Zanobard Reviews

Danny Elfman’s sensational score for Spider-Man 2 finally gets the all-encompassing expansion and remastering that it always deserved with La-La Land Records’ immense 3-CD treatment here, with the heroic Spider-Man and lurching Doc Ock themes going orchestrally head-to-head for a thunderously enjoyable superhero soundtrack overall.

Dreams do come true. Two years after La-La Land Records dropped their spectacular expanded soundtrack for Danny Elfman’s original 2002 Spider-Man score, here we are once again with a similarly impeccable treatment for sequel Spider-Man 2 – arguably the best of the titular webslinger’s live action films – and just in time for its twentieth anniversary no less. And Danny Elfman returns in amazing form for this dramatic sequel soundtrack – but interestingly, he’s not the only composer involved this time. Indeed, composers Christopher Young (who went on to fully score Spider-Man 3) and John Debney are also on the Spidey team this time around, having composed several additional cues that replace Elfman’s at various points during the actual film. In addressing this, La-La Land Records’ expansion here presents Elfman’s original score in its entirety, how the composer originally envisioned it, but with a small section at the end of the album that holds Young and Debney’s alternate pieces. As such, I’m going to present this review in roughly film order – going over all the Elfman cues and then comparing them to the Young/Debney ones as and when they play at various points in the film itself. One thing I will say as a result of the above; with the sheer amount of Spidey music here, this three-disk Spider-Man 2 expansion is one hell of an album.

“Spider-Man 2 Main Title” opens this superior score, and much like with the original film’s – it’s a phenomenal track. Elfman’s iconic Spider-Man theme thunders through on tremendously uplifting orchestra and the track absolutely soars in its utter heroism and grandiosity, never failing to make me smile. The theme is a little different this time around too, with additional orchestral elements that help to give it a little more lift and “oomph” throughout its runtime, but perhaps the biggest change for the main title this time is the introduction of the villain theme – Doc Ock’s, specifically. It took a little album time for Green Goblin’s to respectively show up in the first film but Ock’s here is introduced right away – and what a villain theme it is. It’s a dark and rather tragic piece overall that pretty excellently showcases the character of the solemn figure that is Otto Octavius in Spider-Man 2, and it stands right alongside Goblin’s as a damned stellar antagonistic motif to go up against Spidey’s. With Ock’s motif simmering back down another explosive rendition of Spidey’s theme then charges through before the dramatic Responsibility motif then closes out the track. The first piece of previously unreleased music is then up next with “Pizza Man”; a frenetic, chaotic strings-heavy piece with pounding percussion and brass alongside, and Spider-Man’s theme leading a heroic charge from the midpoint with echoes of the Responsibility motif.

Only part of said cue was actually used in the final cut of the film though – instead, John Debney’s minute-long “Special Delivery” was used in place of it until the Spider-Man theme surges through midway. Comparatively, it’s much more frantic and tense than Elfman’s track. The short “Book Troubles” then returns to Elfman, simmering the action down with quieter, more upbeat strings hinting towards the Spider-Man theme before abruptly ending. “Riding To May’s/Peter’s Birthday” then leans more into romantic territory, gently hinting towards the love theme before also ending before the minute-mark. The music then gets a little murkier and moodier for the first half of “Harry Remembers/Responsible One”, with quiet, foreboding murmurs of the Goblin theme from the first film playing prior to a few quieter, gentler hints towards the Responsibility motif in the second half. The gorgeous love theme then fully reprises in “Backyard Revisited” on romantic, wistful piano notes and tranquil strings, with the short subsequent “Apartment Transition” also following in a similarly gentle orchestral vein. A brief reprisal of the Spider-Man theme then opens “Theatre Montage” before playful string and woodwind-focused atmosphere overtakes for the remainder of the two minute track. A burst of frantic brass then kicks off ninety second action piece “Cops And Robbers”, with percussive rumbles and further wary crashes of brass ushering Spider-Man’s theme along at a tense pace throughout.

