What movies blew you away with their sound design?

Hey everyone!

I just finished setting up my home theater, so now I can finally sit back and really dive into movies properly. That got me thinking—which films actually blew you away once you heard them with a serious sound system? (Aside from 😬)

Are you talking about those big spectacles?

I can't say I know any like that. 😁

But man, those Japanese classics are incredible 🙂

especially when arrows start flying everywhere 🙂 and that medieval music kicks in 😁😁😁

AVP (that scene where they light the torch)
War of the Worlds (the tripod voting)

it’s just been happening so much lately...

I caught 😁Terminator 3🙂 yesterday, and I have to admit, it’s packed with some pretty spectacular action sequences...

Before Manchevski dropped, we had The Piano... and I guess there were others...

Damson said:So, I finally sat down yesterday and powered through Terminator 3! 😁 I gotta admit, though—the thing is just absolutely packed with spectacular scenes! 🙂

I am totally with you on Terminator! Honestly, if we're talking about top-tier stuff, I’d definitely throw Matrix into that mix too—it's such a trip—and hey, Black Hawk Down is honestly a banger as well. Not something to sleep on at all!
Oh man, you also have to check out that one scene in Apocalypse Now where they drop the napalm—seriously, the whole room just shakes!

For a home theater setup, watching the Matrix bullet time sequence in DTS is 🙂

The Matrix with DTS here in the States? 🤔

Generally speaking, anyone running DTS is getting Great Sound. Take Star Wars, for instance... you can usually find a few copies floating around. It’s just frustrating when domestic distributors assume anything mediocre is good enough for the American market. 😢

Terminator 2 was actually the first movie where I really started noticing sound as its own thing... 😬
All the Lord of the Rings films have such Great Sound too 👍

Douglas Phillips4 said:The Matrix with DTS? In America? 🤔

Generally speaking, anyone running DTS gets Great Sound. Take Star Wars, for instance... you can always find a few copies floating around. It’s just frustrating when domestic distributors assume the lowest common denominator is good enough for the American market. 😢

Yes, DTS—nearly every DVD supports it these days!

Look, I know players and receivers support it, but I haven't come across a single Matrix release that offers anything beyond Dolby Digital. It’s still solid, though... some people even argue that the original Matrix was really what pushed the DVD format into the mainstream because of how good the quality and bonus features were. 🙂

Batman Forever =)

When Batman goes after Two-Face and walks right into a trap...

Just a wall of noise....

Then there's that plane and the speedboat at the end...

The first two aren't even close to this one... but........... Batman Forever =)

Elizabeth Price2 said:Yeah, I'm with you on Terminator. I'd throw Matrix in there too, and honestly, Black Hawk Down is pretty solid.
Also, there’s that one scene in Apocalypse Now where they drop the napalm. You can actually feel the whole room shaking during that part.

Definitely Black Hawk Down. Currently jamming to the Barr Barr track from the OST.😁

If you aren't talking about the score itself, but rather the sound design and effects—then for me, it’s always been Contact. That deep, cosmic rumble that vibrates through the entire movie? Honestly, it's just incredible. 🙏

Murnau's "Nosferatu".

Matrix is perfect for testing—especially that building breach shootout scene. Keep it spinning for a while... 😁
Gladiator—the forest battle. Good for rattling the door... (give your head a whirl) 😬

Heat
Sphere

Jose Chase2 said:If you aren't just talking about the soundtrack, but the actual sound design and effects, I've always thought Contact was incredible. That deep, vibrating space sound that resonates through the whole movie... honestly, it was just mind-blowing... 🙏

You always manage to come up with something smart! 🙏 🙏

TITANIC🍿 🙂

The Grudge. It’s packed with all sorts of unsettling noises! 😈