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Hans Zimmer: The Master of Hollywood Superheroes

Superhero movies are known for paying a lot of emphasis to the background score and the soundtracks to add that special touch of fantasy to the extraordinary visuals. We got exploring the sounds of three superhero movies including the yet to be released The Amazing Spiderman 2.

An early snap of the legend

The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean, Sherlock Holmes and Kung Fu Panda. What do all these films have in common? Despite the different kinds of genre and style ranging from animated, detective, action and comedy, they all have one common thread binding them; they all have the same music composer, Hans Zimmer. Zimmer has been at the forefront of Hollywood music production for decades now. With a prolific career spanning all styles of sound and all types of movies, he has established himself as one of the  biggest names in the “international soundtracks” scene.

A sub-genre he does quite well is the niche of superheroes. With an understanding of the emotive capabilities of a masked (or not) protector, Zimmer uses innovative tools and elemental concepts to bring a lush sound to these emotional moments. Having done several scores around the concept of superheroes, we have picked three cool ones for you to check out, including The Amazing Spiderman 2, which is still not out yet!

The Dark Knight

With The Dark Knight winning the Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media at the Oscars, director Christopher Nolan turned this trilogy around with some innovative sound selection vis a vis Hans Zimmer. Retaining certain orchestral elements from Tim Burton’s set of Batman films, this darker batch of tunes was composed by Zimmer and James Newton Howard (for the first two films). With a separate score for Heath Ledger’s Joker, Zimmer tries to imbibe the sound with a sense of anarchy and fairness through chance and chaos, as are the Joker’s principles. In terms of theme, the duality of Bruce Wayne/Batman is brought out beautifully, especially in the brass sections, which resonate at varying levels throughout the series. As he puts it, “When we did Batman Begins, we never thought we were going to spread two notes over three movies!”

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Man of Steel

The idea behind the trailer soundtrack is quite innovative. A troupe of 10-12 internationally renowned percussionists, all playing identical grooves with intensity, that somehow amounts to a sound bigger than all of them.  With drummers like Pharell Williams, Sheila E and Tool’s very own Danny Carey, Zimmer stands bang in the middle and elegantly orchestrates the group. As an audio narrative for Superman, the sound is deep, intense and emotionally arousing, constantly questioning his Earth/Krypton allegiances in a way that the dialogue can only reinforce. The tracks “Ideal of Hope” and “What Are You Going To Do When You Are Not Saving The World?” echo a vibe that hasn’t been heard in any Superman movie before, yet doesn’t seem out of place at all. Now, all is set to merge the two superheroes into one glorious film. With the script out for the new Batman and Superman movie, fans are eager for a glimpse into what the film may sound like. Read Zimmer’s thoughts on this Man of Steel sequel here.

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The Amazing Spiderman 2

True to the nature of the character, Spidey’s soundtrack has less ‘epic’ sounding grooves, and more teenage, fun loving sounds in it. As Zimmer explains, his relationship with Peter Parker is very different from that of Kal EL or Bruce Wayne. Having entered the project only in its second film, Zimmer has succeeded in creating a completely new association of sounds with Spiderman. A playful aspect of the score is prominent as Zimmer feels that a contemporary, young Peter Parker would be moved by a different kind of music than a Batman or Superman. With the scoring just about completed, fans can listen to a one minute snippet of what is thought to be Spiderman’s main theme. The groove is so different one can imagine how Zimmer rethought the entire “superhero” process before starting work. Featuring the likes of Pharell(Despicable Mehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSSUp-KNqPE), Michael Einziger of Incubus and Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, the soundtrack promises to be a winner. Read up on how Zimmer made the Spiderman score different here. Hear Zimmer speak on the themes behind the soundtrack here.

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So there you have it. Three Superhero films scored by Hans Zimmer, a legend among Hollywood music composers.

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