Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert – Film Review
I have always wanted to see Hans Zimmer live and witnessing his concert film, Hans Zimmer & Friends, just increased that desire. I started researching tickets on the way home because it was so brilliant!
This is partially a concert film, recorded on his Dubai tour stop last year, and partially a documentary. You might think a film composer would take the position of a conductor and simply stand in front of a classic orchestra but this is a rock concert, with Zimmer jamming on the guitar in the middle of his massive band.
It’s not just the Hans Zimmer show; he really shares the spotlight with his band and the camera gives most of them a moment to shine by cutting between them constantly. For scores I didn’t know very well, I was still captivated by the musicianship and energy on display as well as the editing and lighting.
For regular readers, it’ll be no surprise that I bawled my eyes out during The Lion King suite, which features all the key moments in the score as well as parts of the Circle of Life and He Lives in You with original co-writer/singer Lebo M. That was my favourite, alongside Time from Inception and the Pirates of the Caribbean suite. Two scores are performed away from the stage in conceptual segments; Gladiator is done in a desert settlement (this was moving and beautiful) and Interstellar is brought to life underneath a starry ceiling (which was presumably CGI).
The performances are interspersed with footage of conversations between Zimmer and his collaborators, such as Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve and Finneas and Billie Eilish, plus Dune stars Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet. These chats show off Zimmer’s sense of humour and give an insight into his creative process, with his conversation with Nolan being particularly interesting.
If you can’t afford to see Zimmer live, then this concert film is the next best thing. But, if you’re anything like me, it’ll just make you want to buy tickets to his next tour (which is sold out in the UK already).
In cinemas now
Rating: 4 out of 5.
