World of Hans Zimmer

Instead of paying homage to John Williams' celebrated score for Richard Donner's 1978 Superman film, as composer John Ottman did with Bryan Singer's 2006 reboot Superman Returns, Hans Zimmer has crafted an entirely new set of themes for Man of Steel, director Zack Snyder's 2013 re-reboot of the franchise. Closer in tone to the composer's work on Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, the 15-track Man of Steel is grittier and darker than any of its predecessors, due in large part to Zimmer's proclivity for non-stop, thunderous percussion, though it retains enough goose bump-inducing moments to be called a proper Superman score, especially on the elegiac "Look to the Stars" and its soaring counterpart (pun intended) "What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World?," both of which dutifully reflect the iconic superhero's propensity for both goodness and might. A Limited-Edition Deluxe version added bonus tracks.

Hans Zimmer delivers a bright and impeccable score on The Power of One, drawing from traditional hymnals and incorporating the Bulawayo church choir against lush orchestral drumming backdrops. The film, directed by John Avildsen (Rocky and The Karate Kid) centers around the director's favorite theme of one young man who defeats great odds to become a hero. The Power of One, which was no box office hit like Avildsen's previous films, is a more ambitious film. It is more ambitious not because it was filmed in Zimbabwe, but because it deals with the events surrounding World War II, neo-Nazis, and apartheid. Lebo M, who worked with Zimmer on The Lion King soundtrack, wrote the lyrics, of which none are in English. Listening to the power of this music reminds us that there was a lot more to the soundtrack of The Lion King than Elton John and Tim Rice's pop songs…

Although Hans Zimmer receives nominal credit, Tears of the Sun is in fact a collaborative effort featuring contributions from the composer's Media Ventures colleagues including Lebo M., Steve Jablonsky, and Heitor Pereira - the end result channels some unexpected ethnic influences into an otherwise by the book war film score reliant more on its emotional scope than its action themes. While African percussion and chants enliven several cues, Tears of the Sun is above all dominated by a palpable sense of melancholy - little here echoes the heroic, larger than life scale of war scores past, and all vestiges of patriotism are superseded by post-9/11 angst. It's certainly unexpected, especially given Zimmer's affection for bombast, but it works.

Chappie was bound to be something a little special since it is composer Hans Zimmer’s first all-electronic score in 25 years. He also had a little help with this, with additional music by Steve Mazzaro and Andrew Kawczynski. But how did it turn out? Chappie, being a film about a robot that can feel and think like a child can, is quite an interesting movie for anyone to score. It has to have somewhat of a child element, while still remaining robotic and ready for action and intensity.
The first track, “It’s a Dangerous City”, seems like it would fit perfectly, given the OST’s nature, into an action sequence of a new Tron film…