Best Sci-Fi score?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I'm sure Star Wars, 2001 will come up. For me, I LOVE Star Trek II's score by James Horner. The opening theme is damn great as is Khan's Theme. Any other opinions?

― Bryan Moore (Bryan Moore), Monday, 7 June 2004 05:48 (twenty-one years ago)

The Day the Earth Stood Still

― Melissa W (Melissa W), Monday, 7 June 2004 05:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Blade Runner, duh.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 7 June 2004 06:28 (twenty-one years ago)

the drone of the Alien Hive Mind from the final fifteen minutes of Quatermass and the Pit

― (Jon L), Monday, 7 June 2004 06:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Torgo's theme in Manos: The Hands of Fate is a personal fave.

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 7 June 2004 07:00 (twenty-one years ago)

How about A Clockwork Orange?
I also think Star Trek II is great, as well as parts of Star Trek III, and I too I guess.
Also: Dark Star!

― Brandon Mitchell (A.H.), Monday, 7 June 2004 07:22 (twenty-one years ago)

lets not forget james carpenter.

― vahid (vahid), Monday, 7 June 2004 07:30 (twenty-one years ago)

oops john carpenter.

― vahid (vahid), Monday, 7 June 2004 07:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Aliens has a great over-the-top action/suspense score. The first Alien score is great too, one of Jerry Goldsmith's best.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 7 June 2004 07:33 (twenty-one years ago)

andromeda strain!

(forbidden planet! and fantastic planet/planete sauvage by alain goraguer!)

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Monday, 7 June 2004 08:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Blade Runner is the obvious one, but one I like a little better is edward artemiev's score for tarkovski's "stalker".

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 7 June 2004 08:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Altered States, featuring excerpts from "Voile d'Orphee" by Pierre Henry!
How about the BBC Radiophonic Workshop?

― Stephen Boyle (SBoyle), Monday, 7 June 2004 16:29 (twenty-one years ago)

To the degree that it's sci-fi, "Superman: The Movie" had a great score. The Ravel-like score for Disney's otherwise mediocre "The Black Hole" was also surprisingly memorable.

― phil dennison, Monday, 7 June 2004 16:50 (twenty-one years ago)

"Journey to the Center of the Earth" is incredible.
"Fantastic Planet" sndtrk is funky and great.

― Sean Witzman (trip maker), Monday, 7 June 2004 16:58 (twenty-one years ago)

oh goodness yes. Gil Melle's 'Andromeda Strain'. when the hell is that coming back in print?

― (Jon L), Monday, 7 June 2004 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

The space-funk-wah-wah-moog music in Rollerball is excellent. "Executive Party" I think it's called and it's credit to Andre Preview, which is oddly uncharacteristic, but there you go.

― Keith Watson (kmw), Monday, 7 June 2004 17:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Dune! Eno! Toto!

also, yeah the Star Trek II score was ripped off so many times! KHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNN! KHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNN!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 7 June 2004 17:28 (twenty-one years ago)

vahid OTM = escape from NY.

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 7 June 2004 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh hear, now that I think of it the Joan Baez stuff in "Silent Running" is good too...

― Keith Watson (kmw), Monday, 7 June 2004 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Jerry Goldman's score to the original "Planet of the Apes" is another classic.

― earlnash, Monday, 7 June 2004 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Jerry Goldsmith...

― earlnash, Monday, 7 June 2004 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

FLASH! AH AAAAAAAH! HE WILL SAVE EVERY ONE OF US!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 7 June 2004 18:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I still prefer the classic stuff in "2001: A Space Odyssey" to anything Goldsmith or Williams ever did, even tho I don't like the movie as much as I once did.

Among actual sci-fi filmmakers, John Carpenter is certainly the best composer, tho it's not like there's any competition. (As far as I know.)

And any score utilizing theremin (esp. from the 1950s) is obviously pretty cool too!

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 7 June 2004 18:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Can we consider Beetlejuice sci-fi for the purposes of this thread? Cuz YEAH THAT'S A GOOD SCORE.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 7 June 2004 18:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Agree with the first Alien score - BBC2 had a thing going for years that sounded like that score.

