The Dark Knight soundtrack review

A great film isn’t without a great score and Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard did just that. More than rehashing their good work on Batman Begins, they continued themes from that film and introduced new ones. The soundtrack starts off in a rousing and violent way with “Why so Serious?” a long ten minute piece of jarring guitars and scary slicing noises. It all begins with a hum that turns into a new screech that becomes the warning sign for the impending violence the Joker will deliver. It’s a standout piece of music, one in which many have talked about in remembering why the Joker is so scary.

Throughout the 14 tracks Zimmer and Newton tackle themes more than covering action set pieces, like most composers would’ve done. “Harvey Two-Face” is Dent’s theme, a warm, inviting piece that towards the end hints at turmoil we will see later on. One of the brilliant ideas they introduced here was to incorporate each character’s theme into other tracks, like “A Dark Knight” which is the final track that complies Dent’s, Joker’s, and Batman’s themes all the while saying musically what the film is about.

The overall mood is dark, naturally, but Zimmer and Newton have some fun with “Like a Dog Chasing Cars” and “A Little Push”. The moody tracks evoke the dark, sadistic nature of the Joker while being comic in essence. The soundtrack is listenable outside of the film too, which is a quality I look for. “Blood on My Hands” might be the saddest piece of music this year, a mournful tale of the guilt Batman feels. It’s a dark, epic beautiful score and The Dark Knight is one of 2008′s best scores.

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