We often hear about the great soundtracks of blockbuster films. However, there are also soundtracks to lesser-known films that sometimes surpass those scores in artistry.
6
The Last American Virgin (1982)
This 1980s film follows a group of high school friends as they navigate their way through awkward body changes, relationships, and the quest to lose their virginity. Although it was rightly marketed as a teen comedy, The Last American Virgin concludes with one of the most emotionally serious endings for a film of its era.
What elevates that powerful ending and the film’s sometimes choppy dialogue is its soundtrack, which captures the New Wave and pop-rock music scene of the day. The film includes a terrific mix of well-known and lesser-known songs from The Police, The Cars, U2, Blondie, and many more. Each title is strategically placed to punctuate each scene, elevate the sometimes raw emotions of the characters, and generally makes a sometimes lackluster experience feel so much better, one worth remembering.
The Last American Virgin is not available to stream.
5
Sunshine (2007)
Stream Sunshine on Disney+ and Hulu
Movies about outer space have often come with amazing soundtracks that are long remembered after the film’s release. Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, and Interstellar are just four examples of popular space-related films with kickin’ soundtracks. Less well-known is Sunshine, an early 21st-century science fiction film directed by Danny Boyle, the genius behind such films as Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, and others. Sunshine follows a group of eight astronauts tasked with reigniting a dying sun, allowing the Earth and its inhabitants to survive.
Throughout this trip to the Sun, the audience is never far from a breathtaking soundtrack created by composer John Murphy and the electric band Underworld. The many tracks’ highs and lows, which include masterpieces like Adagio in D Minor, perfectly capture the ever-shifting moods of the characters as they transition between nervousness, excitement, and dread. It’s this soundtrack, working in tandem with the film’s striking visuals, that makes for an exhilarating ride you won’t soon forget.
4
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Stream How to Train Your Dragon on Netflix
One of the first movies of the last decade, How to Train Your Dragon, is a beloved animated adventure film that eventually led to two sequels. It follows Hiccup, a clumsy and undersized Viking teenager who, unlike his ancestors, would rather befriend dragons than kill them.
How to Train Your Dragon features numerous breathtaking scenes that are elevated by the soundtrack, composed by John Powell. It carefully enhances the Viking setting while perfectly capturing the emotions being shown on the screen. The Test Drive scene is one of the best for an animated film. It captures Hiccup and the dragon Toothless as they take their first flight together. The score at this point in the movie does a great job of capturing the feeling of freedom and discovery, something any teenager craves, even without a dragon by their side.
Despite being the first in a trilogy of popular films, How to Train Your Dragon sometimes gets forgotten in the sea of other animated classics. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. If you have, watch it again.
3
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
This film is available to stream across multiple services, including Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
Brad Pitt stars as the title character in this Western-themed film, which is both haunting and meditative in nature. It follows James, a real-life outlaw, maneuvering a complex relationship with Casey Affleck’s Robert Ford. The film presents an interesting study of how relationships take weird and unpredictable turns over time. Ford is the one who killed the legendary James in 1882.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford offers some rich storytelling that is significantly enhanced by its cinematography and soundtrack. The movie’s score, composed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, is undoubtedly one of the reasons the film’s underlying psychological turmoil feels so powerful and noteworthy nearly two decades after its release.
This film isn’t for everyone, but it’s a winner nonetheless.
2
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
Stream The Secret Life of Walter Mitty on Hulu
Directed and starring Ben Stiller, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is based on a classic short story. It follows the timid and introverted Mitty, who must face his fears and travel the world to find a crucial photo negative for Life Magazine. The journey is best described as extraordinary thanks to the film’s storytelling, cinematography, and, of course, soundtrack.
The music, which Stiller personally approved, features an interesting blend of indie folk-rock songs that complement the film’s tone. It includes tracks from artists such as José González, Of Monsters and Men, and Junip, as well as a cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” featuring Kristen Wiig, who co-stars in the film.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is neither brilliant nor great. It still offers a fun ride; however, that’s enhanced by great tunes and striking visuals.
1
The Village (2004)
Stream The Village on Netflix
Director M. Night Shyamalan is known for the twist endings in many of his films. Although not talked about nearly as much as the ending of The Sixth Sense, The Village does leave an impression when the screen goes black. Part of what makes the journey there so enjoyable is the film’s soundtrack.
Composed by James Newton, The Village soundtrack features music that’s dominated by a folksy, almost pastoral sound. It features a solo violin performed by Hilary Hahn that beautifully captures the isolationism at the heart of the film’s village. It also creates uneasiness and tension as needed, and helps with character development, which helps with a story that sometimes tends to drag.
The Village’s soundtrack, perhaps more than the film itself, has sparked numerous discussions over the years. There was once one posted on YouTube that offered a thoughtful and in-depth examination of how the music contributes to the movie’s narrative. Unfortunately, it’s no longer available. However, you can still find a wealth of content about the film soundtrack online.
This list just proves that terrific soundtracks aren’t just reserved for blockbusters. There are many underrated films from over the years that also feature great soundtracks worth your time to enjoy, whether you’re watching the film itself or not.
