Last Updated on 27 July 2024

I searched the Internet for lists of the best movie soundtracks and film scores. Criteria included the movies being ranked, not just listed, not just one genre or decade, and generally created by groups, whether teams or committees or based on general public voting (like Ranker.com).

I was able to find 24 lists. I took the 24 lists and added all their content into a spreadsheet, noting the rank of every movie. I ended up averaging the rankings each one got (there were 228 that were on at least 2 lists) and dividing that average by a factor of the number of lists it was on. The lowest score meant a high ranking average on many lists. The complete spreadsheet is attached at the bottom.

The movie scores that were on the most lists (out of 24) were:

  • Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) – John Williams – 14 lists
  • Blade Runner (1982) – Vangelis – 11 lists
  • The Godfather (1972) – Nino Rota – 11 lists
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) – Howard Shore – 9 lists
  • Psycho (1960) – Bernard Herrmann – 9 lists
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – John Williams – 9 lists
  • Jaws (1975) – John Williams – 9 lists
  • The Graduate (1968) – Simon & Garfunkel – 9 lists
  • Back to the Future (1985) – Alan Silvestri – 9 lists
  • E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – John Williams – 9 lists
  • Shaft (1971) – Isaac Hayes – 9 lists

Here are links to the lists I used along with dates the lists were created:

Best Film Scores of All TimeDownload

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