Customer Reviews

Fantastic 4 [Original Motion Picture Score]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Varese Records demonstrates with this latest release from John Ottman - "FANTASTIC FOUR", just how varied this composer can be. Do not restrict this talented man of music with his past achievements - "The Usual Suspects", "The Cable Guy", "Bubble Boy", "Incognito(Score)", "Eight Legged Freaks(Score)", "Urban Legends-Final Cut", "Apt Pupil", "Goodbye Lover", "Lake Placid", "X2:Original Motion Picture Score", "Cellular", "Hide and Seek", and "Portrait of Terror"...which is just the tip of the iceberg.

Instead of a classical approach, the producers decided the score should be more contemporary, well our composer took on the challenge and wrote a strikingly unique, emotionally deep score with an eccentric blend of beat rhythms, Hollywood Studio Symphony and the Page LA Studio Voices....there are layers of underscore, infusing complex moods with passages of modern themes, very effective and wonderfully original.

Ottman always brings the necessary emotions to a film through his music, which could explain why this composer is always in demand...recorded at The Newman Stage, 20th Century Fox...once again, special thanks to Robert Townson (executive producer), Casey Stone (producer), Damon Intrabartolo (conductor), Varese Sarabande and of course Composer John Ottman for releasing this "movie-music" collectors dream...a must have for ALL the "film-score-buffs" out there!

Total Time: 46:00 on 14 Tracks ~ Varese Records 66667 ~ (7/12/2005)

One hundred percent action is how I describe John Ottman's new score to the F4! It has a heavy use of a choir, drums, church bells, horns and more! Several great themes are heard which include the main theme, the Dr. Doom theme, and what I call the space theme. There are a couple other small tunes heard more than once on the album. The choir is just so awesome! I love how heroic this score is. Ottman is definitely one of My favorites now and I seriously hope that he is nominated for an Academy Award! If you want to hear some of the best music that Ottman has composed then purchase this score today!

I learned something interesting from a John Ottman interview. He didn't say he wanted to be the next John Williams, but rather that Williams has so defined the superhero-score genre that half a composer's job is just keeping out of his shadow; you have to be careful not to imitate him.

Well, Danny Elfman succeeded at this Spiderman and John Ottman succeeds with Fantastic Four, turning in a score that is both memorable and his own. Like another reviewer, I'm a little disappointed that Dr. Doom doesn't really have his own theme; let's hope they make a sequel so Ottman can correct this. The main title kept sticking in my head and finally made me buy the album, and I ended up playing it over and over. Besides the main title, my favorites so far are Superheroes, Battling Doom, Lab Rat, and Fantastic Proposal. And I'm sure there'll be more...

The main title theme is heroic as its supposed to be but one song is not enough to hold an entire album together. If you liked Ottman's score to X-men 2 you'll enjoy this one.

The main theme is used throughout the album but not enough, in my opinion. The theme has different variations to it. The deep-noted variation of the theme is the "theme" for Dr. Doom. The main variation of the theme is the theme for the Fantastic Four. The subtle theme is for The Thing. Sadly, there isn't any thematic development just the main theme in different variations. The rest is just underscore.

If you're a superhero score collector, you need this in your collection. John Ottman's best so far is SUPERMAN RETURNS so check that one out. Other than that, you could skip over this one and purchase Batman Begins. :)

Unfortunately, this soundtrack is kind of like the movie - a bit disappointing. It's a lot of hip hop, pop, etc. Don't except anything much like X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

This is a pretty good soundtrack by John Ottman. The Main Title and last few tracks are the best, containing a wonderful "Fan 4" theme. He makes good use of a choir for a nice heroic sound or for the menacing Dr. Doom. This makes a very nice addition to any superhero score collector or a fan of John Ottman.

In listening to Ottman's score for Marvel's Premiere Family I can't help but notice that he is trying desparately to be the next John Williams. In interviews he is always talking about Williams and how He tries to have that same kind of grandeur.

Well. number 1: This score sounds more like Danny Elfman and 2: It tries too hard to be exciting.


I was the most disappointed in the fact that Dr. Doom(who was underused and inadequately served in the film) doesn't have a specific theme track on the album. You hear snippets of it in "Bye Bye Ned", "Battling Doom" and "Bon Voyage".

Also, is it just me or does the FF theme sound like "Beer Barrel Polka" to anyone else?

All this negativity aside I did like things about the score. The afore-mentioned "Bon Voyage" is by far the standout piece and I also like the jig that stops and starts during "Entanglement", I just wish it would've been played all the way through.

You could do worse for a superhero score,i.e. Batman Forever,
But it doesn't break any new ground the way Superman, Batman, or Spiderman did.

10/4/05 post script: I have listened to the CD again recently and have a slightly better opinion of it. It comes accross less noisy two months later and was a more enjoyable listen. I don't know if I would add a star or not but It has grown on me.

John Ottman managed to score one of the best thrillers in cinema with The Usual Suspects. Since then, where did the talent go?

Despite a track or two on the X-men 2 soundtrack, none of his recent, or even past scores have managed to impress me in the least, and now that he seems to have gotten himself into the superhero genre, I can only cringe at Fantastic Four and remind myself next time to take a pass on anything he does in the future.

His themes are sparse, vague and vacant, his action is staccato and painful to the ears, and his use of chorus is just plain wrong. Perhaps his emulation of Michael Kamen's X-men score just went too far and too long, but somewhere along the line he lost his touch.

I fear for Superman Returns...