Film scores from the 2000s - Top 10 ‘Hidden Gems’

Film scores from the 2000s - Top 10 ‘Hidden Gems’
by Steven Sharratt

Following on from my article on Top 10 ‘Hidden Gems’ from the 1990s, here is the sequel, featuring unsung heroes from the years 2000 to 2009.

The ‘noughties’ was another great decade for film music. Classics that stand out include The Dark Knight, Gladiator, Inception, the Harry Potter franchise and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I bet anyone reading this will have at least one of these soundtracks in their collection already!

Therefore, this top 10 is designed to help you discover a small fraction of ‘hidden gems’ from the 2000s. These scores aren’t necessarily the best from that decade – but they’re still great scores that have often been overlooked.  Hopefully it will help inspire you to discover some great new music.

(These scores are presented in chronological order and not in order of preference)

Dinosaur (2000) James Newton Howard

Dinosaur has not had the love and affection that most Disney animated films have and has largely been forgotten about. However, James Newton Howard’s score is very memorable, featuring heroism, romance and action, all brought together with an African inspired flavour.

If you like this you might also like to try: Atlantis (2001) James Newton Howard


Final Destination (2000) Shirley Walker

Shirley Walker scored the first three Final Destination films; unfortunately not a single note of her wonderful horror suspense scores has been officially released on album. Thankfully the region 1 DVD of the first film features a full isolated score track for you to enjoy. Also worth tracking down are Brian Tyler’s take on Walker’s main theme in The Final Destination (2009) and Final Destination 5 (2011).

If you like this you might also like to try: The Grudge (2004) Christopher Young

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) Elliot Goldenthal

Final Fantasy was a very ambitious film at the time, creating what was then ‘state of the art’ animation. In typical Goldenthal style, his score brings an original and quite brilliant blend of lyrical beauty and dissonance. A true classic, not to be missed!

If you like this you might also like to try: S.W.A.T. (2003) Elliot Goldenthal

The Shipping News (2001) Christopher Young

Christopher Young stepped out of his comfort zone for The Shipping News and composed a truly engaging score featuring emotionally driven celtic music. It’s a lively and warm score and is a great departure from his typical horror sound. The opening ‘Main Title’ track is a real highlight.

If you like this you might also like to try: The Spitfire Grill (1996) James Horner

The Missing (2003) James Horner

Something about this 19th Century New Mexico drama must have really inspired James Horner, because here he brings back his true creative spark of the early 1990s. The score is both energetic and melodic and will send you on an emotional rollercoaster.

If you like this you might also like to try: The House of Sand and Fog (2003) James Horner

Steamboy (2004) Steve Jablonsky

If there’s one score that proves what creative talent Steve Jablonsky has it’s his score for the Japanese animated film Steamboy. Forget his clichéd power anthems for the Transformers franchise; Jablonsky here delivers a complex and exciting melodic orchestral score that comes highly recommended.

If you like this you might also like to try: Blood+ (2005) Mark Mancina

Pan's Labyrinth (2006) Javier Navarrete

Directed by Guillermo Del Toro, Pan’s Labyrinth is an excellent fantasy/horror set in Northern Spain in the 1940s. On scoring duties was the relative newcomer Javier Navarrete, who produced a wonderfully magical experience. For the main theme, Navarrete composed a beautiful lullaby featuring soprano, violin and piano. This is then emotionally manipulated and percussion is added as the film turns darker and darker. One of the best scores of the decade!

If you like this you might also like to try: Mama (2013) Fernando Velázquez

The Last Legion (2007) Patrick Doyle

Inspired by the last days of the Roman Empire, Patrick Doyle treats us to a symphonic fantasy action score, filled with heroism and choral grandeur. The film, featuring Colin Firth and Ben Kingsley, went largely unnoticed; the sweeping drama of this score might entice people to seek it out.

If you like this you might also like to try: Eragon (2006) Patrick Doyle

In Bruges (2008) Carter Burwell

The black comedy, In Bruges, allows Carter Burwell to showcase how to produce great dramatic intensity. He cleverly mixes melodic piano with percussive rhythms, whilst adding a wailing electric guitar for the action scenes. It won’t be to everyone’s tastes but it’s definitely effective in context of the film.

If you like this you might also like to try:  Conspiracy Theory (1996) Carter Burwell

Knowing (2009) Marco Beltrami

With nods to greats like Jerry Goldsmith and Bernard Herrmann, Marco Beltrami has produced a masterpiece of film composing for this average sci-fi thriller. Starting off with a dark and menacing orchestra, Beltrami expertly develops his themes into a truly dramatic and majestic score. Just listen to the track ‘Caleb Leaves’, an album highlight.

If you like this you might also like to try: Hellboy (2004) Marco Beltrami

Thank you for reading this article, I hope it has inspired you to find something new. We’d also love to hear your thoughts – what ‘hidden gems’ from the 2000s have you discovered?

Hidden Gems: Film scores from the 1990s

Hidden Gems: Film scores from the 1990s
by Steven Sharratt

We can’t all listen to everything. Who has the time? And particularly with film music, it’s sometimes difficult to discover that piece of music that might just be perfect to our tastes.

