Five favorite movie soundtracks EVER?

[Ben]

I got a chuckle out of Ben's comment .. because it's true, to an extent.

Glad you took it the right way…it was meant (somewhat) tongue in cheek.

Horner did like to basically reuse and tailor cues over and over (see also *batteries not included turning up again in Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, for instance; the crossing over of Land Before Time with Journey Of Natty Gann, etc…). We used to have a running joke in our family when a movie was on and we didn’t know who had done the music but I would always call it on a Horner score. Which is why I do adore The Rocketeer, since that was the first time in a good ten years or so that he came up with a whole new bunch of tricks…even if he then did proceed to use *those* in a good few films afterwards. Talented guy, and composer of many great *themes*, but he never really pushed himself enough to create truly original great full *scores*.

[EricJ]

= though, I'm also fond of the many variations of Krull's bombastic main theme .. especially "Ride of the Firemares"..!

As good looking as Krull is, I doubt we would have bought into its "Space Excalibur" concept so readily without Horner's Robin-Hood french horns fanfaring in the opening.

While mixing it with the ethereal choirs he was also playing around with effectively in 1983, with "Brainstorm" and "The Dresser".

[Ben]

Although we're back into usual Trek territory from 2:18 for a minute or so…

[Dan]

Since this is limited to movie scores, here's mine in no particular order:

- Joe Hisashi - Princess Mononoke
- Howard Shore - The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
- Hans Zimmer - The Lion King
- John Williams - Superman: The Movie
- James Horner - An American Tail

[ShyViolet]

Great list!

[droosan]

My personal favorite of Hisaishi's scores for Studio Ghibli films is Castle in the Sky (which is also my favorite of Miyazaki's movies).

For whatever reason, someone at Disney apparently disliked that score's occasionally-heavy use of synths .. and managed to convince Hisaishi to re-score Castle in the Sky with a 'fuller' orchestral sound for their 2002 english-language release. I have this version of the soundtrack, as well .. and -- while I do appreciate some of the changes -- the 1986 score still sounds best with the film, IMO.

Of Hisaishi's non-Studio Ghibli soundtracks, I most enjoy Venus Wars (1989) .. another synth-heavy score, which pairs well with the movie's 'dystopian sci-fi' aesthetic.

[GeffreyDrogon]

I do like the music for the Star Wars films by John Williams, particularly the Original Trilogy. I do think there's some good music in the Prequels, especially the piece known as "Duel of the Fates".

[EricJ]

Of Hisaishi's non-Studio Ghibli soundtracks, I most enjoy Venus Wars (1989) .. another synth-heavy score, which pairs well with the movie's 'dystopian sci-fi' aesthetic.

Hisaishi shows his full non-Ghibli range on Robot Carnival (1987, now floating around Amazon and the streaming services), an anthology piece requiring him to do 80's action, cute teen-girl, ironic comedy, and introspective drama, almost as a show reel of his talent styles:

[droosan]

Robot Carnival is an amazing anthology film; great score, too.

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Likewise agreed on "Duel of the Fates" as a 'standout' theme from the Star Wars prequels -- though, I very much enjoy "Across the Stars," as well.

The very first soundtrack I ever bought was Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back .. as a double-LP record set, shortly after seeing the movie in 1980. I was ten years old, and not entirely sure what a soundtrack was .. but that album launched me into a lifelong love of listening to them.

My second soundtrack purchase was Raiders of the Lost Ark -- a film which I hadn't yet seen, at the time (and wouldn't see until after I saw Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, a few years later!) I also got the double-LP soundtrack for Superman: The Movie soon after. So, I had an early appreciation for John Williams' scores!

Even so -- Williams is one of those composers whom I tend to admire moreso for various individual themes, rather than for his scores as a whole .. if that makes sense.

Perhaps my favorite Williams piece (if I had to choose only one) is his fanfare for SpaceCamp ..



.. which is not to say that I consider SpaceCamp to be Williams' best score; far from it, in fact! There's some nice stuff, elsewhere in SC's score .. but overall, it's a bit of a 'mixed bag' -- with this one fantastic 'standout' track.

Many of Williams' scores feel like this, to me .. though, he certainly has his share of strong 'unified' works, as well! I especially admire his three Harry Potter scores .. and I think it's a shame he wasn't retained for all eight films.

[RobertJackson]

Here is my list:bloxd io
1. Circle of Life by Lebo M, Carmen Twillie
2. Married Life by Michael Giacchino
3. How Far I’ll Go by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mark Mancini
4. I am a believer by The Monkees
5. Oogway Ascends by Hans Zimmer, John Powell

[ShyViolet]

Very nice list!