Hans Zimmer is a really big name in movies right now. He's produced scores most recently for Christopher Nolan's Inception and also Nolan's Batman trilogy. He's also doing the music for Nolan's new Superman movie, Man of Steel. According to Wikipedia, Zimmer has been doing music for movies since 1987--which is a long time. He's earned a lot of awards and everyone seems to love him. Everyone except for a small, vocal group of critics who aren't fans of his recent works.
Their complaints are these: "All his music sounds the same, and it lacks musical originality." Now, in some areas, they have valid points. Zimmer's most recent scores, which are very popular right now, have similar structures and mainly follow basic four-chord progressions. Another criticism is more specific: "Zimmer's Batman scores lack a superhero theme." They also have a valid point here. One can hum a tune and think of Adam West. There is no tune one can hum to evoke the image of Christian Bale in the Batmobile.
I would like to refute some of these criticisms. First, those who say that Zimmer's music sounds the same in every movie would do well to remember that Zimmer's portfolio is not limited to Sherlock Holmes, Inception, and Batman. Zimmer also wrote the scores for Gladiator, The Last Samurai, The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and The Prince of Egypt. Inception and Batman sound similar--nobody can deny that. However, this sound seems to be a very recent trend in Zimmer's work and we should not assume that his future work will also sound similar.
I would present the same argument to those who say Zimmer's work is musically uninteresting. In recent times, his scores do seem to be based on a common four-chord progression, but with such diversity in Zimmer's musical history, we should be cautious in thinking that Zimmer is incapable of producing a technically interesting score. (Because it's not true.)
With the third criticism mentioned I absolutely agree. Zimmer certainly didn't use any variation of "Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na BATMAN!", even subtly, in his work for Nolan's trilogy. However, I don't think it's a problem that there's no recognizable superhero theme in the score. In fact, I think it's a good thing. Nolan's trilogy is nothing like the classic superhero movies and TV shows. It's realistic (to a degree) and modern. There are no purple tights in this movie. Batman is not portrayed as a superhero, and so he doesn't need a superhero theme song to play every time he appears on screen in his utility belt. Zimmer's score emphasized the fact that the movies were not supposed to be classic superhero movies.
After defending Zimmer so vigorously, I ought to say that I agree, to some extent, with the first two points raised against Zimmer. In recent works, he has lacked some of the originality that made the music of his early movies so fresh and exciting. I do also notice, as a musician listening to the scores of Inception and Batman, that he relies heavily in both on predictable chord patterns, and even perhaps tries to cover it up with a loud bass line. However, while taking a step back to acknowledge Zimmer's recent shortcomings, I still harbor a deep love for his music. Perhaps it makes me pedestrian, uncultured, mainstream, or unappreciative of "better" music, but even Zimmer's recent work elicits great emotion and appreciation in me.
I hope that Zimmer's future scores return to the glory and perfection of his early work. He's the only reason I will watch Man of Steel when it comes out. I have confidence that he's capable of the same greatness that made him famous. But I will still love his current music, flaws and all, and my inner music snob can take a holiday if it doesn't like that.
So there's my schpiel on Hans Zimmer. I thought I might as well post it since nobody reads this anyway and I had to get it out of my system. Much love.
ZB
