10 Pieces Of Score That Elevate The Film

Recently, we saw the release of a new teaser for the upcoming live-action remake of the classic animated film How to Train Your Dragon. Fans of the original have been uncertain about the necessity of such a remake, but some admit to having been slightly won over by the teaser, particularly through the use of a few bars of 'Test Drive', an iconic piece of John Powell's score from the original film.

This is the power of score. The right piece of musical score can set the tone of what a movie will be. A score can chage the feel of a scene, build tension, anticipation, or joy. The right score can elevate a good film into a great one. Film composing is a an aspect of film making that can sometimes go underappreciated by general audiences, and recently, some composers have expressed fear that penny-pinching studios may want to replace their work with cheaper A.I generated music. This would be a great shame, as no A.I could match the blood, sweat and tears that go into the work of a truly talented film composer.

Here are a few memorable pieces of score that elevate the film in which they appear.

1. 'Duel of the Fates' by John Williams, 'Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace'

While some fans have rethought their stance on the Star Wars prequels in recent years (Particularly in light of the particularly cold reception to the sequel trilogy), at the time of their release, the prequels, especially Episodes I and II, were deemed vastly inferior to the Original Trilogy. A great number of viewers, both fans and critics alike, considered the saving grace of the films to be John Williams' score.

Easily the most iconic track from the prequels is 'Duel of the Fates', played during the sequence in which Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi battle Darth Maul, eventually leading to Qui-Gon's death. Far from just elevating the prequels, Williams' score makes the whole Star Wars franchise what it is today. Composers for the more recent Star Wars projects still sample and draw inspiration from the work of John Williams.

2. 'Portals' by Alan Silvestri, 'Avengers: Endgame'

When it was released in 2019, Avengers: Endgame had a lot to live up to. Aside from needing to be a suitable follow-up to the critically acclaimed Avengers: Infinity War, the film also had the pressure of wrapping up a decade's worth of storytelling as the conclusion to the MCU's Infinity Saga.

While Endgame has plenty of great moments in it's three hour runtime, the most memorable is the scene in which the previously decimated heroes return, just in time to stand with Cap against Thanos's army. The already great scene is made even greater by Alan Silvestri's 'Portals', a track that starts slow as each hero arrives at the scene of the battle, before eventually building into the beloved 'Avengers' theme, creating an immediately iconic moment as Captain America utters the long awaited words:

"Avengers.. Assemble!"

3. 'Test Drive' by John Powell, 'How to Train Your Dragon'

Loosely based on Cressida Cowell's novel of the same name, the first film in Dreamworks successful How to Train Your Dragon franchise hit theatres in 2010. The film tells the story of a young misfit viking, Hiccup Haddock, who forms an unlikely friendship with Toothless, the dragon he was supposed to be hunting.

While John Powell wrote a number of gorgeous pieces of score for these films, the most well loved is 'Test Drive', an uplifting, perfectly crafted piece of music that formed the backdrop for Toothless and Hiccup's first flight together. While How to Train Your Dragon would have been a wonderful film no matter what, Powell's score made all three films something truly special.

4. 'Jaws Main Theme', by John Williams, 'Jaws'

Jaws, Steven Spielberg's classic shark attack film, provides an example where John Williams' score is just as, if not more iconic than the film itself. For most of the movie, Williams main Jaws theme, a stifling, tension building alternation of just two notes, effectively IS the shark. We don't have to see the shark in every attack because the theme tells us that it is coming.

Jaws would not have worked nearly as well without John Williams' score. It is often voted one of the best cinematic scores of all time, and deservedly so.

5. 'Flying' by James Newton Howard, 'Peter Pan'

Most kids who grew up in the 90s or 2000s have probably seen, and fondly remember, the 2003 live-action adaptation of Peter Pan, starring Jeremy Sumpter in the title role. While it was a hit at the time of release, and visually impressive for its time, the film didn't do anything particularly new, special, or groundbreaking with the Peter Pan story.

