Marvel Cinematic Universe: Soundtrack Scores Ranked From Worst To Best
16. Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol 2
Bates returns to score the second Guardians film and it is a step up from his first attempt. The theme returns, suitably heroic here. The film however was released after Mad Max: Fury Road and in the second track on the album that is plain to see.
Junkie XL's score to Fury Road drove the descending string line in our heads for all time and that very same idea is presented here. It would be a stretch to say that it was a copy, something that Bates would surely have been more aware of than most, but its influence is more than apparent.
Much like the first film, Awesome Mix, Vol. 2 does tend to override the score for much of the film, though less so this time around. It is as though Bates has learned from what worked and what didn't in the first film, balancing the cues a little better. The softer cues ring for a longer time, while the heroic notes ring out a little more clearly.
The album owes a lot to Brian Tyler's music for both Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 3, yet it still feels like a massive step up for Bates in terms of quality. If Bates returns for Guardians 3, and continues on this upward journey, there could easily be a fantastic score in the making. In the meantime, Guardians 2 is a score that deserves as much attention as any Awesome Mix ever has.