[Nicolai P. Zwar]

I think Zimmer is better at soundscapes and walls of sound than he is at classical orchestral compositions; the scores by Hans Zimmer I like are more those with a contemporary, rock/pop sound, or those that are atmospheric, intricately developed soundscapes like DUNE.
Take DUNE, which I really enjoy. It’s completely different from the type of film score John Williams, say for STAR WARS (which I also enjoy) does. “Classical” film scores like, say, Williams STAR WARS are neo‑romantic symphonic scores, they draw on the “classic”, usually late‑Romantic orchestral language, with clear melodies, harmonic richness, and leitmotifs. That’s not what Zimmer is good at, and he’s much better when he goes into a different direction. While a score like DUNE has a lot of themes, Zimmer’s music often avoids traditional melody, focusing instead on drones, pulses, and electronic and acoustic textures. In scores like STAR WARS, the orchestra is a hero; in scores like DUNE, it’s a landscape. I think both types of scores work very well, depending on the context of the movie. The more “classical” type of scores tend to clarify narrative structure, character identity, and emotional arcs, they may amplify certain dramatic points. Scores like DUNE are more immersive in that they “engulf” you, they are more “elemental”, they are more atmospheric. Williams music in STAR WARS is operatic and specific, whereas Zimmer’s music is atmospheric, it’s the “weather” in the movie. (Of course, that’s just a general differentiation an not meant as a cut and dry distinction or rule.)