from WaterTower Music (2025)

Get it: If you are looking for a score with the sound of a modern superhero film that blends synth sounds and trailer-ready percussives with more traditional orchestral elements

Don’t get it: If you want a score that invokes a sense of orchestral grandeur and big, symphonic classical orchestrations

What an undertaking. Ask anyone to name their top film score themes of all time, and inevitably, one of the names to come up is going to be Superman’s theme by John Williams. In fact, several internet rankings of the top film score themes of all time include both Williams’ Superman – The Movie as well as Hans Zimmer’s Man of Steel. Now here we find ourselves again with a new Superman score, this time at the hands of director James Gunn and collaborators John Murphy & David Fleming. Murphy made for a very intriguing choice for composer before we even had a chance to hear the product. It was a somewhat controversial move years ago when it was announced that Man of Steel would not be using the iconic Williams theme. Conversely, it did not take long for us to learn that this score would absolutely make use of it. This is just one of the reasons why he makes for such an interesting choice – he is both going to honor the legacy of the music, while bringing a sound that can feel like a relative of Zimmer’s work. In fact, in our interview with him, John Murphy was certainly excited to hear that his music has been compared to Zimmer’s in the past. But now we have the final product, and it’s time to judge it for its own merits.

While we may usually save this topic for the end of the review, it is relevant from the first notes of the score and necessary to mention here: the original theme. Not only did the composers bring back the original Williams theme, but it’s used somewhat regularly. Not so much that it becomes tiresome, but frequently enough that it seems to be present, or at least referenced, during each of the heroic moments in the film. It is important to note that there is no straight-up recreation of the beginning-to-end track “Theme from Superman” (the closest we get would probably be “Look Up”). However, again, it is featured often enough throughout that doing so may have felt gratuitous.

The remainder of the score is about what you would expect from a modern action-adventure style score. Moments that are clearly implying epic stakes, and others that resonate with the more emotional moments, and plenty of heroism in between. While some may criticize the lack of establishing new, clearly prominent themes to be referenced in the future of the new DCU era, I honestly don’t think that was necessarily a goal they had for this project. Don’t get me wrong, there are most certainly new themes here – but they are not the type where the average viewer could leave the theater and immediately hum the tune after the first viewing. Some composers set out to provide their score as an unspoken narrator or character for the film, while others have the goal of raw accompaniment and support for what is occurring on screen while setting the environment. Many fall between the two categories. The difference, while sometimes subtle, can make a large overarching impact on the final product. I tend to find that this score, to me (who has not yet seen the film since it has not been released as of this writing), finds its success leaning more in the direction of the latter category.

One thought was pervasive and recurring through some tracks: Remote Control Productions. While tonally separate from Man of Steel, I found myself continually reminded of RCP while listening. Admittedly, I did not know much of David Fleming’s history, so it came as no surprise to learn that he has, on several occasions, collaborated and composed alongside Hans Zimmer. This, of course, adds to the element of this score being a spiritual successor in the lineage of Superman films.

At the end of the day, the best way to describe this score is as follows: If you want the Superman score you’d get from Williams, Giacchino, or Desplat, this wouldn’t quite fit. If you want the Superman score you’d get from Zimmer, Jablonsky, or Bates, this is closer to that. If you want a score to listen to via a symphonic suite, you may not be satisfied. But, if you want a score that accompanies the film without fail, you’ll be pleased. In a way, this score is what it would sound like had modern-day RCP produced the score for Superman – The Movie instead of John Williams.

P. S. Shoutout to “Upgrade” for reminding me toward its beginning of Murphy’s Anonymous Rejected Filmscore, a quite varied score full of wonderful chaotic melodies and softer, sweet moments to listen to if you haven’t yet already.

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