NO TIME TO DIE (2021) - Discuss Hans Zimmer's Score

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  • Posts: 831
    I've probably listened to the score 25 times in the last week and I just keep loving it more and more.

    As someone who is (definitively) obsessed with Bond music, specifically Barry's and Arnold's, and who has also become a major fan of Zimmer -- this is just all the best parts of all my favorite worlds colliding.

    I've been front row for Hans' work across the last decade, taking so many of my other favourite characters on new and iconic musical journeys (Batman, Superman, Inception, Interstellar, Gladiator, Pirates, and more). To have him give me this absolute gift of a Bond score just feels...gah, emotional. It's like the completion of a journey for me as well with the best possible (and natural) payoff.

    I can't say it enough. Bravo. It's everything I could want from a Bond score.

    (And a little bit, literally, what I want from a Batman one). :D :D :D
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,546
    I didn't listen to the soundtrack at all before watching the film as I wanted it to be fresh (especially after Spectre recycling Skyfall's soundtrack) and I have to say, I was a touch underwhelmed. Loved parts of it though.
  • RoadphillRoadphill United Kingdom
    Posts: 984
    I didn't listen to the soundtrack at all before watching the film as I wanted it to be fresh (especially after Spectre recycling Skyfall's soundtrack) and I have to say, I was a touch underwhelmed. Loved parts of it though.

    I agree. The only memorable parts where the OHMSS cues.

    I'm really surprised, as I am a big fan of Zimmer's work, particularly on the TDK trilogy and Inception (Time is a truly remarkable piece of music). I kind of feel like he went away from his recent style a bit to try and ape John Barry.

    I love John Barry's work, he's one of the all time great composers but Hans would have been better to stick with what has brought him to the dance. This score is unfortunately neither fish, nor fowl.
  • I cant stop listening to the soundtrack - especially for Matera which is so beautiful.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited October 2021 Posts: 40,960
    Some tracks were a bit forgettable or didn't really stand out for me, but when the music is working ('Final Ascent,' I believe, 'Matera,' 'Cuba Chase'), it's some of the best the series has to offer. Infinitely better than anything Newman delivered in his two films, for sure. Good stuff.
  • Posts: 831
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Some tracks were a bit forgettable or didn't really stand out for me, but when the music is working ('Final Ascent,' I believe, 'Matera,' 'Cuba Chase'), it's some of the best the series has to offer. Infinitely better than anything Newman delivered in his two films, for sure. Good stuff.

    +1. And I really liked Newman's scores - especially Skyfall, which I'd go as far as saying I loved. But they just lacked the impact, the satiation, and the consistently confident Bondness that Zimmer's work has. Love it.
  • Posts: 7,507
    The more I think about it, the more I´m happy Hans Zimmer was in charge of this. The ending of NTTD was a particular challenge to score. In lesser hands it could have been either unbearebly cheesy or feel not grand enough. Zimmer found the perfect balance. He nailed it!
  • Posts: 3,164
    Mazzaro released the track from the Norway opening (goes after the Gunbarrel before Matera) -

    https://www.stevemazzaro.com/news/no-time-to-die-unreleased-music
  • DCisaredDCisared Liverpool
    Posts: 1,329
    AgentM72 wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Some tracks were a bit forgettable or didn't really stand out for me, but when the music is working ('Final Ascent,' I believe, 'Matera,' 'Cuba Chase'), it's some of the best the series has to offer. Infinitely better than anything Newman delivered in his two films, for sure. Good stuff.

    +1. And I really liked Newman's scores - especially Skyfall, which I'd go as far as saying I loved. But they just lacked the impact, the satiation, and the consistently confident Bondness that Zimmer's work has. Love it.

    Agree with everything you just said!
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    edited October 2021 Posts: 4,341
    antovolk wrote: »
    Mazzaro released the track from the Norway opening (goes after the Gunbarrel before Matera) -

    https://www.stevemazzaro.com/news/no-time-to-die-unreleased-music

    Cool! But don't pull the volume up to full when you start listening to it, I just nearly had a heart attack.
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 3,996
    Roadphill wrote: »
    I didn't listen to the soundtrack at all before watching the film as I wanted it to be fresh (especially after Spectre recycling Skyfall's soundtrack) and I have to say, I was a touch underwhelmed. Loved parts of it though.

    I agree. The only memorable parts where the OHMSS cues.

    I'm really surprised, as I am a big fan of Zimmer's work, particularly on the TDK trilogy and Inception (Time is a truly remarkable piece of music). I kind of feel like he went away from his recent style a bit to try and ape John Barry.