“MJ’s New Life/Spidus Interruptus” opens with a brief statement of the warm love theme before dramatic action overtakes in the back half, with Spider-Man’s motif heroically crashing into centre stage on poundingly grandiose orchestra. Next up is “Draggin’/A Phone Call” which utilises the Spider-Man motif in gentle, thoughtful form, and interestingly there’s an alternate and similarly pensive track by Christopher Young also on this album titled “Open Heart” that was intended to replace it – but ended up going unused instead. It’s the only one of the alternate cues that isn’t used though, and there’s no better place to highlight that fact than with the following series of Elfman tracks that play next; “The Reveal”, “Blue Light”, “Fusion” and “Mayhem/Aftermath”. Eerie ambience interspersed with moody segments of the Doc Ock motif and wary Spider-Man reprisals echo throughout here, but this section of tracks was almost entirely replaced in-film by parts I, II and III of “The Demonstration” composed by Christopher Young. Where Elfman’s work here is a bit more active and lively, Young’s opts for slower wonder and warier awe in tone, with music that’s very clearly temp-tracked by his score for Hellbound: Hellraiser II in its dramatic use of choral elements and sinister strings and brass. It is still quite entertaining though, and there’s no denying that it does work quite well in the film too.

The next few tracks are where Doc Ock’s theme now really, firmly establishes itself in the score. “Dock Ock Is Born (Film Version)” opens with frantic bursts of worrisome brass and drums before then settling somewhat, with much quieter, moody brass ominously playing Ock’s theme which then rises in malevolent intensity through the rest of the track. “Angry Arms” then continues in much a similar villainous vein before major and indeed spectacular action setpiece “The Bank/Saving May (Film Version)” kicks off the first proper orchestral blowout between Ock and Spider-Man. The track opens with a bursting, lurching playthrough of Ock’s theme before Spider-Man’s then practically leaps tensely into centre stage, and the battle really begins. Several brassy blows are exchanged across the sea of orchestral franticness here with both themes thundering dramatically through before Spidey finally emerges triumphant at just past the four minute mark. The now surgingly hopeful Spider-Man theme then reprises in grand form through the first half of “Spider Fall/Rebuilding” before wary strings and brass then overtake for much of the rest of the two and a half minute track until Ock’s motif slithers sinisterly through at the end. The Responsibility theme then reprises in withdrawn, pensive form on quiet strings to start in “Uncle Ben” before building to a firm finishing crescendo on brass and vocals.

The boppy, upbeat “Happy Montage” plays for two minutes of unusually swaggering strings and hopeful percussion before the love theme then briefly re-enters the fray with “Peter Appeals To MJ/Newspaper”. A touch of the Responsibility motif opens “A Mugging/Spider-Gone” with quieter, gentler strings then occupying the track’s remaining runtime. A sudden deafening burst of orchestra starts off “Doc Ock’s Machine” with the titular villain’s dramatically lurching theme crashing and thundering forebodingly on surging brass before a quiet echo of the Responsibility theme simmers the cue back down. Doc Ock’s malevolent motif then reprises in the subsequent “Rooftop Rendezvous” but in much quieter and more sinister style, with “The Fire” afterward kicking up a frantic storm of bursting brass and flurrying strings for a particularly tense two and a half minute action piece. “Peter’s Turmoil” is then another track replaced in the final cut of the film; it’s a gentle two minute piece that focuses on quiet strings and piano playing the Responsibility and love themes, and its alternate cue “Cake Girl” by John Debney is much more ambient in comparison, featuring neither of the themes with simply strings and piano as the focus. The gentle, three minute “Aunt May Packs” then leans heavily on the Responsibility theme, with the subsequent “Not Back Yet” slowly starting to re-seed hope into the score with heroic orchestral flourishes and heavy hints towards the Spider-Man theme.

