Thinking Out Loud: DC's Music Problem

This is something I touched on back in my Justice League (2017), but I think the DCU films have a big problem with how they approach music. Justice League is probably the prime example, with the sequences around Superman's returns (from the grave, then to the fight with Steppenwolf) using a minor-key version of the John Williams "Superman Theme" for the 'down' segment of the Justice League fighting Supes and a major-key take on Hanz Zimmer's 'Man of Steel' score when the Big Blue Boy Scout shows up to save the day. Now, is that a clever twist, on the face of it? Yes. But does it pay off in the moment? Not really. The Williams 'Superman Theme' is one of, if not the most, iconic superhero theme songs ever written, not using it has long been a point of contention with the fans, so using it in the moment where the DCU Superman finally becomes the iconic hero he 'should' be, where is that swelling, triumphant theme? Again, it just really seems like an odd choice. The use of the Danny Elfman 'Batman' theme when Batman starts his suicide run against the Parademons is pretty much perfect and an analogous moment for the character coming back from his own 'Dark Knight of the Soul'. Was this just not caught in editing, or did the producers still think they were onto a winner with Man of Steel somehow? 

Probably the worst hit across the films she's in is Wonder Woman, who leaps into the franchise for the first time in the battle against Doomsday with the iconic "Is She With You?" blaring. It's a great track, sounding like nothing else in the film, and immediately marking itself as the Wonder Woman theme for the foreseeable future. So why isn't it ever used again? Seriously, neither in Wonder Woman nor Justice League does the same track appear again. The music used for Diana is similar, works around the same themes, plays with variations on "Is She With You?", but never does that track appear again. Isn't that just a little strange? I know that composers need to stay employed, but not having the iconic track most associated with the character in films featuring that character just continues to confuse me. Speaking of iconic themes, why hasn't there been an appearance of the 1966 Batman theme or '70s Wonder Woman theme, like the Spider-Man films always tend to work in? Even The Lego Batman Movie used a sample from the 1966 theme to great effect, why is there no radio or phone ringtone quietly blasting the Shirley Walker classic? 

Those who disagree with my sentiments may make reference to the, very-popular, Suicide Squad soundtrack, but, well, that wasn't really a great work of cinematic composing either. Yes, the soundtrack is full of great songs, but all of those songs were great before they were in the film; the compiling of the soundtrack was a cynical effort to put songs that people already liked together, that's why it sounds like a mixtape. But what about The Guardians of the Galaxy? Well, for starters, the soundtrack is partly diegetic and is an ACTUAL mixtape given to the protagonist in the prologue, rather than just a bunch of songs with no real connection. Also, the 'Awesome Mix' soundtracks have some awesome deep-cuts like Redbone, Jay and the Americans and Parliament, so the comparison is really only surface-level. Both Aquaman and SHAZAM! had solid, if not overly-memorable soundtracks, but neither really has an iconic them song to begin with, so no-harm, no-foul. Much like the DCU films themselves, I think there's a great deal of potential for their soundtracks to really be something special. Acknowledging that something has come before that people really enjoyed, be it from 1966, 1975 or 1989, could really boost the emotional impact of the films and their overall appeal; because, at the end of the day, I just want to watch good superhero films.