The main theme of Spiderman the movies

The main theme of Spiderman de-constructed (Score)

When John Williams created the masterpiece score to Superman: The Movie, he raised the bar to a point that almost everything after it just wasn’t as good. He basically wrote a theme that the Average Joe on the street would recognize, but rich and big that score fans still consider it the best Super Hero theme ever made. Elfman would also do this many years later.

On Spider-man, Danny Elfman had the big orchestra but added some synth into the mix. He did not replace the big orchestra sound. Nothing replaces live performers ever.

Spider-man 1 Opening Credits: Note: I couldn't find a the original opening from Spider-man 1 anywhere on youtube, so I linked this one to a fan edit of the music from the first movie to an 'Heroes' intro.

Anyway, in the opening cords we get a hint of the actual Spiderman theme, until the tight strings notes weave into the music. Here's where I have to give Elfman a lot of credit, he used a beat machine as a background rhythm that will be Spiderman's calling card throughout this movie and part 2. We also get portions of his Green Goblin theme mixed in. The Goblin beat takes over the end of this opening. This is a good use of electronic themes mixed with an orchestra. That was smart movie by Danny Elfman.

Spider-man 2 Opening Credits: There is a slight difference at the beginning with some lower strings added. Elfman added a cool sound effect and a different chorus here. We also get to hear the wonderful Doc Ock theme instead of the Goblin one. Now we see the structure of the main titles. You get the Spiderman theme and then the Main Villain Theme, ending on the Main Theme again. For part II, It sounds like more players were added to Elfman's Orchestra.

This is the best version out of the three movies.

Spider-man 3 Opening Credits: Chris Young keeps the main theme, but he changes it, which I like. Here, the opening running strings are slower and there are darker tones mixed in. Plus, he uses real percussion instead of Elfman's electronic beats, which I also thought was neat. Trust me, he's using electronic background stuff too, but differently. Instead of a normal chorus, he used children's voices instead. That’s a nice touch.

He draws out Elfman's Spiderman theme out longer on the notes, and I'm not sure if that was a good idea. Young's themes are then heard, starting with Venom's theme. Here, I liked the way he used it, but I didn't care for it in the rest of the movie. Not exactly the best. However, the Sandman theme shows up, and this theme is impressive. I think it sounds the closest to Elfman than anything else Young has in the film.

Young adds a darker tone to the entire opening credits, which I sort of like, but it doesn’t have Elfman’s sound completely.