A soundtrack is a crucial element to any film, whether or not it is a rousing orchestral rating or up to date songs following the characters via their lives. And but it is curious {that a} soundtrack’s creation is commonly a starkly separate course of. Composers will, in fact, base their writing off the filmed materials and notes from the director however, in the end, the music they conjure up is its personal creative beast.
As such, an totally unbelievable soundtrack will typically accompany a not-so-fantastic film. That could possibly be because of the caliber of the artists or composers concerned; different occasions it is a easy stroke of fortune that the musical parts end up higher than the film itself. Regardless, these ten films ended up being outshone by their far superior audio backdrops.
9
Tron: Ares
Tron: Ares was all the time a curious idea. The earlier two films earned a devoted cult following, however had been by no means runaway important or business success tales. Casting a polarizing lead in Jared Leto solely gave Tron: Ares an even bigger hill to climb, and so it proved, because the threequel landed in theaters to lukewarm critiques and an unenthused Rotten Tomatoes rating, which presently sits at 54%.
Nonetheless, at the least 9 Inch Nails wrote the soundtrack. Trent Reznor has been penning spectacular film scores for years, however Tron: Ares is exclusive in being tagged with the “9 Inch Nails” model. Fairly what the distinction is stays unclear, provided that Reznor is the inventive driving pressure behind 9 Inch Nails anyway, however one can not doubt the outcomes. Tron: Ares is arguably a extra gratifying expertise when seen as an elongated 9 Inch Nails music video.
8
Twilight
As prevalent as Twihards had been within the late 2000s/early 2010s, the sparkly vampires and questionable romances attracted loads of detractors. The one factor each side might unite over was the truth that Twilight‘s soundtrack was an all-time basic stuffed with different rock bangers.
The 2008 film represents the head of Twilight‘s musical greatness, with Muse’s “Supermassive Black Gap” and Paramore’s “Decode” each that includes prominently. Carter Burwell’s rating can’t be ignored, in fact, nevertheless it’s the injections of post-MySpace rock that make sure the legacy and cultural influence of Twlight‘s soundtrack is as sturdy because the film itself in 2025.
7
Most Overdrive
Since “Stephen King diversifications” is just about a style unto itself, one may surprise why the horror legend does not merely make films of his personal. King himself had an identical thought and did precisely that with Most Overdrive in 1986 – then instantly regretted it. Most Overdrive suffers from an absence of focus and minimal substance, and can go down as one of many writer’s worst diversifications, even within the opinion of the person himself.
Thankfully, King had the great sense to rent AC/DC for the film’s soundtrack. The band mixes classics like “Hells Bells” with new tracks akin to “Who Made Who,” making a reliably electrified panorama of arduous rock to accompany King’s iffy directorial debut. None can query Stephen King’s standing as a dwelling legend, however Angus and the gang valiantly present the one and solely redeeming function in Most Overdrive.
6
Ghosts Of Mars
In addition to being a god of horror cinema, John Carpenter is one thing of a musical anomaly by advantage of being one among only a few administrators who rating their very own footage. He is fairly good at it too, penning the long-lasting music for 1978’s Halloween. Alas, Ghosts of Mars represents a low level in Carpenter’s filmmaking profession – a futuristic horror that includes Ice Dice and Jason Statham that basically does miss the mark.
Total high quality apart, Ghosts of Mars is price awaiting the soundtrack alone. Carpenter himself is on high kind, however he additionally recruits a gaggle of top-tier expertise to help him. These maestros embrace guitar legends Steve Vai, Buckethead and Robin Fink, in addition to the band Anthrax. The outcomes are predictably unbelievable and much outshine the film itself.
5
The Village
Loads of administrators discover a composer they collaborate nicely with and stick by them – the Danny Elfman to their Tim Burton. For M. Evening Shyamalan, that composer is James Newton Howard, who scored classics like The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. Sadly for Howard, he was additionally recruited for much less beloved releases akin to The Final Airbender and After Earth.
However whereas Shyamalan’s star in Hollywood faltered considerably, Howard’s didn’t, and his musical contributions continued to soar within the background of much less critically profitable partnerships between director and composer. The Village is probably one of the best instance of Howard lifting a not-so-great Shyamalan film, and his work was nominated for Finest Authentic Rating on the Oscars.
4
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is a cult basic in its personal proper, however falls firmly inside the “so dangerous, it is good” class. Queen’s soundtrack, alternatively, is just simply excellent, particularly the primary theme. These two elements of Flash Gordon straddle the road of style when it comes to ’80s cheese. Flash Gordon is an of-its-time launch greatest loved in the identical tongue-in-cheek vein Mark Wahlberg watches it in Ted, whereas the Queen soundtrack continues to be completely acceptable to blast from the rooftops in 2025 with no shred of irony.
There merely is not a world the place Freddie Mercury, Brian Could, Roger Taylor and John Deacon mix to provide one thing beneath par, and it is intriguing to ponder precisely what Flash Gordon would seem like if Queen’s work was changed by some generic synth rock typical of the period. Definitely, it is arduous to think about Flash incomes his cult standing with out the British rock quartet backing him up.
3
Sucker Punch
Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch earned widespread criticism for its style-over-substance method, depiction of feminine characters, and video game-esque tendencies. The 2011 effort actually has its supporters, however not fairly to the identical passionate extent as different divisive Snyder efforts akin to Man of Metal and Watchmen.
Nearly each ingredient of Sucker Punch splits the group, however Tyler Bates and Marius de Vries’ soundtrack stands because the lone exception. A intelligent mix of rock-driven cinematic instrumentals (a trick Bates would later echo for John Wick) and canopy variations of classics from a long time previous, Sucker Punch is an ideal instance the music feeling extra impressed and intentional than the film it is soundtracking.
2
Purple Rain
Purple Rain is just not a foul film, however it might be with out the soundtrack it is inextricably tied to – one of many best musical feats in human historical past. If Purple Rain was an everyday film stripped of Prince and his almighty music, it possible would have handed via the ’80s and been forgotten to time.
It is also unattainable to keep away from the belief that Purple Rain the album has aged like high-quality wine, whereas Purple Rain the film smells very strongly like a product of the ’80s, questionable depictions of feminine characters included. Whether or not you are watching Purple Rain for the primary time or the 1999th, one inescapable reality shines via: the soundtrack is ideal with out the film, however the film does not work with out its music.
1
The Bodyguard
Like Purple Rain, The Bodyguard is a film orbiting a soundtrack, with Whitney Houston shining so brightly onscreen, it is simple to neglect Kevin Costner’s there someplace too. Whereas it is unattainable to disclaim The Bodyguard‘s place within the ’90s popular culture corridor of fame, it is also unattainable to disclaim that the film is deeply flawed, skating by on star energy, Houston’s charisma, a by-the-numbers love story, and, in fact, some completely basic tunes.
When an album begins with “I Will All the time Love You,” “I Have Nothing” and “I am Each Lady,” it’s totally clearly on the trail to greatness, and Houston’s vocal efficiency is the sound of an artist really hitting their peak. In contrast, The Bodyguard is a film few could be speaking about in 2025 if anybody however Houston had been the star.