    I love John Barry's work, he's one of the all time great composers but Hans would have been better to stick with what has brought him to the dance. This score is unfortunately neither fish, nor fowl.

    Agreed. I expected much better from Zimmer. I own a huge amount of his scores. At worst it all sounds generic. I think Newman's Skyfall score is far superior to this. It's also It's own thing.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,180
    Zimmer has a few standout cues, but I think Newman’s SF is the overall better score. It has more variety and flavor to it. That said, Zimmer and his team had a very short window to make the score, so in a lot of ways it’s compromised.

    Would be interesting if they ask Zimmer back and he has more development time to flesh out a wholly original score.
  • edited October 2021 Posts: 255
    antovolk wrote: »
    Mazzaro released the track from the Norway opening (goes after the Gunbarrel before Matera) -

    https://www.stevemazzaro.com/news/no-time-to-die-unreleased-music

    Nice thank you, hope we get more tracks from the unreleased stuff
    zebrafish wrote: »
    Cool! But don't pull the volume up to full when you start listening to it, I just nearly had a heart attack.

    Holy sh*t, thanks for the warning
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 25,047
    Just listed to NTTD score again then after Final Descent I jumped to
    We Have All The Time In The World from OHMSS score. I felt that swell of emotion.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,546
    Listening to the soundtrack on it's own now. Cuba Chase is an absolute monster, really. In the theatre you really feel the moment where
    Bond downs his scotch to go to the car and the low horns come in with the driving Bond theme
    , but listening to the song on it's own, the other parts of the track really shine as well.
  • Posts: 831
    antovolk wrote: »
    Mazzaro released the track from the Norway opening (goes after the Gunbarrel before Matera) -

    https://www.stevemazzaro.com/news/no-time-to-die-unreleased-music

    That scene is so incredible. I'm surprised it was that long! (5:08). Feels more like 3 minutes watching it in the cinema. And as unorthodox and ambient as this track is, it's absolutely gripping.
  • After watching the film and going back it the score - still amazing work from Hans. Hope he comes back for another one!
  • Posts: 831
    Feel obligated to point out we should be giving Steve Mazzaro a lot of the share for this praise as well. I bet he contributed more of the score than we might think.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,583
    Not sure where this question belongs, but anyone know the music playing in the nightclub when Bond is meeting with Felix and Ash?
  • astansillastansill London
    Posts: 34
    My thoughts on the score….
    Before hearing the score and having read the early reviews on the forum, I was really expecting a “Barry” score. I’d say if anything it’s closer to an ‘Arnold’ score. The only “Barry” I get from the score are the cues he’s used from OHMSS.
    Overall it’s a Zimmer score, which is an incredible score, much better than I anticipated. It’s a shame that the ending (no spoilers) uses almost recycled material from other Zimmer scores (‘Time’ from ‘Inception’ springs to mind and could almost be slotted in to the last scene) rather than something more Bond-like.
    Bearing in mind that Zimmer & Co were only brought in to the project very late to re-score the film, they’ve done a really great job and stands out as the best score since CR in my opinion.
    I hope that if Zimmer returns to score Bond 26, coming in to the project early on, we will get an even more Bond-like suitable score.

    Ps. I’d love to hear a demo of what Dan Romer had in mind for the film, just to get a feel of the direction he was taking it. This will likely never happen though and I imagine much is deleted or hidden away on Dan’s personal hard drive never to be reopened. :(
  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,641
    I wish the soundtrack was a bit longer to appreciate the score more. Primo attacking the lab sounded great and I don't think that's on there

    The more I think about it the more I'm disappointed with the reuse of OHMSS theme.
    It's well done, especially the slowed rendition, but it feels out of place and takes me out of those scenes in NTTD.
    Zimmer and Mazzaro are talented guys surely they could come up with something more original?
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,180
    There is Madeleine’s theme that Newman established. If they can use Vesper’s, they could have easily use Madeleine’s.



    IMO it reflects her character far better than WHATTITW.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,207
    Yes, I loved the WHATTITW references when I heard them on the album at first (and said as much on here). They're beautiful, lush and romantic as they always were and Zimmer did a good job recreating them.

    But then, hearing them in the film, my instincts were "Oh this just doesn't feel right." The use of the song title in dialogue more than once also caused a groan for me, but that's another matter.

    I did love Madeleine's theme from SP, too. It had a wispy, lonely quality to it that fit the character.
  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,641
    There is Madeleine’s theme that Newman established. If they can use Vesper’s, they could have easily use Madeleine’s.



