An exceptional Marvel Studios score
5
By Rurouni KJS
As much as I love Marvel Studios movies, their weak points have been their scoring. Outside of the Avengers theme from the 2012 film, it's hard to recall any memorable original music from any of them — and even when some make a thematic impression, the next film in the cycle gets scored by a completely different composer who usually ignores his predecessor's work. The result is a boring style of blandness virtually across the entire franchise.
But Goransson's music for "Black Panther" is unique. Taking full stock of the African diaspora and, likely (due to his long collaboration with director Ryan Coogler) not tied to temp tracks, Goransson freely does his thing, creating distinct themes and motifs for Black Panther/Wakanda, its kings, and especially its villain that help lift the whole film to a higher level. One of the best superhero scores in years — and one highly deserving of the Best Score Academy Award.