The wait for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is almost over. Awareness of the movie’s release date (and our proximity to it) has become hard coded in the minds of anyone who’s ever expressed interest in either The Man of Steel or The Dark Knight. Yes, it’s that big of a deal. As a matter of fact, judging by what we’ve seen so far of Batman v Superman, everything about it – from the two superhero titans waging war against one another, to the methods they employ in battle, to the villains along for the ride - are all a very big deal.
This is exactly why it was a must that the Batman v Superman soundtrack possess its own qualities of power and grandeur. Previously, we’d been treated to tiny teases of the Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL (aka Tom Holkenborg) composed soundtrack, but now the album’s first full-length release, “Their War Here”, has arrived online.
The track comes in at just over four and a half minutes and boasts the sort of intensity that one would expect from Zimmer and Junkie XL. Both musicians have worked together in the past - most notably on the score for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, as well as Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Zimmer had originally been hired to compose the Batman v Superman soundtrack, but had reservations over creating a secondary theme for Batman so soon after after having composed material for Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. The solution was to bring in Dutch composer Junkie XL (whose most recent soundtrack is for another colossal production - Mad Max: Fury Road) which allowed the co-composers to focus on different aspects of the scoring process, while at the same time remaining true to what both they and Snyder felt would be the ideal fit.
For all its sound and fury however, “Their War Here” doesn’t move too far out of the realm of a standard superhero movie song. It hits big where it’s supposed to and goes angelically quiet where one would expect. Yes, there are numerous tracks yet to be heard, but “Their War Here” comes off slightly paint-by-numbers – something that the movie itself hopefully isn’t.
To be fair though, this single composition does deliver as a means of keeping with Batman v Superman’s cinematic heft. Whatever familiarity the track might have still manages to accomplish what it sets out to do. With its pounding drums and tight string sections, it’s rather effortless to imagine two of the greatest superheroes ever facing off with explosive results.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice opens on March 25, 2016, which is followed by Suicide Squad on August 5, 2016; Wonder Woman on June 23, 2017; Justice League Part One on November 17, 2017; The Flash on March 16, 2018; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League Part Two on June 14, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps. on June 19, 2020.
