DJMC #8: Infinity – The Film

This week sees the release of highly anticipated Marvel summer event “Infinity.” Written by Jonathan Hickman and placed throughout an “Infinity” series as well as “New Avengers” and “Avengers,” this is the book that Marvel is throwing a lot of weight behind in terms of making that sweet summer punch-em-up action fest dollars. Sometimes people forget that comics have blockbusters just like movies do, and it wouldn’t be a comic summer without Marvel putting out some ultra-mega smashfest.

That said, I’d say that it’s a fair guess that the main purpose of “Infinity” — outside of letting Hickman potentially redeem the Event Name at Marvel — is to give folks who loved last summer’s Avengers film a place to dig into that mysterious purple wrinkled-chin fella who smiles at the thought of courting death: Thanos. Sure, there’s that Jason Aaron mini and all, but that’s not an event; “Infinity” is an EVENT!

I don’t think it’s too far out of line for us to really take this to the next level and view it as a full-length feature film blockbuster. I mean, it’s what it ostensibly is, right? We’re all on the same page here?

So with that in mind, what I’ve composed for today’s DJMC is a conceptual piece about who could score said film. I don’t think I’m alone in saying I like to listen to instrumental music when I read over pieces with lyrics, and the original iteration of DJMC (when I pitched it a year ago to team mates here at MC) was to take music that paired up along with your reading, leaning heavily towards instrumentals. Today’s DJMC, which I’ve entitled Infinity – The Film, essentially gives you potential composers that could enhance the reading of “Infinity” based on the likelihood that they would score an Infinity film adaptation.

Are we all with me? Ok. Good. If not, you’ll catch up quick; it’s simple enough.

Without further ado: Infinity.

Potential Composer #1: Hans Zimmer

I’m sure most of you reading this are familiar with Zimmer’s work, if only because he’s composed the scores for both major DC films of the past few years — Nolan’s Batman films and Man of Steel. You might then think it a bit lazy to pick him as a composer for this particular article, given that he’s already done the epic superhero film score, but look at his career; Zimmer is no stranger to the big epic scores at all, and he’s been doing them for sometime. Heck, the soundtrack to Thin Red Line from 1997 has the earliest iteration of the main theme you’ll hear in Inception, and they’re a decade apart.

No doubt Hans Zimmer is an amazing composer and I don’t think anyone would really doubt it, but what really sold me as Zimmer being right for pretty much anything is this:

Zimmer’s Inception finale score (recently placed in the X-Men: Days of Future Past leaked trailer, which I’m fond of noting) matches up almost *perfectly* with Chaplin’s famous Great Dictator speech, adding a lot of emotional depth to the performance and scene. There was always a lot of heart to Chaplin’s finale there, but Zimmer adds something interesting to it only present through the magic of YouTube.

So while Zimmer is obviously great at superhero film, he’s clearly fantastic at just creating strong emotional resonance with his scores. I think an Infinity film would need that to show the multi-layered production Hickman is assumedly going to bring to the event, don’t you think?

Sample Piece:

Potential Composer #2: Joseph Kosinski and Jon Hopkins

If Kosinski’s name doesn’t sound familiar to you, don’t be shocked. I don’t suppose it would. However, his last two claims to fame were — ready? — Tron: Legacy and Oblivion. I haven’t seen the latter and I know opinions on the former are divided, but what Kosinski brings to the table that other directors didn’t is a hands on approach to working with the score. Kosinski himself brought in Daft Punk and M83 for their respective films, and he really got a great performance out of each individual artist unlike anything they’d done before. I mean, even if you hated Legacy chances are you loved the score, right?

So my suggestion here is to take modern electro composer Jon Hopkins (who actually provided the score for Monsters, if you’ve seen that) and have Kosinski and Hopkins work together to pull out a huge and impactful electro score to go with the space epic of “Infinity.” I don’t know if I’m alone here, but if I think space I often think electronic music, and Kosinski and Hopkins could compliment each other rather nicely in this particular instance.

Sample Piece(s):

(On behalf of Kosinski)

(On behalf of Hopkins)

Potential Composer #3: Ramin Djawadi

Ramin Djawadi is someone whose really made a name for himself recently. Maybe you’re thinking, “Oh, the guy who scored Pacific Rim!“, and that’s an excellent point. But the reason Djawadi is becoming so incredibly prominent is because of the musical magic he is weaving on HBO’s Game of Thrones. The impact the majority of those scenes have wouldn’t have half as much depth if it weren’t for Djawadi’s use of recurring musical themes throughout the show, and if you haven’t been playing a “Drink every time ‘the Rains of Castomere’ is used in the score’ you’ve been missing out.

So with Djawadi, I find myself a massive fan due to the fact that he’s able to combine such an incredible epic feel to his work while also showing a level of musical creativity and talent that not too many other television show composers do. Honestly, most of the time TV shows just get throwaway scores, but Djawadi (along with three other people on this list) has proven that he understands the way to really build out a score the same way Howard Shore did for Lord of the Rings — and you may notice Shore didn’t make this list at all.

What I’m saying is: get Djawadi to create recognizable themes for all the Marvel characters and let him go wild on this thing. He’d kill it. He did in Pacific Rim, right?

Sample Piece:

Potential Composer #4: Bear McCreary

McCreary is the second composer notably from television to make it to this list. Why do you know his name? Maybe from The Walking Dead, but I want to reference his work on Battlestar Galactica. His work there is similar to Djawadi’s work on Thrones, but obviously with different a stylistic flair.