The love theme reprises on quietly romantic strings in “The Wrong Kiss/Almost A Kiss” alongside several somewhat downtrodden piano renditions of the Responsibility motif, before the continually lurching Doc Ock theme then thunders tensely back into centre stage in “A Hostage” to introduce two of the best cues on the album; “He’s Back! (Film Version)” and “Train/Appreciation (Film Version)”. The former is an explosive and indeed long overdue burst of the Spider-Man theme finally returned in proudly and unapologetically heroic form, and the latter is Elfman’s thunderously fast-paced take on the train chase sequence that features Ock and Spidey exchanging exquisite orchestral blows throughout, but it largely – and sadly – goes unused in the film, replaced instead by Christopher Young’s version (“Runaway Train” Parts I and II) which in fairness does an excellent job of previewing the composer’s brilliant action voice and use of the Spider-Man theme that he’d then go on to utilise heavily in Spider-Man 3. While Young’s score for this sequence does indeed work well in the film though, I must say I prefer Elfman’s here. Young’s go at the train sequence is much more chaotic and frantic, and features a pretty spellbindingly heroic rendition of Spidey’s theme in Part I that I absolutely love, but Elfman’s is more lively and complex orchestrally, and there’s a lot more thematic work going on – more to enjoy, for me personally anyway. That’s not to say Young’s work here is bad though, because it certainly is not.

Sudden malevolent bursts of Doc Ock’s theme occupy “Out For The Count” before the rather eerie seventeen-second “The Trouble With Harry” then briefly interrupts, with Ock’s motif reprising in its usual lurching, tense form through the subsequent “On The Case” before Spidey’s theme leaps heroically into the fray to save the day. This then leads right into action setpiece and beginning of the score’s finale “Armageddon/A Really Big Web! (Film Version)”, which opens warily with worrisome strings before simmering down somewhat with elements of hope starting to creep into Ock’s usually malevolent motif. A grand surge from the love theme then briefly follows before both the Spider-Man and Doc Ock themes build to a thunderous finishing crescendo, and the action fades quietly out. With the score now fast approaching its end, “The Goblin Returns (Film Version)” opens eerily and sinisterly with the Green Goblin theme slowly snaking into view in the first minute, which then builds to a loud, boldly villainous crescendo after a minute or so of moody ambient strings. Final track “At Long Last, Love” then reprises the gentle love theme one last time before Spider-Man’s theme charges heroically into frame for a fist-pumpingly grandiose sendoff, thus ending the album.

Overall, Danny Elfman’s spectacular score for Spider-Man 2 has finally gotten the all-encompassing expansion and remastering it deserves here, and hats off to La-La Land Records – it’s an absolutely phenomenal soundtrack experience as a result. All the missing pieces omitted from the original 2004 album are here and it’s just so much more complete now, so much warmer and richer both thematically and stylistically. The themes – from Elfman’s established iconic Spider-Man and Responsibility motifs to the gorgeous love theme, and of course the ruthlessly ever-lurching Doc Ock motif – seem to dance and glide and weave around eachother effortlessly throughout this album, all owing to Elfman’s orchestral talents. They sound phenomenal, particularly in the action sequences – “Train/Appreciation”, “Pizza Man” and “The Bank/Saving May” to name but a standout few. And intriguingly too, La-La Land have happily included all of the alternate cues that replace Elfman’s at various points in the film itself, including the much anticipated – at least for me anyway – “The Train” by Christopher Young, which is a frankly fantastic piece of frenetic action music featuring a thunderously electric rendition of the Spider-Man theme, and while I personally prefer “Train/Appreciation” for that sequence it is an excellent showcase of Young’s action orchestra talents, which he’d then go on to utilise fully and indeed brilliantly for Spider-Man 3.

All-in if you love the score for Spider-Man 2 this is well worth the buy – all the gaps and then some are filled in, and the sound quality is incredible. And even if we have to wait til 2027 or later to finally get that Spider-Man 3 release – it’ll be worth it.

Score: 9/10

Standout Cues: Spider-Man 2 Main Title/Pizza Man/Train/Appreciation

Buy the 3-CD expansion for Danny Elfman’s score right here, published by La-La Land Records.

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