The 25 Best Movie Scores Of The Last 25 Years
My personal favorite movie scores of the last 25 years. These are grouped chronologically as I had a hard time ranking them in any order.
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- DirectorNick CastleStarsLucy DeakinsJay UnderwoodBonnie BedeliaAn autistic boy who dreams of flying touches everyone he meets, including a new family who has moved in after their father dies.[BRUCE BROUGHTON] This emotional, rousing score may be largely forgotten, but I'm told the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood still uses its main theme to this day when raising its curtains.
- DirectorDon BluthStarsPat HingleGabriel DamonHelen ShaverAn orphaned brontosaurus teams up with other young dinosaurs in order to reunite with their families in a valley.[JAMES HORNER] Perhaps his best work, and the one he always seems to be attempting to copy, despite itself being largely derived from Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf". Nonetheless, this is an incredibly emotional and heartfelt piece of work. It also began another of Horner's trends: having a song over the credits set to the score's main theme, which has been the case with almost every subsequent film he scored.
- DirectorJohn Patrick ShanleyStarsTom HanksMeg RyanLloyd BridgesWhen a hypochondriac learns that he is dying, he accepts an offer to throw himself in a volcano at a tropical island, and along the way there, learns to truly live.[GEORGES DELERUE] This underrated, silent-era-inspired cult classic from the early '90s also has one of the most beautiful scores ever put to film. Someone needs to get a message out to Warner Bros. and have them re-release the score.
- DirectorHendel ButoyMike GabrielStarsBob NewhartEva GaborJohn CandyR.A.S. agents Miss Bianca and Bernard race to Australia to save a little boy and a rare golden eagle from a murderous poacher.[BRUCE BROUGHTON] Not only is Bruce Broughton one of the most criminally underrated composers, this Indiana Jones-style gem from 1990 is undoubtedly one of the best animated film scores of all time, and is a brilliant match for this Miyazaki-inspired film which includes some of Pixar's early work.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDustin HoffmanRobin WilliamsJulia RobertsWhen Captain James Hook kidnaps his children, an adult Peter Pan must return to Neverland and reclaim his youthful spirit in order to challenge his old enemy.[JOHN WILLIAMS] This is Williams' Nutcracker, and perhaps his best score. Tchaikovsky would be proud.
- DirectorRob CohenStarsJason Scott LeeLauren HollyRobert WagnerA fictionalized account of the life of the martial arts superstar.[RANDY EDELMAN] Featured in more movie trailers than I can count, this is a powerful score than many will recognize without knowing its place of origin.
- DirectorSimon WincerStarsJason James RichterLori PettyMichael MadsenWhen a boy learns that a beloved killer whale is to be killed by the aquarium owners, the boy risks everything to free the whale.[BASIL POLEDOURIS] For anyone in my generation, this soaring soundtrack is instantly recognizable, as are those four simple harmonica notes we all got stuck in our heads.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsSam NeillLaura DernJeff GoldblumA pragmatic paleontologist touring an almost complete theme park on an island in Central America is tasked with protecting a couple of kids after a power failure causes the park's cloned dinosaurs to run loose.[JOHN WILLIAMS] One of the true classics. This is another grand, epic score that is forever embedded in the minds of a generation of moviegoers.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsTom HanksRobin WrightGary SiniseThe history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.[ALAN SILVESTRI] Need I say more? Not only Silvestri's best score to date, Forrest Gump also had one hell of a classic rock soundtrack to back it up.
- DirectorRoger AllersRob MinkoffStarsMatthew BroderickJeremy IronsJames Earl JonesLion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.[HANS ZIMMER] Forget the cheesy musical numbers. This is the score that made Zimmer's reputation in Hollywood as one of the top film composers.
- DirectorRoland EmmerichStarsKurt RussellJames SpaderJaye DavidsonAn interstellar teleportation device, found in Egypt, leads to a planet with humans resembling ancient Egyptians who worship the god Ra.[DAVID ARNOLD] Equally grand and powerful as Arnold's next collaboration with Roland Emmerich, Independence Day. You've probably heard snippets of this score on numerous movie trailers.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsTom HanksBill PaxtonKevin BaconNASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.[JAMES HORNER] Probably the most iconic score out of Horner's long collaboration with Ron Howard.
