Jump to content

Top 10 sci-fi scores of all time?


Aenae

Recommended Posts

Ooooh.....we'd be venturing into difficult terrain again, in terms of what 'science fiction' is. Would be consider space opera STAR WARS, for example? (I would, others would not).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, Thor said:

Ooooh.....we'd be venturing into difficult terrain again, in terms of what 'science fiction' is. Would be consider space opera STAR WARS, for example? (I would, others would not).

None of the Star Wars scores are favorites of mine which is why I didn't consider including any of them. I do think that it is sci-fi though, but feel free to use your own evaluation if something is sci-fi enough or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My favorite sci-fi scores that have that "huge outer space adventure" type feel

  • David Arnold's Stargate
  • Alexandre Desplat's Valerian and the City of A Thousand Planets
  • Michael Giacchino's John Carter
  • Michael Giacchino's Jupiter Ascending
  • Jerry Goldsmith's Alien
  • Jerry Goldsmith's Star Trek: The Motion Picture
  • James Horner's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
  • James Horner's Aliens
  • Basil Poledouris' Starship Troopers
  • Craig Safan's The Last Starfighter
  • Lalo Schifrin's Earth Star Voyager
  • Eric Serra's The Fifth Element
  • John Williams' Star Wars (all of em)

 

My favorite sci-fi scores that have that "sci-fi stuff happening on an alternate/future earth or other planet" type feel

  • David Arnold's Independence Day
  • Don Davis' The Matrix (all of em)
  • Michael Giacchino's Super 8
  • Michael Giacchino's Tomorrowland
  • Jerry Goldsmith's Planet of the Apes
  • Jerry Goldsmith's Twilight Zone: The Movie
  • Jerry Goldsmith's Total Recall
  • James Newton Howard's Waterworld
  • James Newton Howard's Signs
  • Alal Silvestri's Back To The Future (all of em)
  • Alan Silvestri's Predator
  • Alan Silvestri's The Abyss
  • Alan Silvestri's Contact
  • John Williams' Close Encounters of the Third Kind
  • John Williams' Jurassic Park
  • John Williams' The Lost World
  • John Williams' A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As it happens, 6 of the 10 scores on my top 10 list of all time qualify as science fiction.

 

So first, it would be those:

 

1. JURASSIC PARK

2. Return of the Jedi

3. Blade Runner

4. The Abyss

5. Alien 3

6. Waterworld

 

Then I need to fill out four more. Perhaps these:

 

7. E.T.

8. Solaris (Artemiev version)

9. Stargate

10. Interstellar

 

But it obviously pains me to leave out a great many contenders, like Enthiran, Metropolis (both the Moroder and the Huppertz), Contact, Starship Troopers, Blood Machines, Tron: Legacy, Independence Day, The Matrixes, Alien, Aliens, Red Planet, Signs, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (and a few of the other Treks), Total Recall, Minority Report, War of the Worlds, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the other Star Warses (of the first six, anyway), The Time Machine (Badelt version), Oblivion, Nerve, Transformers, Miracle Mile, Dune, Dark City, Solaris (Martinez version). Or TV things like Babylon 5, Cold Lazarus. Or videogames like The Dig.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sci-Fi... scores... I'LL WRITE THEM IN CAPS, BECAUSE I'M OLD.

 

STAR WARS 77

EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

E.T.

CE3K

JURASSIC PARK

A.I.

THE FORCE AWAKENS

THE PHANTOM MENACE

BACK TO THE FUTURE

ALIEN

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My top 10 (counting the Star Wars):

  1. The Empire Strikes Back
  2. The Force Awakens
  3. Star Wars
  4. Revenge of the Sith
  5. E.T.
  6. The Rise of Skywalker
  7. Return of the Jedi
  8. Attack of the Clones
  9. The Last Jedi
  10. The Phantom Menace

Without the Star Wars:

  1. E.T
  2. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
  3. A.I.
  4. Minority Report
  5. War of the Worlds
  6. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
  7. Alien
  8. Space Camp
  9. Alien3
  10. Avatar
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is such a broad genre there’s gotta be many great titles I’m forgetting. But off the top of my head, in no particular order:

 

Interstellar (Zimmer)

Moon (Mansell)

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (Williams)

The Matrix Reloaded (Davis)

Signs (Howard)

The Fifth Element (Serra)

The Thing (Morricone)

The Fountain (Mansell)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Williams)

Predator (Silvestri)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gojira

Planet of the Apes (Goldsmith)

CE3K

The Day The Earth Stood Still (Herrmann)

TESB

Star Trek TMP

ET

AI

Cocoon

Total Recall

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I knew that I forgot something! Godzilla should have been in my top 10. I edited my list and bumped out Altered States to make room for it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
11 hours ago, Thor said:

Ooooh.....we'd be venturing into difficult terrain again, in terms of what 'science fiction' is. Would be consider space opera STAR WARS, for example? (I would, others would not).

 

Wait, so you don't count "Chasm Crossfire" as swashbuckling music because there's no sword fighting in that particular scene, but you DO count Star Wars as science fiction even though it doesn't have any actual science in it?

 

Full disclosure, I'm not sure where to draw the line on what should count as sci-fi myself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, A. A. Ron said:

you DO count Star Wars as science fiction even though it doesn't have any actual science in it?

 

Don't you think a lot of science went into building those death stars?

 

In no particular order:

 

Tron Legacy

The Fountain

Signs

Star Wars

The Empire Strikes Back

The Phantom of the Opera (Budd)

E.T.

CE3K

MI5

Jurassic Park

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, A. A. Ron said:
 

 

Wait, so you don't count "Chasm Crossfire" as swashbuckling music because there's no sword fighting in that particular scene, but you DO count Star Wars as science fiction even though it doesn't have any actual science in it?

 

Full disclosure, I'm not sure where to draw the line on what should count as sci-fi myself.

 

I have no stakes in the matter. Personally, I define it rather freely and would include space opera/fantasy-oriented things like STAR WARS in the science fiction genre too (there's plenty of "science" in it, if that's a criterion). But I know that many don't, as some comments here already attest to. Is ALIEN sci fi or horror? The discussion can be applied to many films. In most cases, it's a combination of several genres.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

E.T. doesn't belong. It isn't scifi. Its a family film score.

Of course its John's greatest score hands down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The genre is a bit hard to pin down, but it would something like this (although I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch of scores):

 

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (John Williams)

Artificial Intelligence (John Williams)

Dune (Toto and Brian Eno)

Blade Runner (Vangelis)

Brainstorm (James Jorner)

Alien (Jerry Goldsmith)

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (Elliot Goldenthal)

Signs (James Newton Howard)

Starship Troopers (Basil Poledouris)

Arrival (Johan Johansson)

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Blade Runner

Alien³

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Total Recall

Minority Report

RoboCop 2

Demolition Man

Brazil

The Fifth Element

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, JoeinAR said:

E.T. doesn't belong. It isn't scifi. Its a family film score.

Of course its John's greatest score hands down.

If we count this type of movies to Science Fiction were extraterrestials come to earth with space ships, then I would say E.T., Signs and Close Encounter of the Third Kind are Science Fiction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My top 10:

1. Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind - John Williams 

2. E.T. - John Williams 

3. Alien - Jerry Goldsmith (if only for the opening titles)

4. Signs - James Newton Howard 

5. Jurassic Park - John Williams 

6. Minority Report - John Williams 

7. Planet of the Apes - Jerry Goldsmith 

8. The Black Hole - John Barry

9. A.I. - John Williams 

10. Bladerunner - Vangelis

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.