Music Composed by John Ottman
Rating: ** 1/2

So, Superman has returned. Neat. His first appearance in 1979 was all that was really needed. Richard Donner’s original still stands as the definitive film version of Superman… (as was his original version of The Omen the definitive version of THAT franchise.) New Superman Brandon Routh does a nice Christopher Reeve impersonation, and Kevin Spacey is a believable Lex Luthor, but it all still doesn’t add up to much. This is mostly the fault of Bryan Singer and his team creating a film that has little excitement and suspense despite some nice special effects, and try as it might (with a cute Super-son), can’t create any sort of emotional involvement for the viewer. As a kid, I was much more upset about Lois Lane “dying” in the original and was slightly startled at Superman’s grief and rage upon discovering her body. Now, as an adult, in the new version, I couldn’t have cared less what happened to her. “Eh… let her drown. Oh wait. Here comes Superman. Yay.”

John Ottman

But I digress. So upon Bryan Singer getting the Superman Returns gig (after about a dozen other directors), it was pretty apparent who was going to be scoring it. Kudos to Singer for being loyal to his editor/composer John Ottman and not hiring John Williams to write a new Superman score. Of course I would’ve loved to hear Williams’ take on his classic score nearly 30 years later, but loyalty in Hollywood is a rare thing and should be respected. And like Marco Beltrami and the remake of The Omen this year, John Ottman shouldn’t be taken to task for the insane tightrope act he had to perform with this score. Use the Williams themes, but don’t use them too much. Make it sound like Superman, but don’t sound like you’re just copying Williams. Write a new theme or two, update the sound of the original… the list goes on and on with conflicting demands.

The final score, unfortunately, is a mixed bag. Ottman takes quite liberally from John Williams’ original, often using complete passages of the score, or taking themes and changing them in new ways… which isn’t exactly a good thing. Harmonically or melodically changing themes that were perfect to begin with is like putting old wine in a new bottle… a really weird looking bottle. The main theme, fanfare, Kent family theme, Krypton theme, and “Can You Read My Mind” all make appearances, but often are changed ever-so-slightly. The titles, incidentally are exactly the same as the original… except with an oddly altered final chord.

Ottman also doesn’t fare much better with his own themes, which may have worked better in another film. Compared to Williams’ Superman theme, his own stoic, scalar-moving Superman theme seems so blasé and uninteresting (I’m not making a joke when I say that most 3 year olds compose that theme when they play around with a piano for the first time)… although Ottman does try to get as much mileage out of it as possible. The Lex Luthor motive fares a little better, and is probably a better choice than Williams’ comedic “March of the Villains” but again, is only six notes, compared to the memorable melody Williams created.

Ottman also has problems with the action. The action cues like “Rough Flight” are so choppy that they are quite difficult to get into. If only the cues were more cohesive and hit all the right buttons at the right time. But instead the music just seems so through-composed moving from idea to idea to idea with no looking back.

Ok, so enough of the criticism. There are some cues that actually are pretty good. The standout track, for me, is “How Could You Leave Us?” which accompanies the Lois and Superman flying sequence. Ottman seems better with softer, more delicate moments, and the string writing and choir is well-done, and works well in the film (and on album).

Also, Ottman has a little fun with the Lex Luthor material which definitely has its own identity… with lots of low strings, percussion, and piano and is almost exclusively in 7/8- which makes these sections of the score somewhat more interesting (rhythmically at least) than the rest of it.

In the end, though, Superman Returns doesn’t quite have the kick of other superhero films (like John Powell’s X3), and the inclusion of Williams’ material only makes its flaws even more apparent. There’s a big orchestra and choir employed throughout, but it all just feels so unfocused, and like the film itself, uninspired.

Music Composed and Produced by John Ottman; Orchestrated by John Ottman, Damon Intrabartolo, Rick Giovinazzo, Frank Macchia, Lior Rosner, Kevin Kleisch, John Ashton Thomas and Jeff Schindler; Conducted by Damon Intrabartolo; Recorded and Mixed by Casey Stone; Label: Rhino Records (R2 77654); Availability: In-print; U.S. Release Date: June 27, 2006.

iTunes

01. Main Titles (3′48)
02. Memories (3′05)
03. Rough Flight (5′11)
04. Little Secrets/ Power of the Sun (2′47)
05. Bank Job (2′19)
06. How Could You Leave Us? (5′47)
07. Tell Me Everything (3′11)
08. You’re Not One of Them (2′20)
09. Not Like the Train Set (5′10)
10. So Long Superman (5′29)
11. The People You Care For (3′25)
12. I Wanted You to Know (2′54)
13. Saving the World (3′10)
14. In the Hands of Mortals (2′09)
15. Reprise/ Fly Away (4′16)
Features themes by John Williams

Total Playing Time: 55′01