    IMO it reflects her character far better than WHATTITW.

    I agree completely.
    The only other piece of music I could picture for Madeline, is the beautiful piano during Secret Room on the Spectre soundtrack


    The cue that starts at 0.51 should have been Madeline's equivalent to Vesper's theme
  • BondAficionadoBondAficionado Former IMDBer
    Posts: 1,889
    Gradually warming up to Zimmer's (and Mazzaro's) score I must admit. Favorite track is probably 'I'll Be Right Back'. It combines some of the finer motifs all in the one track, even if it does sound a bit like TDK towards the end. Still not a fan of relying on Barry's OHMSS themes though.

    My OST rankings for Craig's films -

    1. Casino Royale
    2. Quantum of Solace
    3. No Time To Die
    4. Skyfall
    5. SPECTRE
  • Posts: 7,405
    Yes, I loved the WHATTITW references when I heard them on the album at first (and said as much on here). They're beautiful, lush and romantic as they always were and Zimmer did a good job recreating them.

    But then, hearing them in the film, my instincts were "Oh this just doesn't feel right." The use of the song title in dialogue more than once also caused a groan for me, but that's another matter.

    I did love Madeleine's theme from SP, too. It had a wispy, lonely quality to it that fit the character.

    +1
    I know theres a lot more things to be discussing/debating about NTTD
    But reusing WHATTITW in the film just didnt feel right for me either!
    When I do my annual Christmas watch of OHMSS this year, and that music appears, I will be distracted by its use in NTTD!
  • edited October 2021 Posts: 2,159
    To me, the OHMSS theme and WHATTITW are intrinsically tied to that movie.

    Even Arnold, the biggest fan of Barry going, didnt dare touch the master’s actual work, beyond the Bond theme itself.

    Depending on your view, its either a great homage to the best music in the series, or a cheap and lazy way of wringing an emotional response out of a scene by recalling memories of a previous film and characters, and not the characters in this one.
  • For me, I'm in the 'like' category. But I can see how it could take some people out of the film. Us Bond fans notice it, but I don't think the average audience member will even know its from another Bond film.
  • WillardWhyteWillardWhyte Midnight Society #ProjectMoon
    Posts: 784
    After downloading the score, and giving it a proper listen start to finish, there are so really good uses of the Bond theme. I did enjoy the nods to OHMSS, and I don't think they were used in a bad way.

    I can understand how some people would be turned off with the OHMSS bits though. Keep them to the masterpiece only you know. The best part is, they still hold up on screen after all these years though. That's the sign of a true musical genius in John Barry. Timeless music.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited October 2021 Posts: 16,344
    Having seen it I think it is, as I expected from when I first listened to the album, really very effective in the film. No massive problems with it, it just works. And towards the ending of course it's extremely effective.
    No hugely memorable moments music-wise though I'd say, apart from probably Final Ascent's appearance where it takes over the whole sound mix.

    Cowley wrote: »
    I listened to the soundtrack today but despite having just seen the film a third time and the track titles I couldn't place some of them in the film.

    It's a bit too nondescript for me. Maybe the Zimmer name is saving him from the criticism thrown at Newman. Newman was slated for re-using motifs in SP from SF but at least they were his character motifs and not from John Barry.

    Tend to agree: Zimmer seems very much guilty of the same 'crimes' (no full versions of the Bond theme, reused themes, barely any title song, action cues very reliant on rhythms rather than melody etc. etc.) and yet gets a free pass.
    I don't actually regard any of those as huge crimes so I think this is a decent enough score. I don't think it's one I'll ever love. For me I prefer Newman's scores in general: a touch more thematic and lush, but Zimmer's action stuff is better and it's not a bad score by any means.
    Cowley wrote: »
    I listened to the soundtrack today but despite having just seen the film a third time and the track titles I couldn't place some of them in the film.

    It's a bit too nondescript for me. Maybe the Zimmer name is saving him from the criticism thrown at Newman. Newman was slated for re-using motifs in SP from SF but at least they were his character motifs and not from John Barry.

    I think the title song should have been edited for the title sequence - heck they cut the first verse of LTK - to get to the chorus quicker, all a bit of a slog. That and the tired credit sequence are a bigger downer than the film's ending.

    I've always been fascinated by the way that they cut out that verse in the LTK credits. Then again they also cut out the intro, which I think is very different to how any other Bond theme begins.

    You know I think I've never noticed that missing verse. The cuts to the GoldenEye and Skyfall songs are the ones I always noticed more.

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