Top 20 Film Scores 2025: Ranked List

The lights go down. The screen widens. And for a moment, I forget that television has been in a creative freefall since the end of Succession. Seriously, if Robinson and Fielder weren’t single-handedly keeping the medium afloat, I’d have thrown my remote through the OLED by now.

But 2025? In the cinema, it was a different beast. While the music album scene wasn’t quite hitting the 2024 highs, the film scores were doing the heavy lifting. I sat through over 200 releases this year—some magnificent, some utter trash—but the music? The music often saved the day.

Here is the definitive, ranked list of the top 20 film scores of 2025. No participation trophies here. Just the raw notes that stuck.

The “Good, But…” Category (20-16)

20. Thunderbolts*

Composer: Son Lux

Listen, “It’s Bucky” is a fun track. It has that heroic swell you expect from Marvel. But was it innovative? Not really. It felt like a tug-of-war between safety and creativity. It works, but it didn’t haunt me.

19. One Battle After Another

Composer: Jonny Greenwood

“Baby Charlene” brings a solid pulse of war drums contrasting with heroism. It clashes horror with valor effectively, but in a year of giants, it felt a bit like a standard issue uniform—reliable, but not bespoke.

18. The Phoenician Scheme

Composer: Alexandre Desplat

Whimsical quirks galore. “CCD” and “Grand Tango” are eccentric delights. Desplat is a master, obviously, but this felt almost too smoothed out. It was like eating a macaron when you really wanted a steak.

17. Materialists

Composer: Daniel Pemberton

Jazzy chaos. “Immigrant” and “Corridor of Love” capture that urban fizz perfectly. It feels like subway grit sticking to your shoes. Solid, respectable work, but perhaps a bit too polished for its own good.

16. The Roses

Composer: Theodore Shapiro

“No Justice No Peace” is an ironic bite of a track. It’s a twisted waltz where the family knives come out from under the dinner table. Sharp, cynical, and fun, even if it doesn’t reinvent the wheel.

The Genre Shifters (15-11)

15. Fantastic Four: First Steps

Composer: Michael Giacchino

“A Galactus Case of the Munchies.” Come on, that title alone wins points. This is galactic whimsy with a scent of comic pulp. It soars, it’s fun, and it reminds you why you liked comics as a kid.

14. Wake Up Dead Man

Composer: Nathan Johnson

Jazzy knots and playful stabs. “Boots” and “Mania” echo the plot’s twists perfectly. It’s clever scoring—music that winks at you from across the room.

13. Black Bag

Composer: David Holmes

Espionage strings that drip with paranoia. “Zurich” blends into the background so well it almost disappears. Is it a genre blur or just too subtle? I’m still deciding. Sarcasm intended.

12. Predator: Badlands

Composer: Schachner & Wallfisch

Tribal thuds. “Resurrection” brings that isolation vibe back. It sweats jungle humidity. It’s effective horror, though the swells occasionally felt a bit overdone for my taste.

11. Avatar: Fire and Ash

Composer: Simon Franglen

“Caravan At Night” is immersive. It’s tribal winds and alien textures. Is it recycled from the last one? Maybe. Is it still brilliant technical work? Absolutely.

The Top 10: Pure Auditory Gold

10. Tron: Ares

Composer: Nine Inch Nails

Neon hums and industrial fire. “CCD” (Wait, distinct from Desplat’s track of the same name) and the industrial grind here hit you in the chest. It’s cold, digital, and terrifyingly precise.

9. Happyend

Composer: Unlisted

Ethereal synths. “LOVE (V1)” has a dystopian ring that lingers like an unfinished thought. It refuses to resolve, leaving you in a state of beautiful anxiety.

8. Hamnet

Composer: Max Richter

Richter writes grief like weather—fronts moving in, pressure dropping, light changing on the same room. I fought it at first (too direct!) then gave up.

7. No Other Choice

Composer: Cho Young-Wuk

This score combined with classical drops and “Vampire’s Castle” creates a perfect sonic range. It unravels the narrative tone with a chaotic precision that feels totally unique.

6. The Smashing Machine

Composer: Nala Sinephro

Harp grit. “The Prix” provides gut-punch vibes. It’s raw, minimalist, and proves that you don’t need a 100-piece orchestra to break a heart.

5. Weapons

Composer: Ryan Holladay

“Bedtime” and “Disturbing The Peace” build tension so slowly you don’t notice you’re holding your breath. I underestimated this one. It’s a masterclass in atmospheric dread.

4. Sorry, Baby

Composer: Lia Ouyang Rusli

Folk regrets on dusty roads. “Why You Here” smells like woodsmoke and bad decisions. It’s a quiet punch that lands harder than the blockbusters.

3. The Shrouds

Composer: Howard Shore

Speaking of “Fluid of Grief”—this score is grotesque drips and dissonance. It’s uncomfortable and alienating, exactly what the film needed. It’s not a score you hum; it’s a score you survive.

2. Frankenstein

Composer: Carter Burwell

Gothic haunts. “The Chase” and “To Paris – Fanfare” layer brooding strings over the monster’s lonely rage. It’s classic cinema sound—big, emotional, and tragic. It feels like fog rolling off a graveyard.

1. Sinners

Composer: Ludwig Göransson

“Smokestack Twins” and “(Delta) Slim’s Patch”. This is it. A blues revolution. It’s raw, erotic, bloody, and masterful. It’s the sound of a vampire western that knows exactly what it is. The bass thrum feels like a heartbeat stopping and starting. It’s the undisputed king of 2025.

---

Why These Scores Matter

• Innovation: They didn’t just support the film; they defined it.
• Risk: The top 5 entries all took massive sonic risks, moving away from safe orchestral swells.
• Emotion: In a year of uneven scripts, these scores provided the emotional core.

---

FAQ: Top 20 Film Scores of 2025