- 6 months ago
From epic scores to chart-topping originals, cinema soundtracks have reached new heights. Join us as we celebrate the most memorable movie music since 2020! Our countdown features stellar compositions that transported us to new worlds, made us dance, and tugged at our heartstrings with their sonic brilliance.
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00:00I have feelings that I can't explain, they're driving me insane.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best film soundtracks from the 2020s, to this point.
00:14I'll change my mind, this love is fine, goodness gracious, great balls of fire!
00:21Number 10, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
00:24These Marvel films are well-known for featuring eclectic, jukebox-style soundtracks, and the third film in the trilogy closes things out on a high note.
00:33While the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films were restricted primarily to 1970s tunes, Vol. 3 opens up the options to other decades.
00:40From its opening using an acoustic version of Radiohead's Creep, to its wistful ending featuring Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine, the soundtrack is filled with music that perfectly captures each scene.
01:01So you better run, run fast for your mother, run fast for your father, run for your children, for your sisters and brothers.
01:11And if there were an award for best use of Beastie Boys in the film, this one would take it handily.
01:16The original score by composer John Murphy is no slouch either.
01:19No! Sleep! Till Brooklyn!
01:24No! Sleep! Till Brooklyn!
01:27Number 9, Top Gun Maverick.
01:32The soundtrack of this film epitomizes what makes it such a great legacy sequel.
01:37Although it pays tribute to songs that make the first film iconic, like Danger Zone and Great Balls of Fire,
01:42it also includes new original songs from artists of today, like Lady Gaga and One Republic.
01:46But if you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you, I won't let go till the end.
01:56Likewise, the score retains previous composer Harold Faltermeyer, but also includes works by Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer.
02:05Darkstar, you are cleared above 600, increased to Mach 3.5.
02:10Cleared above 600, increased to Mach 3.5.
02:13The result takes the synth sounds of the 80s and lends them an epic grandeur and scope unseen in the first Top Gun.
02:23I am worried about you right now, keeping dreams alive, 1999 in the rose.
02:31I am worried about you right now.
02:34Number 8, Barbie.
02:35As one of the biggest movies in the 2020s, Barbie's soundtrack also made huge waves.
02:40Although the score by relatively new producers Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt has a wonderful balance of synths and orchestral sounds,
02:47it's the original songs that truly make the soundtrack shine.
02:50Hi Barbie.
02:52Hi Ken.
02:53Along with classic hits, Barbie also features several newly written singles that, along with the soundtrack album in general,
03:06topped the charts in multiple countries.
03:08Tracks by Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish managed to touch our hearts and had us getting our groove on.
03:13And songs like I'm Just Ken, had us remembering what a great singer Ryan Gosling is.
03:29I'm just Ken, where I see love, she sees a friend.
03:35What will it take for her to see the man behind the town and fight for me?
03:42Number 7.
03:43The Batman.
03:44There have been many Batman movies, and a lot of soundtracks to accompany them.
03:48And yet, Michael Giacchino's take still manages to feel fresh.
03:52The main theme is moody, yet sweeping and epic,
03:55with its piano and string sections tolling out like a death knell for the criminals' Batman battles.
04:13There are comparatively fewer songs drawn from other sources, but the film does make use of a few,
04:18most notably several instances of Franz Schubert's Ave Maria and Something in the Way by Nirvana,
04:24the latter of which has a bass line that matches the rest of the score perfectly.
04:27The city's eating itself.
04:32Maybe it's beyond saving.
04:35But I have to try.
04:39Push myself.
04:40There's something in the way, yeah.
04:48Haunting, yet exhilarating.
04:49The Batman soundtrack gets our blood pumping and inspires awe in equal measure.
04:54Number 6.
05:05Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse.
05:07Much like the gorgeous and beautifully creative animation in this film,
05:10the soundtrack of Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse also goes for broke.
05:14The vocal tracks are primarily in the vein of hip-hop and R&B,
05:18which really helps immerse viewers in the mindset of protagonist Miles Morales.
05:22The most notable of these performers is arguably Sway Lee,
05:38who contributes several tracks and an original single to the soundtrack.
05:41The original score by Daniel Pemberton is just as good, though,
05:45with practically every character, or at least every spider person,
05:48getting their own unique theme or leitmotif.
05:50Like Gwen Stacy's energetic synthy rock theme,
05:53or Miguel O'Hara's more menacing, futuristic entrance sting.
06:07I'm sorry, who exactly are you supposed to be?
06:09All of it has our spidey senses, or at least our ears, tingling.
06:20Number 5.
06:23Wicked.
06:24It's the first half of the movie version of the second highest grossing stage musical of all time.
06:30Of course the soundtrack is great.
06:32John Powell and Stephen Schwartz do a great job with the original score,
06:51which matches the tone of the original songs from the stage production wonderfully.
