Zanobard Reviews

Hans Zimmer’s thunderously electronic score for F1 (The Movie) dazzles with a superbly catchy main theme that you’ll be humming even after one listen, and that together with some epic action setpieces, clear stylistic inspiration from Rush & Days Of Thunder and a solidly entertaining techno/house-infused orchestra makes this album an absolute treat overall.

The “Cinematic Edition” soundtrack for Joseph Kosinski’s new F1 movie comes in two parts; the first covers all the various songs used and indeed created for the blockbuster film, while the second encompasses Hans Zimmer’s score – naturally, it’s this second half that this score review will be focusing on. So let’s begin; the second disc opens with Zimmer’s brand new theme for the film, and what a theme it is. Quietly atmospheric electronics open the track, rising in volume and intensity until a thunderously electric beat bursts into frame and the theme is fully unveiled. All-in, it’s loud, it’s memorable, it’s superbly heroic and happily it just keeps going. The theme spirals and loops throughout here in increasingly dramatic and emboldened splendour as triumphant brass and orchestra also join it centre stage, and because of that it’s such an earworm right on first listen. Just past the two minute mark the techno/house-esque loudness then fades and a secondary quieter, more reserved theme is also introduced, playing on thoughtful brass until cue’s end. Overall? Wow. That’s all I’ll say. And also that I can see why the main theme was used as the backing music for the film’s title song “Lose My Mind” by Don Toliver (feat. Doja Cat). It’s just that good.

With expectations for the full score having now thoroughly hit the roof, the music quietens for the subsequent “Anything You Wish You’d Done Differently?”. Solemn strings evoke a decidedly pensive mood here alongside several further renditions of the quieter secondary theme from the title track, which then starts to build back up towards hope in the back half of the piece. The six minute “Run For The Podium” then leaps into action territory with a funky techno/house electronic beat kicking up the pace, harkening somewhat back to Zimmer’s Days Of Thunder in its unapologetic upbeatness. The main theme also starts to stir in the final few minutes of the cue alongside the more emotive secondary motif, considerably elevating the optimism and indeed the volume as it does so. Sorrowful electronic and string-based ambience then overtakes for “Road To Recovery”, with the secondary theme playing rather morosely on the latter instrumentation. This rather downtrodden tone continues into the subsequent “Built For Combat” with a similarly moody string and electronic style and the main theme pensively in tow before “Drive Fast” then starts to slide back into action territory with several powerful playthroughs of the main theme on increasingly emboldened brass, electric guitar and techno/house beats.

The music briefly returns to gentle atmosphere in the short “Tell Me About Kate” with echoing electronic notes and hints toward the main theme, before a rather ominous mood overtakes in “Keep It In One Piece” as tensions rise alongside wary percussion and synth throughout the three minute track. The six minute “No One Drives Forever” then simmers things back down somewhat with quiet, withdrawn strings taking the forefront for its first half alongside wary echoes of the secondary theme, before the pace then starts to quicken and the main theme heroically re-enters on electric guitar with powerful bursts of synth and orchestra mightily at its back, making for a decidedly epic back half overall. With hope now thoroughly re-introduced, “Lining Up On The Grid” keeps the pace fast and electric optimism in centre stage, again hinting toward the composer’s work for Days Of Thunder in its sheer ability to put a smile on your face. Gentle piano notes and strings then seed caution in the first two minutes of “It’s Just Noise” with the secondary theme also reprising to solemnly back them up, before what genuinely sounds like part of the main theme for Days Of Thunder then briefly appears in the final minutes of the track to elevate the weighty mood.

With the finale of the album fast approaching, action setpiece “Elbows Out” kicks off with a frenetic pace immediately as rapid beats set a tense stage. Electric hints toward the main theme then start at just before the two minute mark that continually build as the track rises in volume, intensity and sheer drama with the kind-of-sort-of new Days Of Thunder theme also reprising periodically (I know it’s not meant to actually be that theme, but it sure sounds like it and I am all for it) until the music finally fades with serene strings at just past the seven minute mark. “Red Flag” continues where this leaves off with tensions still high; the now worrisome secondary theme opens the track with wary percussion alongside, and the entire electronic ensemble then builds to a powerful crescendo close. “Three Laps Is A Lifetime” then epically concludes the action, starting with dramatically imposing techno/house beats that then slowly give way to both the main and secondary themes as they build in sheer orchestral and electronic power with heroic brass and synth thunderously in tow. Final track “See You Down The Road” then wraps things up with a powerful crescendo flourish of the secondary theme, bringing the story to a rousing close.

Overall, Hans Zimmer’s breathlessly high-octane score for F1 is superb. Its absolute strength is of course its main theme, with Standout Cue “F1” showcasing both it and the album’s thoroughly enjoyable techno/house-infused orchestral style to spellbinding effect. The theme really is something else; it’s upbeat, catchy and sticks in your head immediately on listening, and will probably put a smile on your face too – particularly if you’re a fan of the composer’s prior racing movie scores Days Of Thunder and Rush. Speaking of which, the stylistic influence from both is pretty clear here; the ever-optimistic electronics of the former and the sheer orchestral grandiosity of the latter are present throughout the music for F1, and with Days Of Thunder in particular there’s a new recurring theme which sounds an awful lot like the composer’s fantastic main theme for that 1990 film. Thematically, both that and the main theme recur often as well as a quieter, more emotive secondary motif that grounds the score well. All-in, while the thunderous action music that all the themes contribute to doesn’t quite reach the same heroic heights as “The Last Race” in Days Of Thunder for me personally, Zimmer’s F1 is still a properly entertaining blockbuster soundtrack throughout, and I for one will have that new main theme stuck in my head for a good while.

If you liked Zimmer’s Rush or Days Of Thunder, you’re going to love this.

Score: 8/10

Standout Cues: F1/Three Laps Is A Lifetime

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