Rating: - What really makes this soundtrack a true X-Men based medium
So far, there have been two takes on the X-Men music: Michael Kamen's score and John Ottman's score. The differences between their scores are great, but the attitudes they created in their music are very similar. However, as far as which one comes out on top, Kamen does so, but this soundtrack may not do Kamen's score justice.
Kamen uses an up-to-date scoring style, with a bit of techno instruments mixed in with the orchestra. Ottman chooses to keep to a more traditional scoring style, as his idols are traditional musicians such as John Williams. This is a great difference in the scores of each film, but Kamen's style keeps more true to a theme such as X-Men. X-Men takes place in the future, and a techno style scoring keeps more true to that theme. In addition, when watching these films, you may feel the difference in this (for instance: in X-Men, use Magneto's stand off with the cops compared to X2's segment of Magneto in Striker's base and twisting the plot).
The attitudes that both composers create are very similar, and they are wonderful takes on the themes that reflect upon each character/group/event. So it's hard to say which theme is better over the other. However, the theme that is COMPLETELY different between the two scores is the theme for the X-Men, themselves. Kamen's theme for the X-Men is hard to describe, but it is very unique and fits the X-Men persona perfectly. Whereas Ottman's score is a very heroic theme that represents a superhero team. This is the trouble with Ottman's theme for the X-Men: it can be associated for any other superhero team, from the Avengers to the Justice League to the Fantastic Four (of which Ottman is scoring as well). It spares any uniqueness that could reflect the persona of the X-Men and just gives us an upbeat, superhero theme that amuses us. We're bound to hear a similar theme again from some other superhero franchise.
This X-Men soundtrack is really, as I feel, a wonderful score to such a franchise, but unfortunately, it's edited a bit much and leaves out some important instrumentals, which is evident once you listen to the end credits in the movie. Overall though, Kamen used all the necessary means to convey the X-Men universe in its grandest fashion, including the techno instruments and themes. But what truly makes this a solid piece for the X-Men is Kamen's style. This score could not have come to fruition without Kamen and his thinking. It's too bad that he died; I would have greatly anticipated his second take on the franchise if he was ever given the opportunity. But as a recommendation, otherwise, Ottman is a good choice; just PLLEEAASSE change or alter the X-Men theme to one more similar to Kamen's, then you're on the 'X-Men level.'