Danny Elfman's Batman theme music had become a pop culture classic even before it was repeated in a parade of Bat sequels, proving to be every bit as enduring as John Williams' tunes from Star Wars, Superman, or Jaws. This is due not only to the film's box office success, but also to its hummability and its seemingly inevitable appropriateness for the dark superhero epic. The score is perhaps best remembered for its darkly sweeping strings and energetically unremitting blasts of brass, but there are also some quietly beguiling moments with piano, a boys choir, and a music box. Compared to other action movie scores, even the noisily foreboding music from the scenes of danger and battle are relatively listenable on CD. ~ Darryl Cater