Why Giacchino's Fantastic Four Music is So Important

This week, I did a deep dive on a piece of music I can't stop thinking about Michael Giacchino's new Fantastic Four theme.

Image via ComicBook.com

I loved analyzing this track or one, the film comes out next month and the official track was released last week!!!

But also because on the surface, it's a masterclass in classic, effective thematic writing.

It opens with a deceptively simple, lullaby-like texture built on a pure G-C-C-G (I-IV-IV-I) progression.

Then, it builds into a powerful heroic anthem, with the French horns and trumpets carrying a strong, memorable melody!

All staples of a classic superhero score.

But what makes this piece so exciting for me is where Giacchino intentionally breaks from that structure.

He's managed to create a theme that feels both completely new and instantly iconic!

It perfectly capturing the 60s retro-futuristic sound Marvel is clearly aiming for with this specific team.

But there's one chord baked into the theme that feels both heroic and SUPER ominous at the same time.

I talk about it a lot in my latest video!

The thing is, I spent A LOT of time trying to put the "correct" music theory label on it...

• Is it a simple borrowed, major VI in a major key?
• Is it an augmented chord?
• A major I chord with a realllllly long appoggiatura?

In the process, I had to remind myself of something important:

The name doesn't really matter.

Yes, theory is essential for understanding our tools.

But at a certain point, what matters more is understanding WHY a specific sound is effective.

HOW it serves the story!

Giacchino didn't choose that specific combination of notes to satisfy diehard theory enthusiasts!

I'm convinced he chose it because it creates a very specific feeling!

• It creates a cosmic sense of scale.
• Of unease hiding within triumph.
• Of a threat on the horizon.

I'm sure there's a musically correct name for what Giacchino is doing...but I don't care!

I care about the story.

I care about how I can get inspired from the effects of that chord!

For me, this theme is a powerful reminder that our ultimate job as composers isn't always to just write technically correct music...

But to write effective music.

It's about using harmony, texture, and melody to create a specific emotional response that serves a larger narrative!

Again, I unpack this whole idea, with a deep dive into that specific chord and the four-act story the theme tells, in my latest YouTube video!

I’d love for you to check out the full breakdown below!

Let me know what you think.