@Another User said:
What is really new to my hears and has largely spread in a less than a decade is the extensive use of percussion. BIG ones. No Williams, no Goldsmith had this, neither the first Horner or whoever. I assume Zimmer and his Media Ventures team can be held responsible for that. Or, more exactly, directors and producers who ask him to repeat a successful receipt.
Everything is bland in Hollywood. The films are just flashy 'attacks on the senses' and the music is mere wallpaper. Lots of techno beats and loops and percussion. Most of it isn't very interesting.
While I can appreciate Mr. Zimmer's workmethods (i.e. working with a team which is essentially making library music specifically for each new assignment)... I find a lot of his music (HIS? His TEAMS' music) quite boring.
Now, if you want interesting percussion you really have to get back to the 60s. Tv shows like Man From UNCLE and The Twilight Zone started with unconventional scoring approaches.
The late Jerry Goldsmith is mentioned for his big percussion attack in The Wind and the Lion, but he had some great, strange, eerie, beautiful and unconventional percussion in Planet of The Apes. Now those were the years of experimental scores.
Since the synthesized drones from 1985 onwards, tv and film music is largely spoiled by MIDI and popmusic.