06:55But let's be real, it's the musical numbers, also by Schwartz, that are the real stars here.
07:15Songs like Popular, Defying Gravity, and Dancing Through Life have us humming or singing along with them
07:21for days, weeks, or months later.
07:24Here's hoping the sequel delivers that same level of polish.
07:26Number 4.
07:40Sinners.
07:40For as much as many are quick to label it a vampire movie,
07:43Sinners is actually more about music, and it certainly features a lot of it.
07:47Blues music is prevalent throughout,
07:49with many of the actors playing and performing the songs themselves within the scenes.
07:53Lead actor Miles Catan performs several standouts, like Travelin' and Lied to You,
08:09the latter during a viral sequence that blends genres past and future together.
08:12Oh, you did all you could do, and they say the truth hurts, so I lied to you, yes I lied to you, I love the blues.
08:25The score, composed by Ludwig Gorenson, also mixes styles,
08:30interweaving blues, metal, and rock into an incredible fusion
08:33that underscores and often complements the music within each scene.
08:37For instance, who knew an Irish folk song could be so menacing?
08:40Hot the hair and turnin' down the rockin' roller
08:43And all the freaks together, and what's my life now?
08:46The visor ever put away, the sickly landing from his head of the pool
08:50I couldn't belong, and stand it, but began to burn
08:53Number 3.
08:54Encanto.
08:55Whenever you see Lin-Manuel Miranda's name attached to a musical,
08:58you're bound to expect greatness.
09:00Still, nobody was prepared for the viral phenomenon that Encanto's soundtrack became.
09:05The score and songs draw inspiration from traditional Colombian music,
09:09while also incorporating various popular music styles,
09:12including everything from hip-hop, to salsa, to pop.
09:16The family Madrigal is a breezy opener.
09:18This is my family, a perfect consolation
09:21So many stars, and everybody gets to shine
09:25Whoa!
09:26Let's be clear up while I run this show
09:28Whoa!
09:29Meanwhile, surface pressure is a reggae ton number,
09:32And the variable styles and infectiously catchy lyrics of
09:35We Don't Talk About Bruno have lived in our heads rent-free,
09:39basically since it debuted.
09:40We don't talk about Bruno, no, no, no, no
09:44We don't talk about Bruno, no, no, no
09:48It's no wonder why the Encanto soundtrack topped Billboard charts for several years in a row.
09:52Number 2. Oppenheimer
10:06Another score by Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer is an absolute masterpiece.
10:12The entire soundtrack beautifully conveys not only J. Robert Oppenheimer's inner world,
10:16but also complex scientific phenomena and reactions through music.
10:20The famous Trinity test scene masterfully builds musical tension until it's all finally released.
10:36Meanwhile, courtroom scenes pulse with energy and force,
10:40and the protagonist's theme is built around a single violin,
10:43whose tone can vary wildly and which builds into tremendous, transcendental sounds,
10:48such as in the track Can You Hear the Music.
10:50Can you hear the music, Robert?
10:53Yes, I can.
11:07Oppenheimer's soundtrack is as stunning a musical achievement,
11:10as the film is a visual one.
11:11Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:28In the Heights, an inner-city musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda?
11:32Yes, please!
11:32A little off the top, a little on the side.
11:36A little bit of news you heard of around the barrio.
11:41Tell me something I don't know.
11:45Avatar, The Way of Water.
11:47Composer Simon Franklin took up the mantle of this epic sci-fi score.
11:51Every song chord must have a last beat.
11:53Black Panther, Wakanda Forever.
12:12A sound drawing inspiration for Mayans and Africa alike,
12:16plus a few Rihanna songs.
12:17Get out of my dorm.
12:19Get out!
12:20Hey.
12:21I'm warning you, do not take another step toward me.
12:25See how they teach the children to treat their guests?
12:28Hmm.
12:29Triple R.
12:30Epic dance numbers and spine-tingling background music.
12:33Soul, a beautiful score and jazz music by John Batiste.
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13:20Number 1, Dune and Dune Part 2.
13:26Hans Zimmer has done many film soundtracks,
13:28but his work on the Dune movies not only sounds unlike anything else he's done before,
13:32it sounds unlike anything anyone's done before.
13:35The soundtrack of Dune is immersive in a way few films can match.
13:39It's transportive and alien and almost overwhelming.
13:42The instruments are eclectic, weird, and often unfamiliar.
13:46There's bizarre throat singing, mournful female soloists,
14:02a chorus of bagpipes,
14:03and electric guitar mixed with orchestral music.
14:18The Dune soundtracks are like taking the spice itself.
14:21They're an experience that's nearly indescribable.
14:25Is there a recent movie soundtrack that we forgot?
14:40What else can we do but ask you to share your pics in the comments?
14:44Build the air as I climb and dive wars through.
14:49What else can I do?
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