10 of the best film scores and TV soundtracks of 2022
What was your favourite score or song heard onscreen in 2022? Check out our list of movies and shows with the best soundtracks of the year.
Looking for films and TV shows with good soundtracks? Luckily in 2022 they were in plentiful supply.
This year’s epic fantasy series, music biopics and superhero stories told onscreen were smothered with soundtracks that were seamless from one beat to the next, no matter the dramatic shift in the narrative.
The biggest viral moment from a soundtrack came from Stranger Things, propelling Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” into the charts with millions of streams after featuring in a pivotal fourth season scene.
From the dark and brooding to upbeat yet emotional, we’ve gathered 10 of the best soundtracks for movies and TV shows aired in 2022.
Turning Red
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In Pixar’s smart, emotional tale of hormones and family loyalty the object of tween obsession is a fictional early-00s boy band, 4*Town. Three tracks for the pop group were written by siblings Billie Eilish and Finneas – the latter also voices one of the heartthrobs in the movie.
The score meanwhile, by genius Ludwig Göransson of The Mandalorian and Black Panther fame, is a perfect mish-mash of genres and cultures, with traditional Chinese instruments mixing with Western hip-hop vibes.
The Batman
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Lost composer Michael Giacchino’s score captures the menace Robert Pattinson exudes every time he looms out of the darkness clad in the batsuit.
The soundtrack features simple but distinct motifs, and the mood perfectly matches a complex anti-hero.
Elvis
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A great soundtrack on a music biopic should be a given. Luckily Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis features a big, sprawling, multi-artist soundtrack of Elvis Presley songs featuring leading man Austin Butler, alongside icons like Stevie Nicks.
There’s classic Luhrmann juxtaposition when he drops in the likes of Diplo, Doja Cat, and Denzel Curry against a 1950s backdrop. Look out for the Tame Impala remix of Presley tune “Edge of Reality.”
Everything Everywhere All At Once
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Fitting for a film that soars through multiverses, LA band Son Lux made an unpredictable score that deftly matches each universe. André 3000 apparently provided some custom-made cedar flutes, the dissonance of which you can pick out throughout.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon Prime)
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Whether accompanying a seafaring montage, a village under siege, or Hobbit ancestors hurrying through the mossy undergrowth, Bear McCreary’s Rings of Power score embraces the familiar fantasy vibes completely and sticks close to the soul of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work for the TV prequel to The Lord of the Rings. Among other authentic touches, a 40-voice choir sings in Tolkienian languages such as Sindarin, Quenya, and Adûnaic.
Howard Shore, original composer for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings film series, is responsible for the main theme for the Amazon series, and McCreary’s compositions melt into it.
The Sandman (Netflix)
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Composer David Buckley digs into the emotional centre of each character in The Sandman with the help of a full orchestra and choir. Of all the musical themes for the cast of biblical and mythical beings the most important to nail was that of Dream, the main character, and Buckley succeeds beautifully. The soundtrack shifts from realm to realm as smoothly as cascading grains of sand.
Industry (BBC/HBO)
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Sexy lawyer drama Industry has a sexy soundtrack to go with it. So many of the slinky disco tracks on the OST are made for strutting to – plus heady electronic music, particularly fitting when the characters are fuelled by chemicals.
In season two Nathan Micay’s synth-dominated score meanwhile reminds us of the high-stakes tension ever-constant on the trading floor, more drum-led and intense than the first season.
Bullet Train
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Composer Dominic Lewis was told by Bullet Train’s director that he could do anything he wanted until told that it was too much. The result is a soundtrack as messy and bonkers as the film itself. Lewis put a 70-piece orchestra through a tape machine and recruited Englebert Humpledink to sing a West Ham United theme song. An enka singer adds a nod to traditional Japanese music, too.
House of the Dragon (HBO)
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Ramin Djawadi gives a masterclass in referencing an existing soundtrack but leaving space to paint more intense portraits of the new characters by building on the known motifs. It was a little surprising to hear the familiar Game of Thrones theme over the opening credits of House of the Dragon, but it made perfect sense to keep a thread from the original blockbuster series to the new prequel. And throughout the ten episodes the familiar tragic cello is still there accompanying nerve-wracking political plots, the constant threat of hungry winged beasts and the dangers of childbirth in Westeros.
Moon Knight (Disney+)
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In the Marvel series fronted by Oscar Isaac we dash from London’s British Museum to the Great Pyramids of Giza accompanied by a score from Hasham Nazih that steers clear of pastiching traditional Egyptian music and outdated Western interpretations of the style. Racing strings and triumphant horns are clearly influenced by Indiana Jones and other tomb-exploring romps.