John Williams is 93. Most people his age are busy remembering where they put their glasses, but Williams is currently in Los Angeles scoring a new UFO movie for Steven Spielberg. It's their 30th collaboration. Think about that for a second. While the rest of the world treats his melodies like sacred scripture, the man himself recently dropped a bombshell that shifted the entire john williams film music opinion landscape: he doesn't actually like film music all that much.
Honestly, it sounds like heresy. This is the man who gave us the two-note dread of Jaws and the swashbuckling brass of Indiana Jones. Yet, in a 2025 interview with The Guardian, Williams admitted he finds film music "ephemeral" and "fragmentary." He basically argued that what we think of as "precious great film music" is mostly just us being hit by a massive wave of nostalgia. He doesn't think it belongs in the same room as the classical "canon" of Beethoven or Wagner.
The Disconnect Between the Maestro and the Masses
It’s a weird paradox. You’ve got millions of fans who would swear on a stack of vinyl records that Star Wars is the pinnacle of 20th-century art. Then you have the creator saying it’s "just a job." Biographer Tim Greiving, who recently released John Williams: A Composer’s Life, says this isn't some act of fake modesty. Williams is genuinely self-deprecating. He sees his work as a craft—a deadline-driven, high-pressure service to a visual image—rather than a standalone masterpiece.
Most modern critics disagree. Loudly.
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The prevailing john williams film music opinion among academics and concert-goers today is that Williams didn't just write "background noise"; he saved the symphony. In the 1970s, Hollywood was moving toward gritty, synthesizer-heavy scores. Pop music was taking over. Then Star Wars happened. By reaching back to the late-Romantic sounds of Tchaikovsky and Holst, Williams forced the world to listen to 100-piece orchestras again.
Why His Logic Might Be Flawed (In a Good Way)
Williams calls his music "fragmentary" because it has to stop when a character stops talking or start when a shark appears. It’s dictated by the "underdialogue." But if you look at how his themes are built, they aren't fragments. They're leitmotifs.
- The Shark Motif: It’s not just two notes; it’s a character that exists even when the animatronic shark (famously nicknamed "Bruce") wasn't working.
- Luke’s Theme: It doesn't just play for action; it captures the "yearning" of a farm boy looking at two suns.
- Schindler’s List: It uses a Hebraic violin sound that feels ancient, not like a 1993 movie cue.
The common complaint from "high-brow" classical circles is that he "borrows" too much. You’ve heard the comparisons. The opening of Star Wars sounds like Korngold’s Kings Row. The Jaws theme echoes Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. But the counter-opinion is that Williams is a "chameleon," not a thief. He takes these old languages and translates them for a digital age.
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Is the "Golden Age" Sound Dying With Him?
There’s a growing anxiety in the industry. As we head further into 2026, the gap between the "Williams style" and modern film scoring is widening. Most big blockbusters now rely on what some call "Zimlings"—composers who follow the Hans Zimmer school of atmospheric, percussion-heavy, and often anonymous soundscapes.
Williams is a throwback. He still writes with a pencil and paper. No computers. No MIDI mockups. Just a piano and a sharp lead.
The 2026 Spielberg Project
The fact that Williams backtracked on his retirement to score the upcoming Spielberg UFO film (working titles include The Dish or Disclosure) is telling. It stars Emily Blunt and Colin Firth, and it’s being treated as a major "event" movie. The buzz in the film music community is that this might be the last time we hear a truly "Golden Age" symphonic score.
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Many fans feel that without his music, the "magic" of cinema actually evaporates. If you mute E.T. during the bike flight, the scene feels silly. With the music, it’s a religious experience. This is why the john williams film music opinion among most listeners is so protective. We aren't just defending a composer; we’re defending the way movies make us feel.
The Verdict: High Art or "Just a Job"?
So, who's right? The man who wrote it or the millions who love it?
The truth is somewhere in the middle. Williams is right that film music is technically "ephemeral"—it is tied to a specific time and place. But he’s wrong about its value. Any piece of music that can move a three-year-old and a ninety-year-old simultaneously isn't just "nostalgia." It’s a bridge.
If you want to truly appreciate the nuance of his work, stop listening to the "Greatest Hits" compilations. Those are the "fragments" he complains about. Instead, go find the full scores for films like The Reivers, Images, or his more experimental work in Close Encounters. You'll see a composer who was constantly pushing boundaries, even when he thought he was just punching a clock.
Take Action: How to Explore Beyond the Hits
- Listen to the "Concert Works": Williams has written 14 concertos for instruments like the cello and bassoon. These aren't for films. They show his "serious" side that he thinks is more permanent.
- Watch "Music by John Williams": The 2024 Disney+ documentary is a masterclass. It features him sitting at a piano explaining the "nuts and bolts" of those five notes from Close Encounters.
- Compare and Contrast: Listen to a modern Marvel score and then listen to Superman (1978). Notice the difference in "thematic density"—how much more the orchestra is actually saying in the older film.
- Follow the 2026 Release: Keep an eye on the June 12, 2026 release of the new Spielberg project. It will likely be the definitive closing chapter on the most important partnership in cinematic history.