To listen to film soundtrack?

I’ve come across a ton of internet discussion and couldn’t help but notice how people seem to be really divided (and often dogpile on each side) about Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack for both parts of Villeneuve’s Dune. Some folks think his music is pretty dull, uninteresting, full of long notes, and lacking meaningful musical tonality, while others rave about its grandness and the intricate pallette he brought to the table. Both sides have their valid points, and while I’d also like to share my thoughts on this, I’m still on the fence regarding the music since me myself thinks I’m too uneducated regarding both the musical theory and the “taste” aspect.

Regretfully, also, I could only make it at the Part Two (and really wanted to watch the first one since I prefer the first one, comparatively speaking), but I genuinely think both have the best audially engineered movie I’ve ever watched, including the musics themselves. It honestly is something that broke my heart every time I left the theater room because I knew it might be ages at best before I could feel that way again. I definitely need to give it more “listens”, as listening to a movie, but there’s only so much I can do.

Here’s the thing I want to get across regarding the situation: the music is interesting, the thought behind it is interesting and profound (Zimmer said “why bring 21st century cellos and timpani in the world where nothing is the same but the humans?”), and the creation process itself is, each, impressive (experimental instruments out of PVC pipes and welding works). But I feel like to listen to it as “music” isn’t really the point. It’s a movie soundtrack, after all. It’s kind of like watching a 2024 or any contemporary movie without sound. It’s an incomplete form of work. That’s why it might come off as boring or bland; you’re really meant to experience it while watching the film. It’s just as stupid as saying “I listen to music” while in reality they “listened” to it while doing laundry. There’s a difference between listening to music and hearing a music (and glad English have those words in store).