And I was shocked at how the most recent score on there is over 26 years old.
That seems ridiculous to me.
I feel like there have been so many good scores that have come out in the last two decades, that these AFI reviewers really should take these into consideration!
But oh well. Just one guy's opinion.
Here are my Top Five Scores of all-time (in no particular order).
1. The Time Machine (Klaus Badelt, 2002)
Well this is where it all began for me, so I guess it's appropriate to start here.
This is the soundtrack that got me into film scores, and showed me just how much they could add to the experience of going to the movies. This movie showed me how much depth, emotion, and the number of different feelings that those haunting notes could make you feel.
This is probably a rare example of a soundtrack that I could listen to ALL the way through, and that's very rare, usually there's one or two tracks that I find myself skipping. But not here. It's truly amazing work.
I highly recommend you check this one out.
Highlight Tracks:
-I Don't Belong Here
-Professor Alexander Hartdegen
-Where The Ghosts Are
-Good Night
2. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Howard Shore, 2001-2003)
Now here's an example of some amazing work. And by mean amazing, I mean exactly that.
Howard Shore's work on The Lord of the Rings will go down in history as being one of the most expansive and incredible bodies of work ever composed for any film.
Ever.
Just like The Lord of the Rings films themselves,
the score is grand, epic, delicate, and moving.
It really is amazing.
If you haven't had a chance to check out the Trilogy, do me a favor and at least listen to the soundtrack to The Fellowship of the Ring.
It's where a lot of the magic happens.
Highlight Tracks:
-Gollum's Song
-The Great River
-The Breaking of the Fellowship
-The Council of Elrond
3. Hook (John Williams, 1991)
Now this score really brings me back to my childhood, with its powerful themes and resonant melodies, as
soon as I pop this one in, I am IN Neverland. There's really no other way to describe it.
Hook, an under-rated film by Steven Spielberg, is the story that tells us what happened if Peter Pan grew up. Now this soundtrack took me a while to appreciate it the way that it deserved to be appreciated. I remember watching this movie when I was four years old, and the songs (as I knew it then) in the movie played an important part in the memory of this film both in my mind, and in my heart.
It was only after I became aware of movie scores that I dug deep into my library of childhood favorites and pulled this one out, a fantastic score that went unrecognized as one of the best scores that John Williams ever composed.
I highly recommend you listen to it.
Maybe you'll experience a little of your childhood in the process...
Highlight Tracks:
-You Are The Pan
-Farewell Neverland
-The Never-Feast
-Prologue
4. TRON: Legacy (Daft Punk, 2010)
This one surprised me. A lot. So when they announced a sequel to the 1982 cult classic TRON, trust me, I was on board, but I never in a million years, thought that it would end up being one of my top ten movies of all-time. I also didn't think it was possible that I wasn't going to be let down by the score. Which when I heard the French electronica duo Daft Punk was composing, I was ecstatic. I mean, they were made for The Grid. So there was no way that the soundtrack could be as good as I wanted it to be.
Man was I wrong.
It pretty much surpassed my expectations in every way imaginable.
I thought it would be "techno-y" and fun, but I never expected it to get as emotional as it did. Its span was vast, and that's why I appreciated it so much. It had the ability to touch nearly every level for me.
Every time I listen to it, it puts me right back in the world of The Grid. Simply amazing.
As always, if you didn't care for the film,
at least check out the soundtrack!
Highlight Tracks:
-The Grid
-Recognizer
-Arrival
-Flynn Lives
-End Titles
5. The Fountain (Clint Mansell, 2006)
We end things with The Fountain, which had a TRON-like effect on me when I first saw it back in 2006.
I mean this score was incredible. The emotional depths that it went to were unbelievable. The way that the score encapsulated every moment of that emotion on screen is amazing.
I can't even say that much more about it, just trust me that under the right context, this one is a game changer.
Check It Out.
Highlight Tracks:
-The Last Man
-We Will Live Forever
-Xiabalba
-Stay With Me
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
-The Village (James Newton Howard, 2004)
-The Last Samurai (Hans Zimmer, 2003)
-King Kong (James Newton Howard, 2005)
-Batman Begins (Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard, 2005)
-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (John Williams, 2004)
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