The reason I have so much love for McCreary, though, is that he managed to sneak in a famous song — “All Along the Watchtower” — into the background of the show for three seasons before I caught on with what that piece is. Maybe I’m just dumb and not as good at recognizing music as I’d like to pretend I am, but wow, he did that seamlessly. And then it had importance in the show’s story!

McCreary has had the opportunity to work on a number of films and shows, including other sci-fi features like the recent Europa Report so clearly he’s not a one hit wonder. I’d wager he could put together a rather deafeningly epic Infinity score.

Sample Piece:

Potential Composer #5: Michael Giacchino

Michael Giacchino is most known for his collaborations with JJ Abrams. That’s what I’d wager you’d recognize, anyway, and that’s what I’d reference in telling people about him — Lost, Star Trek, the one song at the end of Cloverfield. Giacchino has already proven that he gets big scores, that he gets epic scores. But not only that, Giacchino has proven that he can be nostalgic and even touching; that song that always makes you cry when you hear it from Up? Same guy.

Granted, I’m pulling him into this pool for his work on Lost and Star Trek, but I think that after creating a theme for the new Trek films that was infectious, catchy and memorable as the original theme, Giacchino has proven he can pretty much add a soundtrack to anything. And after the theme he gave Romulus in Trek, man, I bet he’d create the best recurring theme for Thanos this side of the galaxy.

If you ask me, Giacchino is probably my front runner for the project. He’s #5 on this list just because of how I grabbed the songs, but I’d put my money behind him in terms of really creating something incredible.

Sample Piece:

Potential Composer #6: Murray Gold

Murray Gold is perhaps the underdog on this list. The last of our television score writers, Gold is most famous these days for his work on seminal British television show Doctor Who, composing the theme for the Doctor and weaving it into the background of nearly every episode. But Gold doesn’t get nearly half as much credit as I think he deserves on that show; sure, Moffat and Smith and Gillan everyone make that show entertaining, but Gold is the one who really helps to bring those moments home. The second episode of the second half of Season 7, when the Doctor and Clara had to sing to that hideous sleeping nightmare entity? Where would that be without Gold? Just listen to this piece that didn’t make the soundtrack a couple times and tell me that scene wasn’t all him in some way. (I’m assuming you like Who here.)

Gold doesn’t have the illustrious credits that the others on this list do, but I think given the proper opportunity, Gold could truly hit the highs and lows that Infinity will inevitably need. I had to say that he’d be the “risk” on this list, but I’d certainly think that if the opportunity called to give someone new a chance to really make a name for himself, Gold could definitely be that name.

Sample Piece:

Potential Composer #7: Marc Streitenfeld

Back to the world of film, if you know Streitenfeld’s name then chances are you’re a fan of last summer’s Prometheus like I am. Prometheus had a very interesting score, unique to the Alien film series; it was filled throughout with a moody atmosphere that wasn’t afraid to strike a chord and be daunting while also on occasion uplifting (such as the main theme from the film). Streitenfeld made a real impression on me with his work on the score, and it is one I quickly acquired after the film to listen to while getting my work done.

While I’m not as familiar with Streitenfeld’s discography as I am some of the other composers on this list, I’d say that if I expect anything from Hickman’s event this summer, it’s probably something similar to Prometheus in its use of both blockbuster action and a thought-provoking narrative — and to me, that means Streitenfeld would be a good match for the piece overall.

(And yes, I know that Prometheus was rather unpopular with certain crowds, to which I say: phbbtt.)

Sample Piece:

Potential Composer #8: Clint Mansell

Clint Mansell is like Zimmer in that he’s perhaps the most famous name on here. You’ve probably heard Mansell’s scores in any number of films, such as the recent Stoker (that was particularly wow worthy — I grabbed it on vinyl after seeing the film, and woah, what an audible treasure). But if you remember correctly, Mansell alongside Mogwai did the score to a (fairly subpar) film called The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky, and it was particularly grand in scope. The finale in particular was memorable, if not for the quality of the film but because of the impact of it alongside this grandiose loud orchestra booming out a deafening score to the intense visuals.

I’ll never forget that piece or that ending, even if I didn’t particularly care for the film, and I’ve followed Mansell’s career in scores ever since. He has an impressive and diverse body of work, one often notable for how piercing it can be in quieter portions. Take a mix of what he does now with what he did with Mogwai on The Fountain and I’d say you have a pretty good set up for Infinity.

Sample Piece:

Potential Composer #9: Jon Murphy

Last but certainly not least, we come to Jon Murphy. Jon Murphy composed the score for one of my all time favorite sci-fi films, Sunshine. His score was a mixture of frightening and chaotic violins alongside slow, epic crescendos that swelled to emotional highs that made some of the moments in Sunshine downright devastating. I can think of no one better to match the horror of Thanos while also completely demolishing what will assumedly be a finale in which a hero makes a great sacrifice to fell the threat of Thanos and his incoming galactic armies of devastation akin to what Murphy put together for the end of Sunshine.

I have less to say about Murphy’s work here really because I have a hard time describing it. It’s one of those things best left heard. Most of the composers on this list will probably be familiar to various sections of fandom for any number of reasons, but I’d wager Murphy is potentially the most esoteric name among them. For that reason, I would say: listen to the piece I’ve selected below. Just sit, close your eyes (if you’re not at work or something) and get lost in the four and a half minute roller coaster that it will assumedly take you on. Picture Captain America throwing his shield one last time; picture Iron Man caring a nuke through a wormhole in space to destroy an army; picture any one of your favorite heroes giving his or her all to stop the villains.

That’s why Jon Murphy.

Sample Piece:

That’s it for this edition of DJMC. If you like what you hear or don’t, chime in in the comment section to let us know what you think of the mix and/or the column. You can also stream the whole thing right here: