Michael Giacchino is a master of homage. The composer (and rising director) has a way with established IP: in his contributions to the Star Trek franchise and the Star Wars galaxy, Giacchino always finds a way to thread the familiar with the fresh. Musical motifs that once felt too precious to meddle with — think the iconic Mission: Impossible theme — take on new life in his scores, but he’s just as adept at carving entirely new worlds out of the old.
Giacchino has been delivering stellar music for decades, but one of the best examples of his vision may still be 2004’s The Incredibles. It feels like the perfect summation of his influences, combining percussive, jazzy spy themes with the epic fanfare you expect from a classic superhero movie.
The composer has brought those same instincts to later projects, including his seventh visit to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, where Giacchino is composing the score for one of Marvel’s most anticipated projects, Fantastic Four: First Steps. As the film ramps up production, the composer has unveiled bits and pieces of his latest superhero theme, and after exclusive teases at Comic-Con and D23, fans have been treated to a full preview of Giacchino’s Fantastic Four theme.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra recently performed an MCU medley at the Hollywood Bowl, and during an impromptu “post-credits” moment, Giacchino introduced the theme for Fantastic Four: First Steps. The score’s jaunty themes feel reminiscent of Giacchino’s Spider-Man score, and it also takes cues from his work on J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot and Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland. But the chief comparison has got to be The Incredibles. These projects have plenty in common, and the Pixar film is a clear homage to Marvel’s First Family. The fact that Giacchino gets the chance to compose music for both projects is a great full-circle moment.
Giacchino seems at home in retro-futurist worlds, and the First Steps theme captures all the hope and grandeur one might expect from a reimagined 1960s. If nothing else, it feels like the soundtrack to a space voyage, raising the question of what other ideas Giacchino’s score will attempt to capture. It won’t be too long before fans can hear the rest of his work, but the sneak peeks he’s offered already paint a clear picture of what to expect from the new film.
