themes. Perhaps because of my long-standing love of the original film and music, I kept being pulled out of the listening experience and transported back 28 years. Has this happened to anyone else? I doubt this was part of the filmmaker's intentions. Also, I'd be interested in hearing the perspective of someone who is not as attached to the original or has never heard or seen it at all. Does some of the music in 'Returns' sound "old"? Even though they are modern recordings, the writing, arranging and orchestrating styles and senseablilities of 30 years ago are somewhat different than today. Could a younger person tell the difference? Ponder that and drop me a comment or email.

Overall I like the score a lot, but I need more time to sort out how I "feel" about some of the elements borrowed or new. At any rate, this album just goes one step further in defining John Ottman's place in modern film music.

See you in the theater...