To celebrate this often underappreciated side of filmmaking, here are the 7 best sci-fi movie soundtracks to transport you to otherworldly audio dimensions. Listen in!<\/p>\n
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7. “The Matrix”<\/p>\n Composer: Don Davis | Release Year: 1999<\/p>\n An instantly recognizable score that plugs you into the surreal simulated reality of “The Matrix.”<\/p>\n With swelling brass accompaniments and a full orchestration complementing the sinister strings and memorable synthesizer themes sprinkled throughout, composer Don Davis created a sexy techno-classical score for The Wachowskis’ sci-fi magnum opus.<\/p>\n It’s old-fashioned and modern at the same time, enhancing the striking visuals and set pieces. A huge shout-out to Davis’s addictive scores to “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions” too; that Chateau fight scene score is an absolute bop.<\/p>\n 6. “Oblivion”<\/p>\n Oblivion complete OST – YouTube Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n Composers: Anthony Gonzalez and Joseph Trapanese | Release Year: 2013<\/p>\n Before “Top Gun: Maverick” and “F1,” director Joseph Kosinski and Tom Cruise brought us this highly underrated (and slightly derivative) film that benefited greatly from a propulsive original score by French composer Anthony Gonzalez of M83 and musician Joseph Trapanese.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a moody and majestic score, fusing electronic instruments with classical compositions to create something that bridges traditional action film scores with an edge of experimentalism.<\/p>\n What to read next<\/p>\n Sure, the score does feel a little bit too similar to Hans Zimmer’s more high-profile work at times, but it’s a splendid effort regardless.<\/p>\n 5. “Ash” <\/p>\n Flying Lotus – ASH (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | Album Trailer – YouTube Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n Composer: Flying Lotus | Release Year: 2025<\/p>\n Composed by this grindhouse-style sci-fi flick\u2019s director, Flying Lotus<\/a>, this retro synthwave score will teleport you straight back to the awesome \u201880s and \u201890s.<\/p>\n Miraculously, the popular Grammy-winning DJ and musician holed up with his laptop computer and a MIDI controller in New Zealand to conjure up these nerve-jangling tracks to match up with and enhance his Lovecraftian horrors on a hostile remote exoplanet.<\/p>\n What he created was a psychedelic tapestry of eerie Carpenter-esque electronica that serves as a killer after-hours aural cocktail to sip and savor.<\/p>\n 4. “Tron: Legacy”<\/p>\n The Grid (From “TRON: Legacy”\/Score) – YouTube Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n Composer: Daft Punk | Release Year: 2010<\/p>\n One of the truly great movie soundtracks of the last few decades, and one that’s on permanent rotation in my SUV’s CD platter.<\/p>\n The French electronic musical duo known as Daft Punk manifested an unreal synthesizer score that instantly plunges us into the digital realm of the sensational sequel to 1982’s “Tron.”<\/p>\n 85-piece orchestral tracks arranged by Joseph Trapanese are paired with driving electronic pieces, thrusting you onto The Grid. Fifteen years later, it’s still unsurpassed for its cyberpunk originality and catchy riffs that energize and enlighten.<\/p>\n 3. “Annihilation”<\/p>\n Annihilation – Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow – Soundtrack Preview (Official Video) – YouTube Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n Composers: Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury | Release Year: 2018<\/p>\n I wish I had better things to say about Alex Garland’s screen-uneven adaptation of the first book in author Jeff VanderMeer\u2019s freaky sci-fi series, “The Southern Reach,” about a quarantined zone of the USA where alien biology has taken root.<\/p>\n Despite my feelings on the movie itself, the unsettling score is something else entirely and is a strangely evocative listen. Conceived by British musicians Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury, who also did the music for Garland’s “Ex Machina,” the score employs a chilling blend of acoustic guitar, synthesizers, orchestra, and even a ’70s sound effects instrument called a waterphone.<\/p>\n Turn off the lights and surrender yourself to its haunting notes.<\/p>\n 2. “Event Horizon”<\/p>\n Event Horizon (Score) – Michael Kamen & Orbital – YouTube Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n Composers: Michael Kamen and Orbital | Release Year: 1997<\/p>\n Techno meets classic orchestral passages in this hybrid sonic sensation for one of the best space horror movies<\/a> of the decade, and perhaps even all-time!<\/p>\n Director Paul W.S. Anderson chose Hollywood veteran composer Michael Kamen, then paired him up with Orbital’s (Phil and Paul Hartnoll) grim-dark electronic apparitions. What emerged was an outstanding union of musical influences that act as two great tastes that taste great together!<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like they elevated Kamen\u2019s works and he kept them on track as far as what was required for a movie,\u201d Anderson told Space in a 2022 interview for “Event Horizon’s” 25th anniversary<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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