Best Movie Soundtracks?

I’ve recently been diving back into soundtracks—like, really diving in—and man, they are absolutely perfect for when I'm working. They’re just designed to be that amazing background vibe where they don't distract you too much, you know? But here's the kicker: I’ve realized that a ton of movies I thought were just "okay" actually have soundtracks that are way better than the actual films. Honestly, the music makes up like 50% of the movie's value! I’ve been discovering composers like Hans Zimmer and James Horner lately. These guys basically score half the big-budget Hollywood action flicks, thrillers, historical epics, or sci-fi movies out there, and some of them are just straight-up masterpieces. In fact, I’ve actually hunted down certain movies just because I wanted to find more work by these specific composers (looking at you, Constantine and Equilibrium).

Anyway, I’m gonna drop a list of the soundtracks I’ve grabbed lately (mostly via Soulseek, haha) along with some quick thoughts. Just a heads-up: if it says "songs," it means it's a compilation of regular tracks rather than an original score.

Amélie Soundtrack - sweet, but maybe not the best for background listening
The Big Lebowski - just songs
Black Hawk Down - such a killer Hans Zimmer score; honestly beats the movie
Blade Runner - Vangelis, just classic Vangelis vibes
Braveheart - typical James Horner, better than the movie (not that it was hard to beat!), great for background noise
Conan the Barbarian - that intro where the bald guy talks about Atlantis is freaking epic. The rest is okay, but that part is special
Constantine - Klaus Badelt, awesome for working
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Tan Dun, pretty good, but honestly hard to tell apart from his Hero score
Gladiator - Hans Zimmer, solid background music
Hero - see my note on Crouching Tiger
High Fidelity - just songs
Indiana Jones - has that massive nostalgic feel, but nothing more than that
Kill Bill Vol. 2 - no notes needed, it's a Tarantino soundtrack
Kill Bill Vol. 1 - no notes needed, pure Tarantino
King Arthur - Hans Zimmer, good background stuff
Equilibrium - Klaus Badelt, super for background
Labyrinth - David Bowie, feels more like an album than a score, but still good
The Last of the Mohicans - Randy Edelman, nice background vibes
The Matrix - didn't notice much from the actual score, sounds more like a trance album inspired by the movie
Natural Born Killers - mostly songs, some covers, often mixed with dialogue from the film
O Brother, Where Art Thou? - some seriously badass bluegrass and blues
Pearl Harbor - nothing special, but it can't be worse than the movie, so it's fine for background
Pirates of the Caribbean - Klaus Badelt; this isn't background music, this is what you blast on a boat! It’s a classic style, but I wouldn't play it near any cops because—at least for me—it gives me this irresistible urge to intercept and hijack other people's boats!
Reservoir Dogs - two songs are cool, but the rest is a bit too cheesy for my taste—lots of 70s pop
From Dusk Till Dawn - all songs, a bunch of semi-anonymous stuff like ZZ Top
Requiem for a Dream - freaking incredible, some parts are just phenomenal
Sin City - Wow! Wow! The soundtrack is just as good as the movie itself.
Snatch - just songs
Sweet and Lowdown - awesome jazz guitar
Swordfish - alright, nothing special
Team America: World Police - goofy songs, wouldn't listen to it more than twice
Tears of the Sun - awesome Hans Zimmer, perfect for background
The Last Samurai - also Hans Zimmer, also great
The Thin Red Line - again, Hans Zimmer, and again, really good
Y Tu Mamá También - songs, decent selection, though they might be originals, I don't really know them

I also have a massive collection of Ennio Morricone—every single one of his soundtracks bumps a movie up at least two levels.

So, yeah, please hit me with some recommendations!

Just grab everything by Jerry Goldsmith—nothing else touches him. Also, pick up anything by John Carpenter (I’m listening to Christine right now, and honestly, it's pretty rough)🙂

Jose Chase2 said:Just grab everything by Jerry Goldsmith—honestly, nobody touches him—plus all the stuff from John Carpenter (I'm actually listening to Christine right now, and man, it is absolutely killer) and Fight Club.🙂

Will do. Consider it done... I'm actually vibing to Sin City at this very moment, and man, the music captures that gritty aesthetic just perfectly...

You should definitely grab the Hulk soundtrack by Danny Elfman—it’s honestly such a vibe

Maybe also check out some scores by Alan Silvestri, like the stuff from Back to the Future or Forrest Gump

And I don't know... I feel like pretty much anything by John Williams is basically genius... (like, take The Lost World, where the music is easily five times better than the actual movie, or even just the Superman Theme 🙏 🙏 🙏 )

Yeah, an absolutely brilliant soundtrack — Michael Danna — 8mm 🙏 🙏

Brian Moore67 said:Conan the Barbarian has the most intense intro, you know, where that bald guy starts talking about Atlantis... the others were alright, I guess, but nothing quite hits like that one.

Man... if you're a Republican, this kind of stuff should probably be your jam. 😁 😁

Anyway, you might as well grab some more Basil works while you're at it—maybe check out RoboCop and Starship Troopers too. 🙏 🙏

Yeah, you should definitely grab the full Marc Beltrami collection—especially Flight of the Phoenix and Hellboy😍

quietdriver3 said:Starship Troopers 🙏 🙏

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa👍 👍

quietdriver3 said:Man... if you’re calling yourself a Republican, this should basically be your holy grail.😁 😁

By the way, you might as well just grab Basil and RoboCop and Starship Troopers too while you're at it!🙏 🙏

Me, a Republican? I'm not even an American! Okay, fine—I'll admit it—I was sipping my coffee this morning listening to some Ronald Reagan speeches, but let's keep that between us, alright? Shhh!

It’s gotta be Danny Elfman, hands down.👍 👍

That Mexican movie "Before the Rain" — featuring music by Anastasia...

Hans Zimmer's Hannibal
talk to her

David Holmes, Oceans Twelve
Ennio Morricone—of course.

Streets of Fire👍

I’ve been listening to some clips from Zimmer's "Beyond Reason" soundtrack. There are some killer themes in there. It feels like an underrated classic—though I won't be able to say for sure until I get my hands on the full album.

Speaking of Zimmer, nobody seems to talk about The Last Samurai much, even though it’s easily one of the best soundtracks from the last few years. Unlike James Horner, who tends to go overboard with those "exotic" instruments everywhere, Zimmer uses them exactly where they belong and keeps it subtle. The man is a master, plain and simple.

Amélie Soundtrack

Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction is legendary!😉

Danny Elfman, Quentin Tarantino, Ennio Morricone—I mean, obviously 🙏

And honestly, I don't think anyone else has even brought up the fact that we haven't mentioned any of the Cameron Crowe soundtracks yet 🙂

Is there anything truly out there that can rival the sheer, breathtaking majesty of The Lord of the Rings by Howard Shore? Honestly, I find myself constantly questioning if such greatness can ever be matched! And while we're on the subject of epic scores, I have to say, the soundtrack for Kingdom of Heaven is absolutely superb, don't you think?

Paul Williams45 said:Danny Elfman, Quentin Tarantino, Ennio Morricone — obviously 🙏

and I don't think anyone else has mentioned them yet—all those Cameron Crowe soundtracks 🙂

we're talking about the scores here 🙂