Big summer super-hero movie scores carry with them a certain set of expectations. The broadness of the source material opens the doors for large and exciting music that should play with the imagination and enhance the very feel of the movie. Of course with great expectation comes great pressure and not all blockbuster scores can resonate beyond the background of the scene. The X-Men franchise has always been one to deliver the goods on the soundtrack, and the newest installment continues that trend nicely.

The franchise has yet to have a single recurring composer, and the new film doesn’t break tradition with Henry Jackman stepping up to the podium for this round. Jackman has not done much as yet in his career, but has written music with Hans Zimmer on some high profile projects and has two other scores later this year. As a relative unknown he is a wild card, it is hard to know what to expect.

Well, we now know that we should be expecting great things from Mr. Jackman. The score for X-Men: First Class is a solid and often rousing musical experience. One that stands shoulder to shoulder with most super-hero scores of the past decade. It might lack the bombast of Spider-Man or the sheer scope of X-Men 3, but it packs a serious punch and excels in all the right places.

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I am conflicted. On one hand this fan opening credits sequence is visually stunning. The 60′s Saul Bass-ian style animation fits so well with the X-Men universe in the 60s. It is detailed, lovingly crafted and clever to boot.

On the other hand it features the single worst variation of the classic 90′s X-Men animated theme ever. I have heard hip-hop versions, death metal versions, even a trendy house music version and nothing compares to the nut kick to the ears that this video presents.

Not only is the song just horrible to listen to, it is also wrong for the tone and style of the visuals. The music needs to be fast, upbeat, jazzy and most of all flow and sync with the visuals. I suggest going to you tube and playing the normal version of the 90′s X-Theme while watching this sequence in mute.

And you should watch this sequence, it is awesome. From a strictly visual standpoint this opening sequence gets everything right. I have a metric ton of hope for this film, and fan produced projects like this only re-affirms my feelings. The 60s are the foundation for everything the X-Men have become, and to get that encapsulated in a film should be high watermark for the genre.

Check out Joe D’s excellent title sequence after the jump.

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