From Alexandre Desplat to Hans Zimmer, film composers have had a busy year sending film-goers on some spectacular aural adventures. They’ve sent us through black holes and into dystopian revolutions, and yet they’re often overlooked when it comes to the annual barrage of end-of-year lists. So here, in no particular order, is a compilation of what are (in my opinion) the best film film scores of the last twelve months.
Stick your headphones in, make yourself comfortable – and enjoy.
Interstellar by Hans Zimmer
He’s the pro, the stalwart of film composotion and frankly, a gift that keeps giving. Teaming up with Christopher Nolan once again, Zimmer’s score for the space epic that is Interstellar used building organ segments such as the one in No Time For Caution (below), creating an ominious through tone that had you holding your breath without realising. The beat that ticks like a clock throughout serves to remind us that Cooper, Brand and co. are racing against time to find humanity a new planet. Pure genius.
Godzilla by Alexandre Desplat
Possibly the busiest composer of the year (writing an astonishing six scores), Desplat’s music for Gareth Edward’s reimagining of Godzilla mixes contemplative piano with aggressive string sections. Reminiscent of John Williams’s theme for Jaws in places, Desplat’s music for Godzilla effectively conveys the scale and power of the beast whilst still keeping things poignant for scenes of tragedy. If you’re looking for the chilling music that played in the trailer with that incredible HALO jump sequence, it’s Gyorgy Ligeti’s Kyrie, Requiem, which you can find HERE.
The Grand Budapest Hotel by Alexandre Desplat
Desplat again, but this time lending his scoring prowess to the quirky and uniquely recognisable Wes Anderson. The Grand Budapest Hotel was one of this years gems, and required a soundtrack that added to the comedic brilliance that was Ralph Fiennes’s performance. A film about theft and murder set in the fictional country of Zubrowka, Desplat used traditional eastern European influences to add to the mystery and fun of the film.
Mockingjay by James Newton Howard
Jennifer Lawrence’s Mockingjay, Katniss Everdeen, found herself leading a full-scale rebellion in the latest chapter of the Hunger Games cinematic adaptions. James Newton Howard continues his dystopian saga with the third film, maintaining that powerful blend of simple yet moving segments for Katniss with full on militaristic pieces that accurately mirror the threat of the evil President Snow. The score is menacing and yet somehow uplifting – the Mockingjay theme builds to a moving crescendo of strings before finishing with an ominous outro as she faces the daunting challenges ahead.
X-Men: Days of Future Past by John Ottman
Taking the reigns from First Class composer Henry Jackman, Ottman’s score for the latest mutant blockbuster adds to his X-Men collection having previously provided the music for X2. With our favourite heroes facing certain defeat in the future, Wolverine is sent back in time but finds the young Professor Xavier a broken man following Raven’s defection to Magneto’s cause and the closure of his school. This piece, Xavier’s theme, plays as he’s urged by his older self to hope again. Ottman uses a mix of piano and strings with synth tones to reflect the themes of old and new at one of the most poignant and important moments of the film.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier by Henry Jackman
With its neglection of the themes Alan Silvestri created for the first Cap outing and its heavy reliance on electronic sound, Jackman’s score for The Winter Soldier came under fire for being too different from the first film’s album. But this is Cap in modern times, facing an enemy (or old friend?) with a bionic arm. It needed some new, digital sound and Jackman delivered with what he describes as an “injection of symphonic, thematic, heroic music”. It’s an energetic and punchy soundtrack with some cracking sections for fight scenes, such as this one for the battle on The Causeway.
Guardians of the Galaxy by Tyler Bates
Spare a thought for Tyler Bates, whose hard work producing a soundtrack for the superb GotG was overshadowed by the success of the old school Awesome Mix Vol. 1 that added nostalgia to a throroughly futuristic Marvel movie. When it’s not Blue Swede playing, Bates’s score fuses military drum beats with heroic strings for our heroes and menacing vocal and brass undertones for the villains, ultimately creating a clear and coherant musical journey for an unusual (but brilliant) superhero film.
Agree/disagree with the choices above?
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