Flickering Myth’s writing team discuss their favourite movie soundtracks; next up is Ozzy Armstrong with Watchmen…
When thinking of classic film scores and soundtracks, it’s often hard to pick out a favourite amongst so many excellent examples of the use of music in film.
I’ve been thinking back to the classics like Back to the Future for its catchy riffs and easy to remember lyrics. On the other hand, something like No Country for Old Men should be given its due thanks to its sparing use of sound and almost non-existent score.
Eventually I managed to narrow my options down to just two films, one being one of my all-time favourite films, Rocky.
Tracks like ‘Gonna Fly Now’ and ‘Eye of the Tiger’ are instantly recognisable in today’s society and everyone can close their eyes and imagine Rocky running up the stairs or achieving the impossible in the ring. Furthermore, the subtle score accompanying these classics is superbly understated and subtly adds to the slight facial changes and emotions present on screen.
After a lot of thought, I realised that as good as the Rocky soundtrack is, there is only one film that immediately jumped to mind as I started writing this, and that film is Watchmen.
In case you haven’t got around to seeing it (for shame), Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 where superheroes have existed for years but have been forced into hiding. The murder of a colleague sends active vigilante Rorschach into his own sprawling investigation, the repercussions of which could change the course of human fate.
This may seem like a surprising choice given the many excellent films that you are probably thinking of but for me it’s easily the one that surpassed everything that it needed to do whilst making the film much more accessible to the audience.
We’re introduced to the film’s score early on when a vicious fight scene takes place set to the dulcet tones of Nat King Cole and ‘Unforgettable’. We may smile a little as we watch this odd coupling but the excellent juxtaposition completely lets you know that you are going to be watching a film that is different from any other superhero outing. This song is also the first of many where we’re given music that hints at the tone and content of a scene with the character who is about to die being truly unforgettable, though not always for the right reasons.
As the dust from this opening scene settles, we’re introduced further into the world of the Watchmen as the opening credits start and we bear witness to one of the single best uses of music a film has ever produced. Bob Dylan’s ‘The Times They Are a-Changin” plays as we’re shown the complete back story of the film including former supes, deaths and the changing of the world throughout its history thanks to superheroes existing in this world. Not only is the song an excellent vocalisation that the times are indeed different from the world we know, but it also shows us that the world isn’t done changing, thereby setting up the rest of the film perfectly. This brilliant opening also helps the director remove as much exposition as possible so he can concentrate on the story at hand. For a film like Watchmen, this is very good thing as the film clocks in at nearly three hours as it is.
The use of iconic songs from yesteryear continues throughout and we’re treated to some real gems that make us sometimes smile, often think and occasionally get the hairs on our neck standing up. Another particularly excellent musical moment is the Dr Manhattan transformation scene where use of serene yet powerful music taken from the Koyaanisqatsi soundtrack gives us an unexpected chill as we see a man’s humanity begin to slip away.
I could speak on about the use of brilliant tracks by Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Leonard Cohen or how the score constantly keeps you engaged yet off-guard but that could take away from the majesty of the piece as a whole so I’ll simply say this: Watchmen as a superhero movie is very good and is well worth your time but, thanks to the soundtrack, it’s elevated in my opinion to one of the very best movies of all time.
Ozzy Armstrong is a Stargate and Rocky superfan. Follow him on Twitter.
Originally published June 11, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
