2010 turned out to be a vintage year for film scores...and there hasn't been a year this good for a very long time. Since Hans Zimmer established himself in the early 90's, new composers (including those that Zimmer has mentored himself) have flooded the market changing the overall style of mainstream film scores. This is nothing new as you only have to look back to the 70's to witness the deluge of funky guitar/jazz based scores which dominated the film industry then...or back further to pre-1950's cinema to see how melodramatic most soundtracks were.
What has bummed me out ever since the 'Zimmer Revolution' is two-fold;-
1/ While everybody (from new composers like John Powell, Trevor Rabin & Steve Jablonsky and established masters like Danny Elfman, Graham Revell and John Debney)has been copying Zimmer's lyrical mix of orchestra and electronics, very few of them were doing it anywhere near as good as the master.
2/ As a consequence, traditional orchestral film scores, like that of John Williams, John Barry and Jerry Goldsmith have taken a backseat. Traditionalists like Howard Shore and James Newton Howard infrequently make an impact on the industry these days and previous masters like James Horner and Alan Silvestri have, frankly, lost their talent to a large degree.
So, where as most years have seen a singular lonely 'great' score rise to the top (if we're very lucky), this year we have seven to celebrate. They are:-
7/ Cop Out - Composed By Harold Faltermeyer
Director Kevin Smith wanted Cop Ot to be part of the DNA of the comedy/thriller police movies of the 80's like Beverley Hills Cop, Tango & Cash and Kuffs. What better way to achieve that style than to get composer Harold (Axel-F) Faltermeyer out of retirement to work his old retro-synth magic. And he does.
6/ Doctor Who Season 5 - Composed by Murray Gold
When Stephen Moffatt took over scripting duties on the revamped Doctor Who TV series, regular musician Gold was asked to come up with new themes. The results are better than anything that's come in doctor Who before.
5/ Kick Ass - Various Artists
Director Matthew Vaughan took the unusual step of hiring four composers to work on his revisionist Superhero blockbuster. Not only is the soundtrack quite hip, it's got some uplifting and melancholy stuff too.
4/ Alice In Wonderland - Composed by Danny Elfman
Elfman is the biggest old-skool composer who has sold out his distinctive style to the more modern, blander electronic percussion scores. Terminator Salvation, Hellboy II, Wanted...all weak, forgettable scores...until his 2010 collaboration with Tim Burton produced one of his best ever works.
3/ The Social Network - Composed By Trent Reznor & Aticus Ross
This is the second of three brilliant scores which suggest that the 70's/80's synth, or electronica, style is coming back as a legitimate score type. Riffing on the film's 1980's setting, the score doesn't sync to specific events in the movie but provides a cool vibe for the drama.
2/ Inception - Composed by Hans Zimmer
Despite my earlier Zimmer rant, there's still no one that has more consistently produced more truly great film scores over the last 20 years than Hans Zimmer. Inception once again breaks from his usual box of tricks, this time introducing a brassy 007 vibe into the mix.
1/ Tron Legacy - Composed by Daft Punk
Like The Social Network score this is a stunning retro-electronica score mixed with a full orchestra. Every single track works brilliantly, both in the film and as a album selection on it's own. Perhaps the single most listenable movie soundtrack of the last decade...perhaps even longer.
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