- DirectorVictor SalvaStarsMary SteenburgenSean Patrick FlaneryLance HenriksenAn off-the-charts genius who is home schooled and shunned after his last relative dies shows the unconscious residents of his town about connection awareness and the generosity of the spirit.[JERRY GOLDSMITH] Nevermind that the film borrows almost everything from Stephen King - this is one of Jerry Goldsmith's most powerful and heartfelt scores.
- DirectorRoland EmmerichStarsWill SmithBill PullmanJeff GoldblumThe aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy Earth. Fighting superior technology, mankind's best weapon is the will to survive.[DAVID ARNOLD] If you've been to a 4th of July fireworks display in the last decade, you've probably heard some portion of this one. Loud, bombastic, powerful, and just plain fun. Make sure you get the complete version.
- DirectorJan de BontStarsHelen HuntBill PaxtonCary ElwesTwo storm chasers on the brink of divorce must work together to create an advanced weather alert system by putting themselves in the cross-hairs of extremely violent tornadoes.[MARK MANCINA] On top of a great classic rock soundtrack, this movie also had a fantastic score that seems to have gone largely overlooked. A great adventure soundtrack.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletBilly ZaneA seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.[JAMES HORNER] This was the "Dark Side of the Moon" of soundtrack albums - in 1998, this subtle yet magnificent Irish-themed score was impossible to escape. Pieces of it even featured on MTV, and I'm not talking about Celine Dion's god-awful theme song.
- DirectorMartin CampbellStarsAntonio BanderasAnthony HopkinsCatherine Zeta-JonesA young thief seeking revenge for his brother's death is trained by the once-great, aging Zorro, who is pursuing his own vengeance.[JAMES HORNER] Another ethnic-flavored score from Horner, and one of his most powerful and moving. Also features perhaps the best instance of Horner's standard song-set-to-the-main-theme at the end.
- DirectorStephen SommersStarsBrendan FraserRachel WeiszJohn HannahAt an archaeological dig in the ancient city of Hamunaptra, an American serving in the French Foreign Legion accidentally awakens a mummy who begins to wreak havoc as he searches for the reincarnation of his long-lost love.[JERRY GOLDSMITH] One of Goldsmith's best scores (and also one of his last), this lavish soundtrack perfectly captures the Golden Age of adventure films that the film pays homage to.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsRussell CroweJoaquin PhoenixConnie NielsenA former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.[HANS ZIMMER, LISA GERRARD] One of the most distinctive soundtracks in recent memory, this set the stage for "Lord of the Rings" and other epics that followed. Interestingly, traces of what would become the "Pirates of the Caribbean" theme can actually be heard in parts of this.
- DirectorAntony HoffmanStarsVal KilmerCarrie-Anne MossTom SizemoreAstronauts, and their robotic dog AMEE (Autonomous Mapping Evaluation and Evasion), search for solutions to save a dying Earth by searching on Mars, only to have the mission go terribly awry.[GRAEME REVELL] One of the better science-fiction scores out there. Revell displays a fantastic variety of moods and tones, and some great action pieces.
NOTE: The album I'm ranking here is the Complete Sessions double-disc released in Australia and available online. Don't bother with the bare-bones Warner Bros. release. - DirectorRon HowardStarsRussell CroweEd HarrisJennifer ConnellyA mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.[JAMES HORNER] This swirling, hypnotic score perfectly reflects the main character's spiral into madness and the emotional effect it has on those around him.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenOrlando BloomA meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.[HOWARD SHORE] NOTE: I'm counting the whole trilogy here.
Where do I begin? Shore's epic Wagnerian opera needs no introduction, and is probably the most monumental achievement in the history of film music. - DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppGeoffrey RushOrlando BloomBlacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.[HANS ZIMMER] I'm counting the whole trilogy here as well. This rousing, distinctive music has become as instantly recognizable as that of Star Wars or Indiana Jones.
- DirectorBryan SingerStarsBrandon RouthKevin SpaceyKate BosworthSuperman returns to Earth after spending five years in space examining his homeworld Krypton. But he finds things have changed while he was gone, and he must once again prove himself important to the world.[JOHN OTTMAN / JOHN WILLIAMS] Ottman's reverent treatment of Williams' original score is nothing short of breathtaking. Coupled with his own work, this is one of the better scores of the last 5 years.
- DirectorJ.J. AbramsStarsElle FanningAJ MichalkaKyle ChandlerDuring the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.[MICHAEL GIACCHINO] The classic works of Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams are brilliantly echoed in this nostalgic and deeply moving soundtrack.