The 20 Best Movie Scores of the Past 2 Decades
Music - when well written - can turn into the very essence of a film; it's not just there to fill the silence, but to make it interesting.
Here's a list of the 20 movies I think have the best original music, the ones composers have made even better through music.
It's not hierarchical, but some personal preferences might have gotten the best of me...
Here's a list of the 20 movies I think have the best original music, the ones composers have made even better through music.
It's not hierarchical, but some personal preferences might have gotten the best of me...
List activity
2.5K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
20 titles
- DirectorDavid YatesStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintAs Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as "the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.First you listen to "In Noctem", then to "Farewell Aragog" and "Journey to the Cave", and by the time you pick a fourth track to listen to, you realize it's probably one of the best movie scores ever written.
- DirectorWolfgang BeckerStarsDaniel BrühlKatrin SassChulpan KhamatovaIn 1990, to protect his fragile mother from a fatal shock after a long coma, a young man must keep her from learning that her beloved nation of East Germany as she knew it has disappeared.Yann Tiersen brings us a compilation of tracks in which it's made clear that leading with a single instrument can never go wrong: specially when the work is so elegantly delivered.
- DirectorMichael BayStarsShia LaBeoufMegan FoxJosh DuhamelSam Witwicky leaves the Autobots behind for a normal life. But when his mind is filled with cryptic symbols, the Decepticons target him and he is dragged back into the Transformers' war.Steve Jablonsky's work is impecable. Ranging from epic battle music such as "Forest Battle" to breath-taking pieces like "Infinite White" and "Matrix of Leadership", Revenge of the Fallen's OST should deffinitely be on the list.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsKeira KnightleyMatthew MacfadyenBrenda BlethynSparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome their own pride and prejudice?Although the award winning Dario Marianelli lost to Gustavo Santaolalla, Pride & Prejudice is a musical masterpiece and should deffinitely be considered as one of the best 20 scores of the last 20 years. You don't even have to go that far: "Liz on Top of the World" is exhilerating and beautiful, whilst "The Living Sculptures of Pemberley" is an elegantly delivered tale of peace and beauty.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsBruce WillisCole HauserMonica BellucciA Special-Ops commander leads his team into the Nigerian jungle in order to rescue a doctor who will only join them if they agree to save 70 refugees too.Hans Zimmer's description of an epic battle, is, as always, perfect. However, what made me include his work on Tears of the Sun was the quiet perfection with which he described Africa as a whole, not concentrating only on the war, but on the conflict within, and the suffering it entails.
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsHugh JackmanRachel WeiszSean Patrick ThomasAs a modern-day scientist, Tommy is struggling with mortality, desperately searching for the medical breakthrough that will save the life of his cancer-stricken wife, Izzi.Clint Mansell leads us through a journey of discovery and understanding, whilst also making us sink down to the deepest places within our souls to find a sadness that's difficult to explain, and that he has portrayed beautifully.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsKeira KnightleyJames McAvoyBrenda BlethynThirteen-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.There's not much that can be said to describe the genius work that won Dario Marianelly an Academy Award, however, I do think it important to mention the diamond hidden underneath all those typing sounds and dramatic undertones: "Elegy for Dunkirk".
- DirectorHarald ZwartStarsJackie ChanJaden SmithTaraji P. HensonWork causes a single mother to move to China with her young son; in his new home, the boy embraces kung fu, taught to him by a master.I know you're probably thinking I'm crazy, but James Horner's work is fun, dynamic and incredibly descriptive.
- StarsScott GrimesDamian LewisRon LivingstonThe story of Easy Company of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and their mission in World War II Europe, from Operation Overlord to V-J Day.Unlike every other item on the list, Band of Brothers isn't a movie. However, I thought the late Michael Kamen's work deserved to be recognized, for it is as beautiful as it is brutal.
- DirectorSaul DibbStarsKeira KnightleyRalph FiennesDominic CooperA chronicle of the life of 18th-century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was revered for her extravagant political and personal life.Through Rachel Portman's work, we don't just get to enjoy the music, but we get to understand the characters as well. She is so thorough that you can feel what the character is feeling, and so she had to be on the list, for there is no better trait when composing music than that of being able to understand and translate human emotions into a melody.
- DirectorMichael BayStarsScarlett JohanssonEwan McGregorDjimon HounsouA man living in a futuristic sterile colony begins to question his circumscribed existence when his friend is chosen to go to the Island, the last uncontaminated place on earth."My Name is Lincoln." Enough said.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsTom CruiseKen WatanabeBilly ConnollyIn 19th century Japan, Nathan Algren, a US army captain, is hired by the Japanese emperor to train his army in the modern warfare techniques. Captain Algren finds himself trapped in a struggle between two eras and two worlds.Once again, Hans Zimmer delivers an incredible combination of western and japanese influences, creating nothing short of breathtaking material.
- DirectorRobert SchwentkeStarsEric BanaRachel McAdamsRon LivingstonHenry DeTamble, a librarian, possesses a unique gene that lets him involuntarily travel through time. His wife, Claire Abshire, finds it difficult to cope with it.Mychael Danna brings us something unexpected: a sad score with a hint of magic on it... who knew?
- DirectorZack SnyderStarsGerard ButlerLena HeadeyDavid WenhamIn the ancient battle of Thermopylae, King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fight against Xerxes and his massive Persian army.There are few things that have made it so far into my soul like "Goodbye My Love" did, so, along with every other incredible piece by Tyler Bates, it had to be on the list.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsLiam NeesonRalph FiennesBen KingsleyIn German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.Unfortunately, most of Williams' best work pre-dates 1990, so there was a lot that I had to omit from this list. However, Schindler's List can easily be thought of as some of his best, so here it is... from one of the most influential artists in the history of film composing.
- DirectorJustin ChadwickStarsNatalie PortmanScarlett JohanssonEric BanaTwo sisters contend for the affection of King Henry VIII.Cantelon delivers a set of tracks that depict just how complicated it all really was, and that proves he understands the difference between love and lust - whether it's felt towards a person... or a crown.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsOrlando BloomEva GreenLiam NeesonBalian of Ibelin travels to Jerusalem during the Crusades of the 12th century, and there he finds himself as the defender of the city and its people.Gregson-Williams' combination of arab elements, strings and gifted voices results in a heart-felt composition that speaks not only of love and battles, but of history.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsClive OwenStephen DillaneKeira KnightleyA demystified take on the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.There's a reason why Zimmer's one of the most sought-out composers in the business. King Arthur is yet another perfectly delivered work of art, including tracks such as "Sorrow" and "All Of Them", which are two of my favorites.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsDaniel CraigLiev SchreiberJamie BellJewish brothers in German-occupied Eastern Europe escape into a Belorussian forest, where they join Russian resistance fighters, and endeavor to build a village, in order to protect themselves and about one thousand Jewish non-combatants.So yes, maybe I'm a tad obsessed with music from movies portraying some aspect or other of WWII, but I have found composers to be so moved by it that the work is almost always flawless. James Newton-Howard's is one of the greatest examples of this, for his work in Defiance is descriptive and precise, but most of all, it's moving.
- DirectorChristophe BarratierStarsGérard JugnotFrançois BerléandJean-Baptiste MaunierPierre, a successful orchestra conductor, returns home when his mother dies. He stumbles upon an old diary and recollects the childhood school memories and his music teacher Clement Mathieu.I never know if this qualifies as a score or a soundtrack, but it's so beautiful that I thought I might add it. It's lively and tragic and ultimately breathtaking: an elegant masterpiece.