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Superman Returns
Composed by John Ottman
Rhino Records (2006)
Rating:
8/10
 
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Audio Clips below from Amazon.com
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“SUPERMAN RETURNS has some of the
depth and intricacy of SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE, and while it doesn't
quite measure up to Williams' musical Americana, Ottman's score will stand,
at the end of 2006,
as one the year's best. ”
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Superman Lives!
Review by Christopher
Coleman
Some said it couldn't
be done, but Alexander Salkind
and company produced
and released what
became the standard
for live-action,
superhero-feature
films, SUPERMAN: THE
MOVIE, in 1978.
One successful and two
horrendous sequels
later, the franchise
had well worn out its
welcome...for that
generation.
Relegated back to the
small screen, and in
animated form,
Superman seemed to
have found a place to
prosper in the new
millennium. But
how could such a
superhero remain so
contained?
Enter a young,
visionary director,
Bryan Singer and an actor no one
had ever seen before...
at least not in the sky, ahead of a
bullet or above any
tall building,
actor Brandon Routh.
To complete the
trifecta, Singer's
long time
collaborator, composer
JOHN OTTMAN, comes
along to attempt
the nearly impossible
- successfully returning
the Superman franchise
to the big screen.
In this case, success
would mean
keeping fans of the Donner
films happy, while
also making it
palatable for the
action-bloated,
over-stimulated,
audiences of today.
Being well aware of
the inevitable
comparisons to its
predecessors, and
being fans of Donner's
films and Williams'
scores themselves,
Bryan Singer and JOHN
OTTMAN were smart
enough to realize this
and ensured that due homage would
be paid. For anyone
old enough to have
seen SUPERMAN and even
SUPERMAN II on the big
screen, this homage is
a welcome delight. The
opening credits
maintain the
stylistic-flare of Donner films.
Glimpses of
Christopher Reeve's
portrayal of Clark
Kent can be clearly
seen in Routh's
performance.
The Kent's Kansas
homestead is
faithfully recreated.
Superman's flying
mannerisms have been
passed on from Reeves
to Routh...and then
there's John Williams'
unforgettable themes.
The score is, as one
would anticipate,
built upon the most
recognizable Superman-themes from
John Williams.
However, there is
quite a bit of score
that originates purely
from the mind of
Ottman. The end
result is, while not
totally seamless, a
whale of a theatrical
ride and, at the
least, an intriguing
CD experience.
Kudos must be given to
JOHN OTTMAN for
dancing the finest of
lines between fidelity
and innovation.
John Ottoman's SUPERMAN
RETURNS offers the heroic SUPERMAN
fanfare and theme that
so many have come to
know and love.
Enticing little
glimpses of the Smallville/Kent
theme can heard once
or twice, but most
dramatically in
"Memories" (track 2).
Even the Krypton theme
makes an appearance in
"How could you leave
us?" (Track 6).
This is certainly one
of the most emotional
tracks on the CD and
is a subtle tapestry lightly
featuring Williams' Krypton theme and love
theme, "Can you read
my mind?"
What can easily get
lost in the hunt for
Williams-quotes is
John Ottman's own
original work.
Gone is Wiliiams'
comedic-villain theme
and instead Ottman
delivers a much more
threatening,
percussive piece
representing Mr. Lex
Luther and his new
group of bumbling
cronies. A new
introspective theme,
found in tracks such
as "You're Not One of
Them" (track 8) and
"So Long Superman"
(track 10), is
introduced and, while
it takes a number of
listens, is truly a
stand-out piece by
Ottman. His action
sequences can be a bit
schizophrenic and
certainly not akin to
the Williams of old,
but work well within
the context of the
film. Of course,
after viewing the
film, these tracks
fair better by listening
to them on CD.
For those well
acquainted with John
Williams masterwork
for SUPERMAN, John Ottman's
SUPERMAN RETURN might
not, at first, satisfy
nor live up
to high standard set
decades ago.
What fans may
find is that with some
patience and
successive listens
(and of course viewing
of the film) that this
latest offering of
SUPERMAN is quite the entertaining listen in
its own right.
SUPERMAN RETURNS has
the depth and
intricacy of SUPERMAN:
THE MOVIE, and
while it doesn't quite
measure up to
Williams' musical Americana, Ottman's score will likely
stand at the end of
2006, as one the
year's best.
Rating:
8/10
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Bonus Enhanced
Content:
1. Superman Returns -
Trailer 1
2. Superman Returns -
Trailer 2
3. Behind the Scenes:
Superman Returns Score
4. Look Up in the Sky:
Amazing Story of
Superman (Trailer)
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Track |
Track Title |
Track Time |
Rating |
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1 |
Main Titles |
3:47 |
**** |
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2 |
Memories |
3:05 |
**** |
|
3 |
Rough
Flight |
5:11 |
*** |
|
4 |
Little
Secrets/Power
of
the
Sun |
2:47 |
**** |
|
5 |
Bank
Job |
2:19 |
*** |
| 6 |
How Could You Leave Us? |
5:47 |
**** |
| 7 |
Tell Me Everything |
3:11 |
*** |
| 8 |
You're Not One of Them |
2:20 |
**** |
| 9 |
Not Like the Train Set |
5:20 |
**** |
| 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 |
4:15 |
**** |
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Total Running Time |
55:08 |
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