Why, then, is film so memorable? Well, it has a lot to do with James Newton Howard's score, particularly 'Flying', the leitmotif of which is repeated regularly throughout the score. Many fans have admitted to recognising the music before the film itself.

6. 'Transformation' by Alan Menken, 'Beauty and the Beast'

Disney's 1991 classic Beauty and The Beast is considered by many reviewers, now and in days gone by, to be one of the greatest animated films of all time, and rightfully so. No-one would argue that this is due to the score alone.. the film is gorgeously animated, and the voice work is top-notch.. but the score definitely helps.

The main lyricist on Beauty and The Beast's iconic songs was the late Howard Ashman, who sadly died shortly before the film's release, but the score was the work of composer Alan Menken, who had previously worked on The Little Mermaid, and went on to score other iconic Disney films, such as Aladdin and Tangled.

'Transformation', the final instrumental piece on Beauty and the Beast's soundtrack, includes a number of leitmotifs from earlier music in the film, a perfect culmination of all that had come before as the spell finally breaks and the Beast becomes a Prince once more. When Menken returned for Beauty and the Beast's live-action remake in 2017, this track remained largely unaltered, apart from some extension to account for additional scenes.

7. 'Theme from Ant-Man' by Christophe Beck, 'Ant-Man'

Ant-Man, the final film in Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, faced some troubled times during it's production. At one point, many expected it to be the MCU's first major flop. This wasn't the case, largely credited to the decision to use the Scott Lang Ant-Man over Hank Pym as the lead, casting the infinitely likeable Paul Rudd in the role, and leaning into Scott's history as a thief to create a fun filled heist movie.

While Ant-Man became a surprisingly great film in it's own right, there's no denying that Christophe Beck's theme for the character elevated it even further. The theme lets viewers know from the outset what kind of character Scott is, and what kind of film this is going to be. It has become one of the most immediately recognisable MCU character themes.

8. 'Casper's Lullaby' by James Horner, 'Casper'

When it was first released in 1995, Casper, a then groundbreaking CGI/live action hybrid adapting the beloved comic/cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost, received mixed reviews, mostly due to it's darker tone. Casper was noted at the time to be the first Casper-related project to lean into the inherent but usually unspoken tragedy of the character: Casper is a child who died too young.

An aspect of the film that reflects this is the late James Horner's score. Softly accenting the scenes during which it is heard, the score highlights the bittersweet nature of many of Casper and Kat's conversations. 1995 was a big year for Horner, also providing scores for Apollo 13 and Jumanji, and although the former were more critically acclaimed films overall, many believe Casper's score was the most unique and special.

9. 'All Life Has Meaning' by John Murphy, 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3'

All three of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy films are known for their soundtracks. In fact, the songs are so important to how the films are crafted that Gunn made note of them in the script. However, because of the prevalence of these known, popular songs, the scores of the Guardians films are sometimes overlooked.

This was absolutely not the case in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3. One of the most pivotal, emotionally charged scenes in the entire film is set to an original piece of score by John Murphy. 'All Life Has Meaning' is the perfect, tear-jerking backing track to Rocket's realization that he is in fact a Raccoon, and that all the innocent lives on the High Evolutionary's ship deserve to be spared, not just those deemed higher life forms. The film is already brilliant, but the score made this scene truly special.

10. 'Married Life' by Michael Giacchino, 'UP'

When film buffs ask for a guaranteed tearjerker, many point to the opening montage of Pixar's Up. The montage takes the audience through Carl and Ellie Frederickson's life together, from their wedding, financial troubles and fertility struggles, right through to Ellie's death.. and it's all done without a single spoken word. The ups and downs of the couple's life are all portrayed through Michael Giacchino's 'Married Life' Score.

Without the 'Married Life' sequence, Up would not have worked nearly as well. Giacchino deservedly won an Academy Award for his work on the film.

Perhaps next time you watch a film, you will find yourself thinking more about what the score accomplishes, or how it makes you feel.

Drop a favourite score of your own in the comments!