While many were busy at the end of 2019 putting together their lists of the best films and TV shows of the decade, it felt prudent to get granular and really single out some of the astonishing filmmaking craft that’s been showcased over the past 10 years. A film score has the power to either ruin or make a movie—just the right piece of music playing in just the right spot is what iconic film moments are made of. And sometimes the score itself is so radical, it elevates the entire atmosphere of the movie to another level.
The 2010s saw digital musicmaking take leaps both for better and worse. The real craftspeople used this new technology to their advantage, combining it with their understanding of music to craft unique and striking soundscapes. Others simply leaned on samples and electronic cues to create an indistinguishable sea of sound.
But traditional film scores still remain, and everyone from veterans of the trade to exciting newer talents made use of full orchestras to tug at our heartstrings or make our palms sweaty. That this decade gave us bothJunkie XLandNicholas Britellis a testament to the breadth of diversity in film music that was on display.
So let’s look back and celebrate the very best film scores of the 2010s. As with any list of this kind, it is certainly subjective, and there are innumerable fantastic film scores of the decade that arenoton this list. But looking back at this precise moment in time, these feel like the cream of the crop.
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15. A Ghost Story – Daniel Hart
All ofDaniel Hart’s collaborations with filmmakerDavid Loweryare magnificent (especially the jazz-infusedOld Man and the Gun), but his work onA Ghost Storystands out for a couple of reasons. This incredibly small-scale yet emotionally epic 2017 indie is exactly as the title suggests—a ghost story—but it’s also a film about loneliness, longing, regret, the passage of time, and humanity’s impermanence. Hart’s score, then, is sufficiently reflective of these haunting themes, as you may feel the protagonist’s yearning in the quiet, Western-tinged pieces. But there’s also a forward-thinking feel to other tracks as the film wears on. It’s epically intimate.
Mad Max: Fury Roadis a perfect movie. A masterfully-executed action film from the genius mind ofGeorge Miller. So appropriately enough, it gets a larger-than-life score viaJunkie XL(akaTom Holkenborg). This score would prove influential for the decade as many other composers would look to imitate Junkie XL’s massive-sounding music, which drew heavily from digital sources. But those imitators would miss the fact that the reason the score forFury Roadis so great and so memorable is that it is perfectly proportional to the size and tone of the film at hand. Read: it’s freaking huge for a reason.
13. Swiss Army Man – Andy Hull and Robert McDowell
A movie as unique as the 2016 indieSwiss Army Mangets an appropriately unique score courtesy of musiciansAndy HullandRobert McDowell. The film’s title refers to howPaul Dano’s shipwrecked character usesDaniel Radcliffe’s lifeless (or is it?) body for a multitude of purposes, and the score then reflects the variety of sounds a human body can make. Vocals and hand claps make up the majority of the music, but it’s backed by epic-sounding chords in a manner that proves to be surprisingly emotional. You’ve never quite seen a movie likeSwiss Army Man, and you’ve never quite heard a score like this one.
12. Her – William Butler and Owen Pallett
How does one go about crafting the score for a movie in which the lead character falls in love with an operating system? With profound humanity, of course. That’s the underlying theme ofSpike Jonze’s 2013 masterpieceHer, and it’s what runs through the touching score byWilliam ButlerandOwen Pallett. The music breaks your heart in the best way, as Butler and Pallett keep things simple for the most part with a piano and keyboard, until the whole thing crescendos in the film’s final moments which will adequately turn you into a puddle of tears.
11. Black Panther – Ludwig Göransson
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most consistently successful film franchises in history, it didn’t really get its act together sonically until these last few years.Michael GiacchinoandMark Mothersbaughcharted memorable territory with their scores forSpider-Man: HomecomingandThor: Ragnarok, but it wasLudwig Göransson’s work onBlack Pantherthat gave us the first truly masterful score for an MCU movie. The Oscar-winning music toes the line between the music of Africa and the hip-hop influences in America, which is in keeping with the film’s themes. Indeed, writer/directorRyan Cooglermade a superhero movie about what it means to be African-American, and Göransson’s score is at once triumphant, sorrowful, and downright cool.
10. Beasts of the Southern Wild – Dan Rohmer and Benh Zeitlin
I’m still kind of mad that it’s been over seven years and we’reonly just now getting the next filmfrom directorBenh Zeitlin. His 2012 Sundance breakoutBeasts of the Southern Wildbrought fantasy to reality on an incredibly tiny budget, making the story of the central character Hushpuppy all the more impactful. The score—by Zeitlin andDan Rohmer—is central to fleshing out the world ofBeasts of the Southern Wild, and it remains a triumphant piece of music that’s emblematic of how just the right score can elevate the entire scope of your film.
9. War for the Planet of the Apes – Michael Giacchino
To be honest,Michael Giacchinocould have filled a couple of spots on this list himself, but it’s his score for the 2017 filmWar for the Planet of the Apesthat’s the most striking at this point in time (though that doesn’t devalue his excellent work onInside Out,Coco, etc. etc.). Following in the footsteps of the iconicJerry Goldsmithis no easy task, but for the concluding chapter in this newApestrilogy, Giacchino crafts a score that’s worthy of standing right next to Goldsmith’s unforgettable music for the original movie. Haunting, epic, and immensely emotional. A fitting conclusion.
8. Sicario – Jóhann Jóhannsson
It’s hard not to feel angry atJóhann Jóhannsson’s untimely death, knowing how many more unforgettable scores the world missed out on, and indeed his stirring work on the 2015 filmSicariostands tall as one of the best and most influential scores of the decade. Blurring the lines between music and sound design, the score feels angry and haunting and downright scary, echoing the themes ofDenis Villeneuve’s unforgettable film. Jóhansson would push things even further on his next collaboration with Villeneuve, the terrificArrival, and while I’m glad the world got to hear the contributions he made to the pantheon of great film music, there was no doubt even more greatness to come.
7. If Beale Street Could Talk – Nicholas Britell
BetweenMoonlight,If Beale Street Could Talk, andSuccession, composerNicholas Britellis certainly one of the most significant breakouts of the decade. And while his other scores are excellent, his work onIf Beale Street Could Talkis almost otherworldly. It feels like a warm embrace from a close friend you haven’t seen in ages. It doesn’t feellikelove, itislove. Words do not do its beauty justice, except to say it’s a fine fit for this underseen follow-up fromMoonlightdirectorBarry Jenkins.
6. The Grand Budapest Hotel – Alexandre Desplat
Alexandre Desplatwas one of the most prolific composers of the decade, and while one could easily cite his work onThe Tree of Lifehere instead, I’m going withThe Grand Budapest Hotel—which also happens to be writer/directorWes Anderson’s best work of the decade as well. Playful, lively and propulsive, Desplat’s score also manages to be robust and profound. It’s light but not without weight—an oxymoronic characteristic, I know, but it feels fitting for this joyfully mischievous (and Oscar-winning) score.
