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http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/articles/2003/19_Feb—Jason_Comerford_2002_In_Review.asp
3. Danny Elfman just keeps getting better and better. I’m like every other film-music geek that went nuts over Batman when it first came out, and Elfman continues to be a musician whose trajectory fascinates me. He seemed to get a lot of static from the fan community by branching off into more abstract directions for scores like A Civil Action and Good Will Hunting; I never disliked the new direction he was taking so much as I wondered where he was going with it. Sometimes the approach worked beautifully, and sometimes it just seemed like a bunch of noodling with percussion patterns and synth patches. Elfman, at the very least, had the brass balls to deliberately move away from a form of musical composition that made him a rich man and try something new and different, regardless of whether or not it worked. I did my civic duty and saw Spider-Man, opening night and all, and the music evaporated from my head the second the film was over — the only music I can recall with any clarity was the old TV theme that Sam Raimi snuck into the end credits. I started to wonder, and then I saw Red Dragon and thought, “Yes! He’s back!” The film itself is about what you’d expect: slick and well-crafted enough, but with just enough big-studio pandering that it was instantly forgettable. Elfman, however, took one look at the film and seemed to realize the inherent silliness of it all, and went all out; his over-the-top score is probably one of the better scores of his career, slyly satirical in its approach, with themes that stick in your head. It’s not a breakthrough piece of music in any respect, but if you’re going to go full throttle, that’s the way it should be done.
Have to agree with you on the spidey and red dragon comments. The scoring was brilliant (in keeping with elfman) on the latter. I thought it was his best score in the last two years or so with the possible exception of Planet of the Apes. (being a trombonist, I was thrilled to hear 14 bones blasting on that score) Elfman’s flair for very moving, yet dark music has fascinated me since Batman and Nightmare Before Christmas.
Go trombones! (i play trombone–among other instruments)
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