What You Need to Know: This is a title that was certain to generate enthusiasm. After all, the
Batman film franchise has seen its fare share of great composers pass through Gotham. With the likes of Elfman, Goldenthal, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, there is plenty to get excited about when it comes to the concept of this release. The problem is, this soundtrack is more of a light diversion than it is a premium compilation.
When I first reviewed the track listings, I was a bit put off by the original Batman film having such a heavy representation on the disc. I would have like to see the content spread a bit more evenly apart. Instead, the original film's score leads the way with 6 cues and then the subsequent films (including the re-imagined fare) have one each. Now, if the best cues from each film were selected, then such a sparse representation wouldn't have been an issue. Specifically, the tracks from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight both fall short and I feel there could have been better selections made in their stead. What nearly saves this compilation is the content that follows the feature film material.
Silva chose (wisely) to include a track from "Mask of the Phantasm" as well as the recent anime inspired saga, "Gotham Knight." Would you believe that Shirley Walker's cue from Phantasm is the best track on the entire compilation? Well, it's true, and the cue from Gotham Knight isn't too shabby either. It was a nice to hear these pieces re-scored for this album. And to add a dash of retro memories to the listening experience, Silva also included classic Batman music from the television movie and the main theme from the TV series. It was a delight to hear these re-recorded selections with their 1960s personas intact. It's tracks like these that give compilations a good name. Unfortunately, the modern Batman cues didn't offer enough value for me to be enthused about this release as whole. Subsequently, pass on this one and wait for a more comprehensive edition to make its way out.
