Search - Ramin Djawadi :: Iron Man

Ramin Djawadi Breathes A Modern Breath Of Fresh Air Into Iro

Kaya Savas | North Hollywood, CA | 05/06/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Iron Man is Djawadi's biggest solo effort to date and boy is it one whopper of an action score. I've been listening to his work as a composer since he started with Hans Zimmer and have to say that I've enjoyed his music immensely over the years. I was so relieved when I saw Ramin Djawadi on this project and not John Debney. The moment I saw his name I knew we were going to get an all-out action score that was going to fit perfectly.



Looking back at other superhero scores you can't deny the brilliance found from Danny Elfman with his scores to Batman, Spider-Man and Hulk. You also can't forget the super heroic themes that John Williams came up with for Superman. However, if we ended up with the same old score for Iron Man I was surely going to be disappointed. Hans Zimmer revamped the superhero scene with James Newton Howard on their score for Batman Begins (which Djawadi also worked on) by bringing the electronic/orchestral sound to fuel a whole new epic sound not really heard in superhero films before.



Djawadi was not dealing with the same material as say Batman Begins and he knew that. Tony Stark is a playboy with a rock star personality so we get a rock star score. Simple rhythms are amplified with a heavy electric guitar riffs and backed with an orchestral sound that is seamlessly fused into the score in a very Zimmeresque fashion. Good ol' Hans Zimmer served as Executive Score Producer on this project and helped guide Djawadi through the process of tackling a huge project like this as the name composer.



There is nothing about this score that is too terribly complex. Djawadi shows some versatility with cues like "Vacation's Over" that has a more inspirational and emotional evoking feel to it. It was too bad that the movie didn't allow for more of that because I'm sure he would have been able to tug a few tears with some beautiful music if he had the chance.



This score is an amazing action romp that will please all fans of Ramin's work thus far or any Hans Zimmer/Remote Control Productions fans. It really is a fun listen. If I had to sum up the feel of this score in a single comparison it would be "Bare Island" from Zimmer's score to M:I-2. So, if you enjoyed the film then I recommend this score immensely. I also recommend it to any Zimmer/RCP fans out there looking for a fun listen that will give your speakers a good rattling."

Brainless Yet Fun Action Romp

Media Lover | 11/16/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"There has often been dispute amongst soundtrack collectors as to the merits of mostly electronic scores. Gems such as "National Treasure" and "Con Air" have proven that electronics can not only be effective, but downright awesome... This album does nothing for either argument. On the one hand, there are enough heroic motifs and heavy guitar riffs to please fans of the film, but not enough musical intrigue or creativity to warrant a purchase for the rest of us. I give this album three stars for it's ability to entertain and rock the listening crowd. : )"

Unremarkable

ARK | Computer Chair | 07/03/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"There were some parts of Iron Man with such thrilling background music that I had to buy the CD. Now I wish I had saved my money for another purchase. I realized that the music thrilled me because the movie complemented the music -- not the other way around.



It's not that the music is badly done, or that it doesn't have its moments. It's that it is obviously "movie mood music," and that's all. Except for a couple of strangely enjoyable tracks that I never would have suspected would become favorites, most of it is forgettable. One thing that also made me a bit unhappy was that they neglected the awesome "Black Sabbath" remix played during the credits. And one of the songs -- "Institutionalized" -- is downright irritating!



As to its pros, I am particularly fond of the little "Iron Man" ditty taken from the old cartoon theme song -- it is so jazzy and deliciously old school! And also, as I like to write, I enjoy having the music as background sound. It isn't quite inspirational, but it's supportive enough."