Batman Begins soundtrack Review

Batman Begins Soundtrack

Back in 89, Tim Burton asked Danny Elfman his long time partner since Peewee’s Big Adventure to help create his dark, gothic world in Batman the movie. Danny went anyway and created one of the best score of its time. When the movie was released, everyone raved about the dark Batman theme, accompanied by a creepy chorus. Thus, the score proved to everyone in Hollywood that Elfman could handle writing scores for big movies.

Flash-forward to 2005, a new Batman was in the works and it was announced that Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard would both write the score to Batman Begins, together. Many people accepted James Newton Howard as a great choice by the Director, but they questioned the decision to bring in action composer Hans Zimmer. Well, I can strongly say that both of them worked well together. They didn’t break the score into sections but wrote the music together.

The music isn’t as good as Elfman’s score, and it leans toward a more dark techno slant. With a 90 piece orchestra, there parts that sound full and grand.

Track 1 Vespertilio: This track opens with cool drums that sound like bat wings flapping! This theme will be used later. We also hear the main theme sneak into the score for the first time. It is a two note theme, which is simple in nature, but very powerful, well call it The Batman theme. We also hear Zimmer’s Last Samurai notes mixed in as well. Grade: A

Track 2 Eptesicus: This one opens with James Newton Howard strings and sounds like some of his Signs score. It’s very warm and mysterious in nature. The piano solo is beautiful in this track, then it switches to more of Hans Zimmer’s moving strings, and as they roll off each other. It has a very smooth feel to this section of the score. The music and the training theme grow in volume, very powerful. Grade A

Track 3 Myotis: This one moves into more dark ranges. Some of it is too off the wall and random with low brass and string. Then, it switches into full-blown Hans Zimmer action cue mode, with full beat machines. This isn’t the best music on the CD, because it sounds too much like something out of The Rock. Luckily it switches back to softer music toward the end, good way to save the track from Zimmer action mode. It ends with the two-note Batman theme, very soft. Grade B

Track 4 Barbastella: This one begins with a creepy voice of a lone child singing. This is pretty. We get more of the nice Piano solo mixed in with wonderful strings. We hear more of Howard’s strings, before it changes to Zimmer’s techno beats, which sounds cool. It builds and builds until it burst into a loud tuba solo of the Batman theme. Then it get louder with all the low brass joining in to finish the Batman theme. This is one of the best tracks on the CD. We hear the Batman theme the loudest and grandest you’ll ever hear in the score. It also shows how Howard’s soft strings mix with Zimmer’s loud music, and works out well. Grade A+

Track 5 Artibeus: Lots of random horror music dominates the beginning of the track, with whispers and random bat flaps. It’s very on edge. It weaves into a strong Asian theme that will play out later in the score. We hear some Asian flutes in this one. Not too good, but okay. Grade C

Track 6 Tradarida: The last track leads right into this track, and we hear the Bat flaps from the drums. The score goes all crazy and gets back into the horror sound effects with moans this time. Then we move back into the little child singing again from track 4. Grade C+

Track 7 Macrotus: We hear the very pretty love theme in this track. The piano is mixed in with Howard’s strings. This section of the score is very pretty. It’s sad and beautiful at the same time, and the love theme grows stronger until it switches to a dark section of the score. There are some strange Asian bells and then we hear more whispers. There is a build in horns and strings and the child singing comes back in. It’s followed by the piano solo again. We hear more sad themes at this point, and fades out. Grade B+

Track 8 Antrozous: We hear Howard’s strings mixed in with Zimmer’s strong action cue beats and themes. There is short sound of the Batman theme. It all mixes with techno beats and strings; this is a complete merging of Zimmer and Howard’s styles in this track. Grade C

Track 9 Nycteris: This track has strong Howard rap beats mixed in with the Batman two-note theme, so think his Unbreakable score. It last for about a minute and the track moves into a funky techno sound effect that really works well. The Bat flaps come back and there is a lot of really cool drum music here as the beat takes over from the techno effects. The two-note Batman theme comes in strong here as the nice drum theme is in full swing. The track switches gears and goes back to the wonderful piano theme, where it ends softly. Grade A

Track 10 Molossus: We move into a purely Zimmer action score here, full of beats from a beat machine. On the CD, we finally hear the Hero Batman Theme, not to be confused with the two-note one. You see, in the movie, we hear the Hero theme when we finally see Batman in full gear, and he says “I’m Batman, nice jacket.” That’s not in this early part of the released CD, so this is the first time we hear the Hero theme on the CD. Of course, we also hear the two-note Batman theme here a lot. This track is loud and full of all the old school Zimmer tricks. Grade C

Track 11: Now this track is very cool. It opens with the piano theme and moves into the very pretty love theme. Howard’s strings sweep in and grow in sound until a we hear a nice lone violin playing, followed by the love theme once again in it’s strongest form ever. It moves into a more touching version of the piano theme. This is heart-warming stuff here. The techno music comes back and we get the famous two-note Batman theme. It builds and the Hero theme is heard in full force here. Grade A+

Track 12: The Asian theme I told you about is in full effect here in this wonderful concert piece. The music here is moving and very un-Batman like. It is here that a nice theme slowly builds; growing each time it is played. It grows louder and then dies down. This is when we get the famous Strings doing their version of a drum roll. I kid you not. Many reviewers have pointed this out. And, the score fades with the Drum Bat flaps. It’s a nice touch to end on the bat flaps just like it started. Grade A