The Best Movie Scores of 2023

In a long overdue segment for our site, Commander Shipp tells you about this favorite film scores of the year and why they made his list.

A Prelude

Despite my loathing of listicles, I honestly can’t believe this is the first time that I’ve ever talked about film scores in-depth on Nerd Union. Discussing film scores was definitely one of the ways AcetrainerJerry (aka Jerry Maynard) and myself connected earlier on in our careers as writers. I still get texts from Jerry that specifically mention a musical moment in a movie more than we would talk about other aspects like character lines, jokes, CGI, etc. My dad can attest that growing up, when we couldn’t afford or find film score cassette tapes, if we owned the movie on VHS, I would rewind the credits section on the tape so I could re-listen to the score. I started to realize that most films, especially if they had a long credits section, would replay the entire suite or collection of film motifs that were used in the film. Unsurprisingly, the most worn out section of our VHS tapes were the credits section and to make matters better for me (but worse for my parents), I had entire scores memorized and would hum them incessantly.

The Best Scores

May December
Composed by Marcelo Zarvos

Director Todd Phillips is adamant that his film isn’t camp, as he’s said during interviews and I would believe him if it weren’t for the score. Zarvos’ score would come in right on cue to undercut any emotional tension built between Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman’s characters or would come in right after a ridiculous line. The audience I viewed it with (at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre during CIFF) died with laughter every single time. So sure Todd, you can keep claiming it wasn’t camp and technically laughter isn’t a definitive measure for whether something is camp, but I believe you’re facing an uphill climb on that front.

Killers of the Flower Moon
Composed by Robbie Robertson

While I wasn’t a fan of Flower Moon for several reasons, Robertson’s score kept it from becoming a drag with it’s mind-boggllingly steep 3 hours and 28 minute runtime. Robertson’s deep guitar tones, drums, and flutes works well for developing the insidious nature of Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro scheme as Ernest Burkhart and William Hale, respectively. The score creates a foreboding feeling over the entire runtime that doesn’t let you forget how tragic the events are that are unfolding in front of us. This will tragically be Robertson’s final score as he passed way in August last year at the age of 80, a few months before the movie’s premiere.

The Creator
Composed by Hans Zimmer

Hans Zimmer’s amazing works gets unfairly maligned in the pop culture and I’m tired of humoring utter nonsense. After Inception‘s (2010) use of brass instruments became the go-to sound of movie trailers for nearly 5 years, it seems like people forgot the full range of what he can do. His score for The Creator exemplifies his range and mastery as there’s a incredibly tender heart to every motif, driven most by string instruments first with a low-rising brass and woodwind sections backing them up. In particular, “Standby” combines these elements well into a key moment for the character Taylor (John David Washington) that keeps the whole affair from feeling like a cheesy turn and makes the final scenes more emotional resolute.

Godzilla Minus One
Composed by Naoki Satō

Most Godzilla scores in the past decade have faithfully given a nod to longtime series composer Akira Ifukube, like Bear McCreary’s score in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) or Shirō Sagisu’s score in Toho’s Shin Godzilla (2016) However, Satō’s departures from the current norms reside in their ability to push Ifukube’s historic themes into new territories, creating eerie moments within the first few minutes with tracks like “1.0- Fear” or something heroic and triumphant with “1.0- Last.” Each one embodies the horror of Godzilla’s presence while offering a glimmer of hope that the rampage and destruction can be thwarted.

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One
Composed by Lorne Balfe

Balfe took over composing duties with Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018), instantly crafting one of the series most memorable moments when Tom Cruise (playing Ethan Hunt) and Henry Cavill (playing John Locke) perform a halo jump in the first 15 minutes. An effective mixture of synth and wind instrumentation provides the necessary energy for audience goers to seriously consider Ethan Hunt’s fate even if we’re pretty sure he’ll survive. While 2023’s Dead Reckoning Part One is long in the tooth due to a bloated script focused on a painfully vague AI-Macguffin, Balfe’s score tries to rise past those limitations. Especially when it comes to the midway point, the track “Chasing Grace” sees Hunt chasing Hayley Atwell’s character Grace through extremely tight Venice corridors. And while the outcome may be predictable, the score doesn’t let you get away with such thoughts. It’s forces you to stay committed to Ethan’s chase no matter the outcome you expect.

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Composed by Daniel Pemberton

While the soundtrack to 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse is typically lauded for its strong tracks from Post Malone, Vince Staples, and more perfectly curated artists, it’s Daniel Pemberton’s critically underrated score that is needed to weave it altogether. Fast-forward to 2023, with Gwen Stacy’s drum motif kicking off the more tragic elements in the sequel, pinning together the new slate of artists contributing to the soundtrack and you have score that’s every bit as powerful and impactful as its predecessor. This is exemplifed in the track below “Start a Band” which the culmination of Gwen’s new theme and setting a course for the third film’s finale. “Nueva York Train Chase” is also a strong contender because it’s just as emotional resonate with the finale and without spoiling anything, is where Miguel O’Hara (voiced by Oscar Issac) finally reveals what’s been driving the conflict.

My Top Pick

Oppenheimer
Composed by Ludwig Göransson

I was going to say initially “this film doesn’t work without the score” but that launched me into a rabbit hole thinking about that phrase and whether it’s something actually we/I say a bunch or not enough. Since I haven’t been writing much on film scores specifically the past couple years, I’m going to say it’s the latter until proven otherwise. In either case, Göransson’s second time composing for Nolan has yielded a masterpiece, making scenes where physicist’s discussing implosion devices, atoms colliding on screen, and Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) being drilled by the US government all have their own distinct feelings and importance. The most talked about track will likely be “Can You Hear The Music” which showcases Oppenheimer contemplating various physics ideas and kick starts his journey of study around Europe, but I would be remised if we didn’t also highlight “Kitty Comes To Testify” which turns Kitty (Emily Blunt) and Robert Oppenheimer’s leitmotif into an effective tool to disarm Roger Rob’s (Jason Clarke) questions until he seems utterly ridiculous, which is exactly what Kitty was aiming for.

Thoughts?

What do you think? Did these movie scores impact or distract from your viewing experience? You can chat about it with me over on our Discord.

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