Spider-Man: Homecoming: 8 Things It Must Learn From The Sam Raimi Originals

5. Great Music Can Go A Long Way

Spider Man.jpg
Columbia Pictures

The main theme from Spider-Man is one of the most iconic pieces of superhero music out there – it's genuinely difficult to think of anything that compares or competes. Brilliantly, Danny Elfman's theme works both bombastically for conjuring excitement and softly for evincing melancholy or defeat.

For some reason the MCU films are a lot more reluctant to give its heroes memorable theme music. There are exceptions, of course – the Thor theme fits his otherworldly nature very well - but, on the whole, it's a bit tougher to remember each hero's tune. Raimi's Spider-Man really shows that a good theme is a terrific way of establishing a character in the audience's mind, and variations on this theme (for example, a triumphant version during the hero's final victory) can raise the emotional stakes.

That's not to say the intention here won't be to write top-notch, fitting music, but with such a strong musical legacy for this character that isn't there for others, hopefully Homecoming can follow Elfman's lead and deliver one of the MCU's best scores.

Contributor
Contributor

Commonly found reading, sitting firmly in a seat at the cinema (bottle of water and a Freddo bar, please) or listening to the Mountain Goats.