10 Best Action/Adventure Movie Scores

This list of adrenaline-pumpers is compiled in order of release.

Superman: The Movie  (1978) – John Williams

Despite not considering myself a hardcore Man of Steel fan, when I sat down to watch Superman Returns in the cinema and heard the opening notes of the familiar theme, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end (and the movie is pretty damn underrated, too).

Raiders of the Lost Ark  (1981) – John Williams

The word ‘adventure’ expressed non-verbally.  No number of shitty it-was-all-aliens sequels could ever dilute its power. 

Conan the Barbarian  (1982) – Basil Poledouris

The ultimate ‘going into battle’ music.  As silly, fun and epic as the movie itself.

Back to the Future  (1985) – Alan Silvestri

Somehow manages to be both rousing and light-hearted at the same time. 

Die Hard  (1988) – Michael Kamen

The score that other action movies wish they had.  Exciting, tense, never repetitive, and communicating genuine peril.  Bravo.

Batman  (1989) – Danny Elfman

The best Batman theme, portraying all the moody majesty of the character and the dark torment that defines him.  Elfman does as iconic a job as Williams with Superman, but creates a totally different feel.

Jurassic Park  (1993) – John Williams

You don’t have to remember being a child in 1993 and watching this film in an era when the sight CGI dinosaurs still made jaws drop to appreciate one of the most gorgeous pieces of music ever written.  But it sure helps.

(And if you’ve never heard the glorious 1000% slower version, check it out immediately: http://soundcloud.com/birdfeeder/jurassic-park-theme-1000-slower)

The Rock  (1996) – Hans Zimmer, Nick Glennie-Smith 
& Harry Gregson-Williams

 This is the definitive Zimmer action score.  In six and a half minutes it delivers everything you need: tense, mysterious build-up; slow, mournful strings for the poignant sequences; a balls-out assault on the senses for shoot-outs… all infused with a po-faced military vibe.

Starship Troopers  (1997) – Basil Poledouris

'Bombastic' is the only adjective that does this score justice.  It treats a silly, gory outer space romp as if something really important is afoot, providing the perfect lack of subtlety to go hand in hand with Paul Verhoeven’s playful fascist satire.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl  (2003) 
– Hans Zimmer

Pirates were not cool when POTC: TCOTBP came out – Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney needed to sell a totally non-zeitgeist subject matter to a cynical audience.  They already had one ace up their sleeve with a certain actor/character combination, but Zimmer provided the glue that sticks the whole enterprise together, channelling the vibe of classic swashbucklers into the modern age.


See also:
10 Best Horror Movie Scores

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7 Rounds of Jerry Bruckheimer vs Joel Silver