The soundtrack of a film really helps to flesh out a scene in a movie and paint it in such a way that you as an audience gain the same experience that our characters in a movie are experiencing, or rather when done well that becomes the case. There are, however some films in which the score of the movie will add so much to a film that if you were to take it away and have another composer write a new score the film would actually be not as good as or a bit more mediocre than it was before.
Not that the film would be bad per say just not as memorable as it was before. Here are some of those films.
6.) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
This movie would yes still be fun and enjoyable with a different person holding the musical reigns but honestly part of what makes this movie so good to me and what in some scenes literally helps paint the scene on the screen. The various music of the Sex Bob-Ombs and The Clash At Demonhead help make the movie have the angry underdog against everyone else feel that it has. Not to mention all of the other various sounds that are homages to various video games and nerd franchises that we have grown to know and Love. I daresay that without its specific music the movie would lose part of what makes it so….indie nerd charming….and you wouldn’t get that rush of adrenaline that Scott appears to feel during each fight scene or have the same feelings of awkwardness that he has around Ramona or be able to share in his triumph in each moment of victory. The sounds and music of this movie accent the film in such a way that the audience is brought to a place where they feel the exact emotions that the characters of the film are having in those specific moments.
5.) The Incredibles
I can’t say how much I enjoy this movie , I have another article on The Incredibles here. Michael Giacchino’s work on this movie is astounding in how he musically paints the adventure of the screen into something beyond language that your ears get the joy of marveling at. Each note portrays the emotions of the Heroes and Villains on screen or the direness of the situation at hand or even the brief moments in which the heroes can take a rest from the current drama at hand. Simply put, Giacchino’s work puts you into the shoes of the characters on screen in a way that I have seen very few films do
4.) Juno
This is another dorky sort of twist of the romantic comedy in that it’s about two kids who fall in love progressively after they have conceived a child, turning the usual process of how kids are born on its head …kind of…Juno the character and mother of the child to be is a cheesy and strange egg and the soundtrack of the film does its job to highlight that in every single scene with its quite eclectic choice of songs to accentuate each scene and transition between scenes and it seems like the song list that one would genuinely find on some indie kids ipod ( Or at least it sounded like my teenage sisters ipod anyways.) But all this to say that were you to alter any of the musical choices for this film it would most definitely lose a large chunk of its charm and character and not be nearly as entertaining or as memorable as it was with its song list currently.
3. Oblivion
Let’s be up front and honest first about Oblivion. It’s not a fantastically amazing film but I would say it’s worth at least one watch in a “Lets just watch and enjoy without being overly analytical.” (Or maybe any level of analyzing but I digress.) While I enjoyed this movie I don’t think I could have been as emotionally invested in the characters without its score. Anthony Gonzalez does an excellent job in the film, along with M83 and Joseph Trapanese, of setting us up for a sci-fi adventure with a bit of mystery while at the same time highlighting the intensity, curiosity, and mystique of various moments with the choices of musical setting that they use without it getting too overly repetitive which many other scores of sci fi films have been guilty of doing however without this musical combination I do think the film would not only lose part of its allure but many of the problems within the plot would not be so easily glossed over at first glance hence why the film is perhaps good at the first watch due to its music investing you in each moment. Otherwise its quite an enjoyable score to hear and I think that I could even listen to its soundtrack and see most of the scenes in my head play out as the soundtrack goes on.
2.) Lilo and Stitch
This list originally was not going to include films from any Disney franchises but without involving singing and dancing characters this movie was too much of a good example to pass up. This movie is so much fun yet also very emotionally investing and heart wrenching in many moments and flows quite well back and forth between the two extremes. I believe that this is greatly due to Alan Silvestri’s work on the movie. (He is also responsible for the soundtracks of the Back to the Future films and the Polar Express.) This movie features tracks that have not only Hawaiian Isle style music but also the songs of Elvis and does so in such a way that both of these musical parts are actually crucial to the plot of the movie and are a part of the character growth and development of most of the main characters, except Cobra….He doesn’t do anything with the music in the film. This being said without Silvestri’s specific tastes and choices the movie might lose that quality in it which makes you smile along as soon as the first track begins to play after the title fades or you might not be able to relate to how Nani, Lilo and all the others are feeling and it could very quickly become forgotten as one of those cheesy kids movies with a generic sound that characterizes and plagues so many other mediocre children’s films. Seriously the songs in the movie are actually plot relevant in a way that makes logical sense the whole film its awesome! If you took that away the film would completely lose what makes it so charming and also a major part of what attaches it to the culture of Hawaii in that time.
1.) Star Wars (Episode IV Specifically)
I know, I know! “How could you put Star Wars on this list and accuse one of the greatest movies of all time of being a mediocre film in any regard???” Because this is the internet and its true! Star Wars surely is iconic, classic and should always be respected if for no other reason than the sheer special effects marvel that it was for its time however I already wrote a whole article on just this very topic that you can read here. IF you disagree let me know why in the comments below on this or the other one!
Honorable mentions
Tron Legacy
Daft Punk was great but I can’t put this movie as being mediocre without it because Daft Punk is what brings it up to being mediocre…that and its really really pretty….it’s a stupid plot that has no actual repercussion that matters if the bad guy wins ….OH NO AN OCD GUY WITH CONTROL PROBLEMS ENTERS THE WORLD !!!! As if that’s not a description of the current state of the average worker in Corporate America’s leadership or work environment already…
Stardust
First of all it’s not a knock against the composer, Ilan Esherki, at all because he did a great job and it’s a stellar soundtrack (See what I did there?) But this movie might be as good as it is without that soundtrack and while it EXCELLENTLY accents every single moment of the movie this movie honestly might not even need music to be brilliant, (I’m done now.)
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