Favorite Movie Scores

_ Many elements come into play in order to make a movie memorable. 

A good film score will draw the audience into the movie; it will help create empathy and atmosphere.  A good film score will also lift a not so good movie up a few notches. 

I can think of four movies that didn’t do so well on release that have now gone on to become cult classics.

• Flash Gordon (1980) Queen
• Dune (1984) Toto
• Highlander (1986) Michael Kamen
• The Black Hole (1979) John Barry
  

A movie can have its very own signature theme and characters might have their own signature tune.

Superman: The Movie (1978) John Williams
Original Star Wars Trilogy: (1977-1983) John Williams
Jaws Theme (1975) John Williams

A good way to get those creative juices flowing is to listen to your favorite movie score and imagine your story and key scenes playing out to it.

A list of great movie scores follows.  This list isn't inexhaustible by any means and plenty more can be added to it.

• A View to a Kill (1985) John Barry
• Alien (1979) Jerry Goldsmith
• Aliens (1986) James Horner
• Back to the Future (1985) Alan Silvestri
• Batman (1989) Danny Elfman
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) John Williams
• Condorman (1981) Henry Mancini
  
• Crocodile Dundee (1986) Peter Best
• Dances with Wolves (1990) John Barry
• Die Hard (1988) Michael Kamen
• Dune (1984) Toto
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial(1982) John Williams
• Extreme Prejudice (1987) Jerry Goldsmith
  
• Flash Gordon (1980) Queen
• Game of Death (1978) John Barry
  
• Gladiator (2000) Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard
• Highlander (1986) Michael Kamen
• Jaws (1975) John Williams
• Lethal Weapon (1987) Michael Kamen
• Live and Let Die (1973) George Martin
• Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) Ennio Morricone
• Planet of the Apes (1968) Jerry Goldsmith
• Predator (1987) Michael Kamen
• Raiders of the Lost Ark (1980) John Williams
• Robocop (1987) Basil Poledouris
• Saving Private Ryan (1998) John Williams
• Starman (1984) Jack Nitzsche
• Star Wars Trilogy Original (1977-1983) John Williams
• Superman: The Movie (1978) John Williams
• The Black Hole (1979) John Barry
• The Dark Knight (2008) Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard
• The Godfather (1972) Nino Rota
• The Last of the Mohicans (1992) Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman
• The Last Samurai (2003) Hans Zimmer
• The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003) Howard Shore
• The Magnificent Seven (1960) Elmer Bernstein
• The Matrix Trilogy (1999-2003) Don Davis and Juno Reactor
  
• The Terminator (1984) Brad Fiedel
• The Untouchables (1987) Ennio Morricone
• Tron (1982)  Wendy Carlos
• Tron Legacy (2010) Daft Punk
• Young Guns 2 (1990) Alan Silvestri
• Zulu (1964) John Barry
  

There are loads more.