Film score collecting is quite a niche hobby and sometimes great film music doesn’t get the exposure it deserves. There are many factors why we sometimes don’t come across this music. Often it can be due to the film they’re attached to. Maybe that film has had poor reviews, or we don’t like the genre. Perhaps we didn’t like a composer’s previous work. Whatever the reason, I’m sure we’re all missing some great music from our collections.

The 1990s was a great decade for film music.  Just mentioning names such as Batman Returns, Braveheart, Jurassic Park, Last of the Mohicans, The Lion King, The Matrix, The Piano, Star Wars Episode I, Terminator 2 and Titanic will stir great memories for many of us.

However, this top 10 is designed to help you discover just a small fraction of ‘hidden gems’ from the 1990s. These scores aren’t necessarily the best from that decade – but they’re still great scores that have often been overlooked.  They’ve been picked to help you find something that you might not have thought of tracking down before.

We’d love to hear your thoughts too – what ‘hidden gems’ from the 1990s have you discovered?
(These scores are presented in chronological order and not in order of preference)

K2 (1991) Hans Zimmer

Not to be confused with Chaz Jankel’s score for the same film, Hans Zimmer scored the European version of K2. Here Zimmer crafts a perfect mix of symphony and synthetics giving us a great range of emotions from muscular drums and wailing guitars to tragic strings. The 40+ minute album released by Varese Sarabande is presented in just 2 tracks – “The Ascent” and “The Descent”, but give this one your full attention, you won’t regret it.

If you like this you might also like to try: Backdraft (1991) Hans Zimmer


Needful Things (1993) Patrick Doyle

Based on the horror novel by Stephen King, the score for Needful Things is a true classic from Patrick Doyle. It’s full of melodic energy for choir and orchestra. The attention to detail in the choral performances and the complexity of the string writing is to be admired. You will believe the devil is coming!

If you like this you might also like to try: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) Patrick Doyle



The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993) Bill Conti

The 1993 adaptation of Mark Twain’s classic novel is another score full of orchestral melodies. This time Bill Conti provides us with spirited and uplifting music, cleverly weaving multiple themes together to give us a real sense of adventure. Just listen to the “Main Titles” track to see the joyous range of themes on offer here.

If you like this you might also like to try: Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain (1995) Joel McNeely


Tombstone (1993) Bruce Broughton

Bruce Broughton brings the Wyatt Earp story to life with some really strong thematic material.  The main theme in particular stands out for its dramatic use of strings, horns and powerful drums. There is also plenty of thunderous action music to get your teeth into as well as some more sombre moments. A true underrated classic.

If you like this you might also like to try: Wyatt Earp (1994) James Newton Howard


Murder in the First (1995) Christopher Young

Murder in the First is a prison drama set on Alcatraz in the 1930s and 40s. Christopher Young’s score largely focuses on the emotional element of this. Here he cleverly interweaves three string themes to create a sense of both beauty and sadness. This feeling is peaked by the end of the album in the track “Redemption” when a choir is added and the strings soar to full effect.

If you like this you might also like to try: Copycat (1995) Christopher Young


Escape From L.A. (1996) Shirley Walker (and John Carpenter)

For this sequel to Escape From New York, John Carpenter reuses and updates his synthetic main theme to great effect. But it’s not until the latter half of the album when Shirley Walker combines some pulsating action music for both synths and orchestra that this score really starts to shine. Tracks such as “Hang Glider Attack” and “Fire Fight” are outstanding.

If you like this you might also like to try: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) Shirley Walker


Swept From the Sea (1997) John Barry

Swept From the Sea was one of John Barry’s last film scores and it is one of romantic beauty and longing. In typical Barry fashion, the music becomes darker with each passing cue, but the beauty is never lost and there is always a sense of hope. A masterwork that belongs in any soundtrack collection.

If you like this you might also like to try: My Life (1993) John Barry


The Postman (1997) James Newton Howard

Kevin Costner’s The Postman was universally panned by critics upon release, but there are pleasures to be had. One of them is James Newton Howard’s melodic and energetic score.  It’s full of heroism and dramatic rhythms, the best of which can be heard in the cue “The Restored United States”. I just wish that the sound mix on the Warner Brothers album was louder!

If you like this you might also like to try: Waterworld (1995) James Newton Howard


Snake Eyes (1998) Ryuichi Sakamoto

The main attraction of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s suspense score for Brian De Palma’s Snake Eyes is the wonderfully emotional theme for strings and solo horn. Highlights include a brilliantly re-orchestrated 7 minute suite at the end of the album and the dramatic bombastic track “The Storm” – a fitting nod to the great Bernard Herrmann.

If you like this you might also like to try: Little Budda (1993) Ryuichi Sakamoto


The Bone Collector (1999) Craig Armstrong

Don’t be put off by the mediocre thriller that this score is attached to, because Craig Armstrong is on true form here. The main theme is both edgy and emotional as Armstrong uses piano, synths and strings to portray the crime ridden New York Streets. This theme comes to a dramatic and rhythmic conclusion in one of the album highlights, “Pier Pressure”. The music never becomes dull and the album is a great listen from start to finish.

If you like this you might also like to try: Plunkett & Macleane (1999) Craig Armstrong


Did we miss any hidden gems from the 1990s?  If so, let us know in the comments!