No good sci-fi movie is complete without an awe-inspiring musical score to elevate the on-screen visuals; here are fourteen of the best…
A great music score can take the visual landscape of a film and add a whole other dimension to help transport the viewer. For genre movies, an effective score is essential in embellishing your worlds with mystery, fantasy, thrills and excitement. It can give action movies propulsion, horror movies tension, and in Sci-fi create a sense of wonder. Great sci-fi can take us to distant worlds, dystopian landscapes or incredible scenarios, but to really make us buy what the director is selling visually, the music often has to be equally enveloping.
Whether it’s the otherworldly sounds of a synthesiser or the rousing textures of a full orchestra, here are 14 epically good sci-fi movie scores that help bring some fantastic stories to life, as well as elevate some beyond what they might have been otherwise….
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – John Williams
We can’t cover great scores without mentioning the most prolific exponent of unforgettable movie scores, Mr John Williams. We also can’t fail to mention one of his most iconic film series, Star Wars. Now, his iconic marches and recurring themes are known to pretty much everyone. In fact, they reach so widely into public consciousness that even people who have never watched a Star Wars film have probably heard the key themes. The epic fanfares and booming overtones are unforgettable. Revenge of the Sith was recently rereleased, and as flawed as the film is, it carries a number of Williams’ iconic franchise themes, but a more brooding and complex darkness to it. You could argue it’s the best score in Star Wars canon.
Miracle Mile – Tangerine Dream
This incredible and sorely underseen nuclear armageddon sci-fi thriller takes place across a single night as an average guy accidentally gets advanced warning that a bomb is dropping on the City. In a race to find a girl he had only met earlier and catch a chopper ride to safety, the action and pace are constant, requiring the kind of pulsating score Tangerine Dream were famous for. A big part of the film’s cult appeal to those who have seen it is down to the great TD score.
Interstellar – Hans Zimmer
Christopher Nolan knows a thing or two about creating epic sci-fi cinema, and one of the key strengths of both Inception and Interstellar is the music from Hans Zimmer. The legendary composer has crafted so many unforgettable scores across every genre, but he really does have a proclivity for sci-fi. Interstellar is grand, epic in scale and complex in ideas, but also has some real emotional heft too. You certainly couldn’t accuse Interstellar of being emotionally cold like some finicky critics have accused Nolan’s cinema of being, and yet he never gets mawkish either. Zimmer, set the challenge by Nolan to create something fresh and new, rises to it with aplomb and delivers probably his greatest work.
Oblivion – M83
Tom Cruise is currently risking life and limb in Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning but in 2013, he made a pretty stellar and engaging sci-fi with shades of existential angst and dystopian dread, with a Nolan-esque visual palette and a score by M83 that certainly had shades of Zimmer but with a heavier synth leaning. Given how well-made Joseph Kosinski’s film is, and how typically dedicated Cruise is, it’s a surprise this wasn’t more warmly received. The soundtrack is arguably the greatest strength, but it’s lifting a really good (albeit not great) sci-fi opus.
Masters of the Universe – Bill Conti
The first live-action version of Masters of the Universe definitely divided opinion, but in time, the film has grown a newfound appreciation, whilst for the fans who grew up on it, it has retained a hearty and warming nostalgia. If there’s one area the upcoming reboot is destined to fall way short of against the Lundgren/Langella cheesefest, it’s the score. In truth, big, thematic, idiosyncratic and grandiose scores are rare these days. Bill Conti delivers an incredible score for what many feel is an average film (but they’re wrong, because it’s obviously great). Aside from Frank Langella and Meg Foster being so deliciously villainous, it’s Bill Conti’s music that carries this picture. Sublime. As a friend of mine said upon relistening and sending me a track over, it will give you “goosebumps.”
2001: A Space Odyssey – Various
This masterpiece and trailblazing moment in sci-fi left a lasting imprint on cinema with a number of films following in its wake, not least Interstellar. Stanley Kubrick didn’t opt for a traditional composer and score, instead setting his stunning visuals to a collection of classical music tracks from noted composers like Johann Strauss and György Ligeti, among others. Most of them are recognisable within a handful of bars, even taken out of the context of the movie, but certain inimitable images within 2001 are tied so vividly to their classic accompaniments. The most iconic of which is arguably Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, which accompanies the apes in the Dawn of Man segment.
