Best soundtracks by year
Here are what I think are the best soundtracks of the year, along with runner ups and honourable mentions. I’ve got a tie for winner twice, in 2009 and 1989.
I stopped at 1977 because I don’t have anything for 1976. Prior to that notable soundtracks include The Pink Panther, The Godfather, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Great Escape, and several James Bond movies — Casino Royale, Dr. No, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
All of the soundtracks below have tracks that are great, but the winners are ones where you’d want to listen to the whole soundtrack.
The big winners are:
- John Williams, with 7 wins
- Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, and Howard Shore, each with 4 wins
| Year | Winner | Runner Ups | Honourable Mentions |
| 2013 | Star Trek Into Darkness | Man of Steel | The Croods |
| Despicable Me 2 | |||
| 2012 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | The Avengers | Brave |
| Prometheus | Cloud Atlas | ||
| Skyfall | |||
| 2011 | The Way Back | Captain America | Hugo |
| Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | The King’s Speech | ||
| One Day | X-Men: First Class | ||
| 2010 | How to Train Your Dragon | Alice in Wonderland | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 |
| Inception | Robin Hood | ||
| Lost — The Final Season | Salt | ||
| 2009 | Star Trek | Avatar | Coraline |
| Up | Lost — Season 4 | An Education | |
| Sherlock Holmes | The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | ||
| Moon | |||
| 2008 | Wall-E | Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Score | Changeling |
| Lost — Season 3 | The Dark Knight | ||
| Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | Hancock | ||
| 2007 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Enchanted | The Bourne Ultimatum |
| Stardust | Juno | ||
| Ocean’s Thirteen | |||
| 2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest | The Incredibles | Casino Royale |
| The Lake House | Lady in the Water | ||
| Lost — Season 2 | Wah-Wah | ||
| 2005 | Inside Man | Batman Begins | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
| Firefly | Memoirs of a Geisha | ||
| Madagascar | Never Let Me Go | ||
| Water | Serenity | ||
| 2004 | A Very Long Engagement | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | National Treasure |
| The Village | Ocean’s Twelve | ||
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Finding Nemo | The Last Samurai |
| The Italian Job | School of Rock | ||
| Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | X-Men 2 | ||
| The Triplets of Belleville | |||
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More, With Feeling | Spider-Man |
| Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone | Star Trek: Nemesis | ||
| Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones | |||
| 2001 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Amelie | Donnie Darko |
| Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Legally Blonde | ||
| Monsoon Wedding | Moulin Rouge! | ||
| Monsters, Inc. | Ocean’s Eleven | ||
| Shrek | Planet of the Apes | ||
| 2000 | O Brother, Where Art Thou? | Requiem for a Dream | Cast Away |
| Chocolat | |||
| 1999 | Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace | Chicken Run | American Beauty |
| Star Trek: Insurrection | The Matrix | ||
| Toy Story 2 | The World is Not Enough | ||
| 1998 | Dark City | Antz | Circle of Friends |
| Life is Beautiful | Crusoe | ||
| Pleasantville | Highlander | ||
| The Truman Show | The Mask of Zorro | ||
| The X-Files | |||
| 1997 | The Sweet Hereafter | The Fifth Element | Alien Resurrection |
| The Lost World: Jurassic Park | Air Force One | ||
| Men in Black | Contact | ||
| Titanic | The Winter Guest | ||
| 1996 | Star Trek: First Contact | The Rock | Mission: Impossible |
| 1995 | Apollo 13 | GoldenEye | Batman Forever |
| Toy Story | Mr. Holland’s Opus | ||
| 1994 | Star Trek Generations | Forrest Gump | Black Beauty |
| Maverick | Don Juan DeMarco | ||
| Stargate | Legends of the Fall | ||
| The Shawshank Redemption | |||
| 1993 | Jurassic Park | The Nightmare Before Christmas | Benny & Joon |
| Sommersby | Dave | ||
| 1992 | Medicine Man | Batman Returns | Alien3 |
| Strictly Ballroom | Scent of a Woman | ||
| 1991 | Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country | Backdraft | Awakenings |
| Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | |||
| 1990 | Dances With Wolves | Back to the Future Part III | Dick Tracy |
| Edward Scissorhands | Quigley Down Under | ||
| 1989 | Batman | Back to the Future Part II | The Abyss |
| Star Trek V: The Final Frontier | Field of Dreams | Driving Miss Daisy | |
| Henry V | Licence to Kill | ||
| The Mission | |||
| 1988 | Willow | Beetlejuice | Hot to Trot |
| Powaqqatsi | Scrooged | ||
| Working Girl | |||
| 1987 | The Living Daylights | Crocodile Dundee | La Bamba |
| 1986 | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | Aliens | The Delta Force |
| Labyrinth | |||
| 1985 | Brazil | Back to the Future | A Chorus Line |
| Pee Wee’s Big Adventure | Cocoon | ||
| A View to a Kill | Out of Africa | ||
| Witness | |||
| 1984 | Star Trek III: The Search for Spock | Ghostbusters | Gremlins |
| 1983 | Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi | Octopussy | |
| 1982 | Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan | Blade Runner | |
| 1981 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | For Your Eyes Only | |
| 1980 | Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back | ||
| 1979 | Star Trek: The Motion Picture | Alien | Moonraker |
| The Great Train Robbery | |||
| 1978 | Superman: The Movie | ||
| 1977 | Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope | Saturday Night Fever | The Spy Who Loved Me |