Batman Forever (1995) - Soundtrack

I have only seen snippets and sections of Batman Forever (1995), not the complete movie, from beginning to end.

According to the liner notes for this 'Expanded Archival Collection' release, the studio wanted to move away from the dark and grotesque stylings that saturated Batman Returns. The third Batman movie needed to be far lighter in tone and accessible to an all ages audience.

This mandate led to Burton exiting the director's chair and Joel Schumacher taking his place. Something that also led to the exodus of both star Michael Keaton and composer Danny Elfman.

"I was asked to 'reinvent, freshen the franchise,'" Schumacher, who passed away in 2020, is quoted in the liner notes. "And because we had a different Batman and a younger cast in general, I thought it would be insulting to Tim Burton, and especially Danny Elfman, if we used their music." 

Schumacher requested Elliot Goldenthal after hearing a recording of the composer's score for Demolition Man (1993). It was an excellent choice.

It was a combination of good timing and my completist nature that led to my adding this score to my collection. I have the soundtracks for the first two films, why not the toss in the third. Just for continuity's sake?

Alien 3 (1992) - Soundtrack

The Alien trilogy, back when it could qualify as one, paralleled Romero's Dead trilogy, back when it also could qualify as one, to a certain extent.

Night of the Living Dead and Alien were both commercial and artistic successes that had distinct influences on their respective genres. The same applies to their sequels, Dawn of the Dead and Aliens, which amped up the action and expanded the scope of the fictional worlds in which their stories took place.

Then came Day of the Dead and Alien 3. Both were dark and downbeat films that did not sit all that well with audiences or critics. While Day is my favorite of Romero's zombie films, Alien 3 is not my favorite Alien movie. While there are plenty of things I like about Alien 3, they do not come together to form a satisfying whole. The film is unfocused and clunky. The result of studio interference, no doubt.

Elliot Goldenthal's score is one of those things I like about the movie. Just not enough to switch out this original soundtrack album 1992 release for the expanded, remastered edition put out by La-La Land Records in 2018. So it goes.