While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is undoubtedly popular, there are two areas in which almost all of their films get criticized: flat cinematography and forgettable scores. The cinematography issue is something thatBlack PantherDPRachel Morrisonhopes to address in that film, and the scoresareactually starting to get better thanks to terrific work this year fromMichael GiacchinoonSpider-Man: HomecomingandMark MothersbaughonThor: Ragnarok.
The latter was particularly notable, offering up an ambitious and incredibly diverse score for the wildly popularThorsequel. And in a new interview, Mothersbaugh admits that his approach to scoring the film was directly influenced by criticism of Marvel scores. Speaking withTHR(viaThe Playlist), Mothersbaugh says an excellent video essay by theEvery Frame a Painting folkscalled “The Marvel Symphonic Universe” was something he and others onThor: Ragnarokwatched before they set about crafting the score:
“We were looking at that, going ‘Wow, OK.’ That helps explain some things that I kind of felt myself… Marvel is so successful, and it seems like it’s because the people that are at the top of the food chain are very integrated into the creative process, which I hadn’t expected. You don’t always see that. A lot of the executives, their big concerns are marketing, and investments, they don’t have time — music is way down at the bottom of the list. Even the directors, sometimes, you are working with them and they are like, ‘Cobbler, cobble me some music.’ And you are kind of treated like that.”
The conclusion that video essay comes to is that Marvel Studios needs to take more risks, and that seems to be exactly what Mothersbaugh andTaika Waititidid onThor: Ragnarok—to terrific results. Check out the full video essay on Marvel movie scores yourself below, which offers some insight into why a lot of blockbusters these days lack recognizable themes.
