Tyler Bates frequently collaborates with director Zack Snyder, having scored the films Dawn of the Dead, 300, Watchmen, and Sucker Punch (the last with Marius de Vries). James Gunn of Guardians of the Galaxy fame also employed Bates for his films Slither and Super. Bates notoriously plagiarized Elliot Goldenthal's masterful score for Titus in 300; Warner Brothers was even forced to put a disclaimer on the film's DVD and website stating that portions of Goldenthal's score had been used without attribution. One can argue all day about whether this was Bates's fault or Snyder's/the producers for asking Bates to adhere too closely to the temp track. Listening to the two scores, however, it becomes clear that Bates's track is a pale imitation of Goldenthal's "Victorious Titus."
Plagiarism aside, I don't really care for Bates's musical style. The Philip Glass music in Watchmen rises above the rest of Bates's score, trumping it not only in terms of pure musical aesthetic value, but also in its effectiveness against the scene of Dr. Manhattan on Mars. Guardians of the Galaxy is by far the best score I've heard from Bates, featuring a few of effective tracks ("Black Tears," "The Ballad of the Nova Corps," and "Groot Spores") and a theme that sounds like Alan Silvestri's theme from The Avengers in Brian Tyler mode. But Bates lacks Tyler's and Silvestri's orchestral acumen; the action tracks contain rather monotonous unison string rhythms, lacking excitement and propulsive drive. As far as Marvel Studios scores go, it's better than Ramin Djawadi's score for Iron Man, but that's faint praise indeed.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
