We've already started off the yearly listicle tradition with a bit of fun LINK, and now it's time for the first of my two mainstays. Truly great film music always holds a special place in my heart, since its effects are doubly reinforced by having images and scenes to accompany them in my memory. The following were, for my money, the most standout original scores (and some songs!) to be part of films from 2022.
8. The Banshees of Inisherin- Carter Burwell
I don't know yet if Burwell's latest will have the same iconic impact that his first collaboration with McDonagh for In Bruges had. Even if not, this is still a fitting accompaniment to one of the year's best movies, its sounds sitting perfectly within the clefts of empty Irish countryside.
7. The Northman- Robert Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough
Carolan and Gainsborough went above and beyond to research traditional Icelandic and Viking instruments and musical styles, and their efforts pay off handsomely. Though the film may not reach the same heights of Eggers' last two works, the passion underlying it is clear and it was a real experience to watch. The ravishing and discordant sounds of the score, plus the guttering sounds of human voices in many of the tracks, put you in just the right frame of mind to experience the chaos of revenge and violence that follows.
6. Belle- songs and score by Kaho Nakamura, Ryo Narita, Shota Sometani, Tina Tamashiro, Lilas Ikuta, Koji Yakusho, and Takeru Satoh
Belle is already more or less the third Internet Movie that Hosoda has made to date, and while I would consider Summer Wars to be a superior version of this kind of film, this one is still one of the year's best. And a big part of that is the music, particularly the songs, which are beautiful and varied, but also catchy, staying in the mind long after viewing. The opening track is still my favorite, though the final melody with the crowd singing along does hit the feels in just the right way.
5. The Woman King- Terence Blanchard
The Woman King felt like the ultimate throwback to the grand, longform historical dramas of Old Hollywood, and Blanchard's score falls into the same category. True, it definitely has far more authentic African elements than any previous iteration of American cinema was capable of, but it still has that larger-than-life feeling that manages to lift you up on its shoulders while the drama of the characters plays out in front of you.
4. Prey- Sarah Shachner
Prey was easily the year's biggest surprise for me- everything else on these lists were films that I went into with at least a reasonable expectation that I would like them. But the 500th Predator sequel? Did not see that one hitting me between the eyes like a laser-guided arrow. Not only was the action tight, the drama compelling, and the lead actress utterly badass, the score by Shachner was pretty damn good too, with the pulse-pounding end credits theme being the perfect final punctuation.
3. The Batman- Michael Giacchino
Giacchino is one of the modern-day greats, so there is no surprise in seeing him here. What I particularly appreciate about his work here is how, while it is very much in a similar style to Hans Zimmer's iconic work in Nolan's trilogy (which, I think, is very much ripe for revisitation), it is quite clearly its own beast. Most superhero movies from the last 20 years have something like this sound; very driving, with big chord progression to punctuate the action, but most of them don't stick the way this one does. It's an instant classic. But again, this is Giacchino, so that should surprise no one.
2. Everything, Everywhere, All At Once- Son Lux
Son Lux found exactly the right mix of the familiar and the unsettling, perfectly mirroring the chaotic, literally-anything-can-happen tone of this masterpiece of a film. The cleverest bit, for me, is how it repeatedly works in the „Suite Bergamasque,“ one of Debussy's iconic piano pieces. At first, the theme is kept mostly straight, but is then more broken up and piecemeal the more it comes back, mirroring the mental state of a mother and daughter struggling across eternities and dimensions to come to some acceptance and understanding of the universe they both feel trapped in. Definitely the most groundbreaking work to come out of 2022.
1. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever- Ludwig Göransson
Like the film itself, Göransson achieves what should be impossible; he doesn't recreate the magic of his original (and still iconic) score for the first Black Panther, but rather evolves and builds upon it, reforming and revisiting certain themes that evoke the first score, but never quite mirror them. New elements are introduced to reflect the introduction of the Talokans, a Mesoamerican version of Wakanda that imagines another possible reality free from the taint of colonialism. The most powerful moments for me are the altered theme that plays when Shuri appears as the new Black Panther, a dark driving force in the music reflecting how her own rage and lack of closure dominates her initial reasons to embrace the mantle, until she is finally able to defy the darkness and rise above it.
Up next, the official Top Ten Films List!
-Noah
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