1. Code Geass/One Piece
Yeah this kinda shocked me too. To be quite honest, I started out thinking anime soundtracks couldn't hold a lighter to some of the other soundtracks. Now, these two animes are two of my favourite stories of all time. Code Geass has untold songs of epicness and is clearly not beneficial for my megalomania when you take in songs like "
The Master" or "
What's Justice". It also has rather heart-breaking songs that match the tear-jerking scenes that accompanies it. Like the part where Lelouch's grand finale scheme comes to a close. With "
Continued Story". Major sob. The opening and ending songs aren't half bad either, but I especially love "
Waga Routashi Aku no Hana". One Piece, while being rather different from Code Geass, has a soundtrack to match. It boasts songs that makes the most mundane activities like awe-striking feats of...well, awesomeness. Songs like "
Overtaken" and "
Luffy versus Ratchet, Round One". They actually have personalised theme songs for each member of the crew. Naturally my favourite is "
Sanji's Theme", which really matches his suave, womanising (albeit failed) personality. The opening and ending songs? Well they're all right, I guess, my favourite being "
Kokoro No Chizu".
2. Inglourious Basterds
This is, by far, one of my top favourite films and my favourite Quentin Tarantino film. As Aldo Raine said, this is certainly his masterpiece. And the soundtrack is just great with it. From Colonel Hans Landa's entrance with "
The Verdict (Dopo la Condanna)" to Hugo Stiglitz's (extremely random) introduction "
Slaughter" by Billy Preston, it is just filled with awe. The scene where everyone's gathered in Shoshanna's theatre is accompanied by this stunning piece from David Bowie, "
Cat People (Putting Out the Fire)" And the film ends with this fantastic piece "
Rabbia E Tarantella" Wow. Now let me find me some Nat-zees.
3. Silent Hill 2
I haven't even finished playing the game and I think the soundtrack is just kickass. Much like how the soundtrack from Code Geass makes every movement you make strive to world domination, the soundtrack from Silent Hill 2 makes everything seem...just scary. While some songs certainly jump out at you, most of them just get under your skin, going deep inside while your body is shivering, especially with songs like "
The Darkness that Lurks Inside Your Minds". Or "
Prisonic Fairytale", a seemingly soft piece that serves to not comfort you, but to disturb you. And the best of all, "
Promise (Reprise)", a beautiful piano piece that can drive man to the brink of insanity. Silent Hill 2 is often complemented for its atmosphere it creates in the game and I'm willing to bet the soundtrack did a LOT to help with that.
4. Half-Life 2
The second video game soundtrack which I just absolutely adore and love. If you haven't played the game, you definitely should. It's a first-person shooter that is just amazing. The ragdoll physics are a blast to play with and nothing is more satisfying than shooting up a bunch of Combine soldiers. The soundtrack heavily focuses on electronic music, which makes the atmosphere much more crazy and awesome. Just imagine being chased by Combine police officers with this blaring at you, "
CP Violation" Or driving a motorboat through canals of sewage while being pursued by a helicopter with this in the background, "
Apprehension and Evasion" Even better, braving the hordes of zombies in a devastated town to this sadly short song, "
Requiem for Ravenholm". Yeah. Sheer coolness.
5. Lord of the Rings
Haha, I put this down here because I haven't heard the entirety of the soundtrack for a long time. I don't think I need to pull any examples but I will, because we all love examples. The Lord of the Rings is great in that it gives anyone and everyone leitmotifs that are quite memorable actually. The warm and comforting violin and flutes for the Hobbits, the ethereal female choirs for the Elves, the clear trumpets for the Men of Gondor (Yay Sean Bean!!!), the creepy harsh chorus for the Nazgul, the infamous "Descending Thirds" for Mordor, and the abnormal militaristic beats for Saruman's Uruk-Hai. It is all just absurdly grand and breathtaking. The songs that just blare out during the battle scenes leaves my jaw quite comfortable with the floor And don't get me started on the vocal songs at the end of every movie. All of them has the potential of setting off a crying spell. Howard Shore, if you're not THE god of soundtracks, you certainly are one of them.
6. Doctor Who
Omitting everyone except the series concerned with the Ninth and the Tenth Doctor, I would still think this is an impressive soundtrack. The infamous opening theme that starts us off every week with an adventure through time and space is just thrilling. But more than that, like Doctor Who, characters are given leitmotifs which helps us emotionally connect with the character. Mind when I said "emotionally", I didn't specify a particular emotion so you have the
Daleks' theme song, which
seems to changewith every season. Why? I don't know. All I know is that it is AWESOME! Other awesome leitmotifs such as
the Doctor's Theme,
the Master's theme,
Rose's Theme, and the theme for Gallifrey,
This is Gallifrey: Our Childhood, Our Home. And finally, the two songs that just utterly destroy your hearts, one way in a horrific saddening way and the other in a uplifting hopeful way. You guys know what I'm talking about:
Doomsdayand
Song of Freedom
7. Requiem for a Dream
Until I've finished playing Silent Hill, which will be a while, this soundtrack remains the one soundtrack that gives me goosebumps everytime I listen to just one song from it. Even though the first and last time I watched the movie was about two or three years ago, I get very uneasy with it. The movie is just beautiful if not utterly depressing. The soul-crushing depressing. The songs are titled creatively to portray the seasons of the characters as they progress from summer to fall to winter, the death of all dreams. Sadly, only one song managed to sear its way through our memories. What song is that?
Lux Aeterna. The remixes of this song is great and all but the original, quartet song is extremely haunting yet you can almost dance to it.
8. Schindler's List
Supposedly when Steven Speilberg approached John Williams to compose the music for this movie, Williams refused, saying he wasn't good enough. Speilberg simply countered, "Well, anyone who is better is dead." John Williams has a long and colourful history of outstanding soundtracks so it was hard to choose one. But I just had to go with this one, with its haunting violins that send shivers down our spines and quakes in our hearts. It serves not only as a memorial for the millions who perished senselessly due to irrational hate but as a lingering hope that one day we would be free from that hate and live in a brand new world. I think only one song would suffice here, the wonderful violin solo by Itzhak Perlman:
Theme From Schindler's List
9. Quantum of Solace
While this does sound like an odd choice, let me explain
why. You got it? Great. While some people didn't like this movie much, I loved it. And the soundtrack to it is equally amazing. My favourite song by far has to be "
Night of the Opera", a thrilling yet soft song which proves that you don't have be loud or bombastic to be awesome. Mind. I didn't think much of the actual Bond theme but the rest was just great.
10. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
If anyone knows my taste of music, this might come as a real shocker. Probably has to do something with the movie. I just thought it was a parody of the South, laughed my head, and enjoyed it. The song that I absolutely love is "
Down to the River to Pray".
The Soggy Bottom Boys' song was just great and for me, hilarious. People say that the album was the most enjoyable part of the movie even with folks that liked the movie. I believe them.
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