Page 1 of Similar film music examples....

So Commando was on TV last night, and I happened to catch the bit where Arnie is breaking in to a warehouse. The music on that section was almost identical to a section of the `Aliens` score (both by James Horner), and it got me thinking about other examples of music/film music that seem very similar. Here`s a couple of others....

James Horner seems very guilty of ripping himself off on more than one occasion. Commando`s steel drums seems very, very similar to his score for `48 Hrs:....

Commando (listen at 0.30 to hear the similarities):

48 hrs:




And another that always reminded me of each other (though not as obvious as the above) is the brass section in Superstitious by Stevie Winder (after the chorus) and the theme for Robert De Niro`s `Midnight Run` movie:

Midnight Run (listen at 0.45 to hear the similarities):




Superstitious (listen at 1.18 to hear the similarities):





Harold Feltermeyer has ripped himself off as well with `Beverly Hills Cop`s "Axel F" and `Fletch` themes, noticeably on the bass lines:

Fletch:




Beverly Hills Cop`s "Axel F" (still probably the best electro song ever made):





There are many more examples out there, but I can`t think of them right now. I`d need to see the movies to be inspired.

Any one else got any other comparisons?

Jme

Google Tyler Bates and Titus...

I`m sure the music used during various scenes in Wrath of Khan (think that is also Horner) is very similar to other films, he definiteily has a distinct style.

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Same can be said for John Williams. First time I heard the first HP soundtrack I heard elements from Indiana Jones, star wars and even a touch of superman. When a composer finds a spike or a note or sting they like, they implement it in most of their work, kinda like a signature

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Speaking of signature notes/themes etc, James Horner is particularly notable for his four note "danger" motif, which he has used in many of his scores, including prominent instances in Avatar, The Perfect Storm, Troy, Enemy At The Gates and more.

Most composers have a distinctive overall sound that they rarely deviate from. A good example is the recent Batman films - the action scenes are scored by Hans Zimmer, the drama/character scenes by James Newton Howard. It is very easy to identify which composer`s music is playing at any one time as they both have very particular sounds. Zimmer loves his synths, Howard loves his strings.

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