Jurassic Park – John Williams
Much like other iconic films on this list, the legacy of the original Jurassic Park, spawned a long-running franchise which is about to see another release later this year in Jurassic World: Rebirth. Will it touch the original? Not likely, and as he tended to do in every blockbuster he scored, John Williams created a masterwork. Themes that stick with you, music that uplifts, thrills, excites and evokes you. The Jurassic Park score is sublime.
E.T – John Williams
Williams again. To be fair you could just list every sci-fi movie he scored, be it Minority Report or Close Encounters of the Third Kind. However, the majestic magicalness of E.T. really did make you believe an Alien wanted to phone home. Williams was always a perfect foil for Spielberg and vice versa. The music brings the visuals to life perfectly, managing to tug our heartstrings and increase that sense of awe in the most eye-catching and amazing moments.
Under The Skin – Mica Levi
Jonathan Glazer’s hypnotic and compelling arthouse sci-fi movie has an incredible score that feels alive. It’s bold and aims to evoke a feeling of intrigue in one moment, and discord in another. Glazer’s quiet and ambiguous film, with a mesmerising Scarlett Johansson, also hits moments that are incredibly powerful, all backed by Levi’s idiosyncratic and truly unique score.
Terminator – Brad Fiedel
James Cameron has helmed plenty of diverse sci-fi films with memorable scores. His breakout, The Terminator, features a superb score from Brad Fiedel. A killer cyborg sent back from a world overrun by mech soldiers and machines evokes mechanical and industrial sounds. Fiedel emphasises this with his synth score that leans into inorganic sounds. He creates a sense of motor, mechanics, and working parts with his propulsive arpeggiation. The main theme itself is also a part of pop culture.
Tron: Legacy
Despite average reviews and good (but not great) box office, Tron: Legacy has managed to retain a solid cult following. Is it the film itself? The visual effects feel dated now, and the storyline isn’t hugely engaging (much like the original, to be honest), but the film has an absolutely killer soundtrack from Daft Punk. It lifts this film to be greater than the sum of its parts. There’s a beautiful neo-retro feel to it, and it was one of several movies of that time and prior that partly inspired the New Synthwave movement.
Blade Runner – Vangelis
Making a score that feels like a one-of-a-kind is tough. However, Vangelis managed just that with Ridley Scott’s masterpiece, Blade Runner, which ended up as one of the most influential sci-fi movies ever made. The range in the score and its musical influences is impressive, but it’s also so dreamy and cerebral. Tracks like the Blade Runner blues, will make you melt away as you listen.
Blade Runner 2049 – Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch
Zimmer’s work in Interstellar had its own stamp of course, but among several influences he drew upon, you can feel shades of Vangelis within the score. When Denis Villeneuve was tasked with making a long-awaited sequel to Blade Runner, it wasn’t a surprise to see Hans Zimmer being entrusted to add extra scale to a picture already destined for heft under Denis’s visual eye. Zimmer and Wallfisch create some amazing pad-heavy tracks that fire into your spine and go big when required. Of course, they manage to work in some of Vangelis’ iconic themes, but aren’t beholden to his work (just as Denis finds his own approach here too). The music is incredible, but it’s no less than the stunning visuals deserve.
The Matrix – Don Davis
The last great sci-fi of the 20th century still feels fresh and invigorating today. That fashions and tech have dated, doesn’t matter in the context of those leather coats and daft shades existing in a computer simulation of the late 20th century. Aside from its great martial arts set piece, destructive gun battles, groundbreaking bullet time, and intricately weaved philosophical subtext, The Matrix also has a fantastic score from Don Davis. It felt like his work here was bombastic and exciting in a way people later felt when Zimmer invented the “bwwwaaaaaaahhh.” Don Davis was the best thing since sliced bread, as far as movie composers, and yet didn’t become a mega budget staple like some others did after a big break. However, that takes nothing away from some truly genre-redefining composition here.
What’s your favourite sci-fi movie score? Let us know on our social channels @flickeringmyth.com or hit me up @jolliffeproductions.
