The video above will play you a sampling of Hans Zimmer’s score for Man of Steel. This things usually drop for a lot of movies and we never post about them, but this one is notable because Zimmer is taking over a score for a film series that housed one of the most iconic pieces of film music in the history of the medium: John Williams’s original Superman theme.
It’s hard to tell from just these snippets, but since we’re on the internet I’ll make a snap judgment and say that this won’t be anywhere near as memorable as Williams’s classic. I was hoping that somewhere in there he’d crop liberally from Williams’s (or even copy it like John Ottman did with Superman Returns), but he only subtly hints at it here and there. Maybe the full score will give us more, but, much like the film, it looks like the score will steer clear of the Richard Donner films.
For comparison I’ve put the original theme from Superman below along with the Ottman version from the underrated Superman Returns.
Seriously, there be no other theme of music that better encapsulates a character. It literally makes you want to take off and fly. It’s powerful and crisp and everything that Superman should be. I suppose Zimmer didn’t really have much of a chance.