― Keith Watson (kmw), Monday, 7 June 2004 19:28 (twenty-one years ago)

eduard artimev - solaris (extremely atmospheric)
jerry goldsmith - various things, all good
lalo shifrin - thx 1138

― phil turnbull (philT), Monday, 7 June 2004 19:30 (twenty-one years ago)

The Ravel-like score for Disney's otherwise mediocre "The Black Hole" was also surprisingly memorable.

haha - totally OTM! I haven't seen this flick since I was a kid, yet I've never forgotten that main theme. Also, does it remind anyone else of Alexander Robotnick's "Problemes D'Amour"??

― Broheems (diamond), Monday, 7 June 2004 19:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm glad I'm not the only one who really LOVES the Dune soundtrack. come on! eno's ambient at its semi-best? TOTO's prog-wankery delving into bizarro synth sounds, operatic guitar anthems, and tangerine dream ripoffs? What more could you ask for from a sci-fi flick score?

― Felonious Drunk (Felcher), Monday, 7 June 2004 19:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, listen to Pulp's "The Fear", sounds suspiciously like the main Dune theme!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 7 June 2004 19:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I wish the Jodorowsky's vision for Dune would have become a reality. The soundtrack to Lynch's may be good, but imagine the two armies (Harkonen and...the other one) being represented by Magma and Pink Floyd. That would have been huge!

― Sean Witzman (trip maker), Monday, 7 June 2004 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

"FAATHHEEERRRRR!!!!!!!!! THE SLEEPER HAS AWOKEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
rumble rumble rumble rumble CRASH KATANGNGNGNGNGNGNGNGMNG

― Felonious Drunk (Felcher), Monday, 7 June 2004 20:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Search:
Fantastic Planet
Stalker
Akira
Tron

Destroy:
Matrix

― sexyDancer, Monday, 7 June 2004 20:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Ahaha, I was gonna mention the Black Hole. I've never even seen past the first 10 minutes, but the score was so damn memorable. John Barry never really got his proper due I think. Basil Poledouris' totally ridiculous score for Starship Troopers deserves mention. Akira, Ghost in the Shell.

― ARL (Adrian Langston), Monday, 7 June 2004 21:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Melissa otm.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Monday, 7 June 2004 21:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Raumpatrouille wins this one, hands down.

― Øystein H-O (Øystein H-O), Monday, 7 June 2004 21:34 (twenty-one years ago)

>The space-funk-wah-wah-moog music in Rollerball is excellent. "Executive Party" I think it's called and it's credit to Andre Preview, which is oddly uncharacteristic, but there you go.

André Previn. I love that movie to bits.

When I was eight, an issue of Starlog magazine came with a flexidisc disco version of 'Radar' from 'The Day The Earth Stood Still'. It was fantastic.

Marius Constant's theme for 'The Twilight Zone'.

Also, David Vorhaus provided electronic sound & drones for the outstanding ant movie 'Phase IV'. Several of the drones were cribbed from side two of his work on White Noise's "An Electric Storm".

― (Jon L), Monday, 7 June 2004 21:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry... Andre Preview is an old Morecambe and Wise joke when they had Andre Previn on. I guess that is lost on those not over 30 and not in the UK.

Noticed someone saying the film was terrible somewhere around here lately; I think it's great.

― Keith Watson (kmw), Monday, 7 June 2004 22:16 (twenty-one years ago)

the original amiga version of the 'it came from the desert' computer game. either that or the aforementioned 'day the earth stood still'.

― chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 7 June 2004 22:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Forbidden Planet - that is such a great soundtrack, sounds very dated and ahead of it's time. It's creepy and evocative. Just great. Man, I loved 'It came from the desert', and yeah, it had good music. I can't remember if it was just in the second one, but trying to escape from hospital annoyed the hell out of me...

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Monday, 7 June 2004 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

oh man, that was the best bit!

i remember playing it with a bunch of kids when it first came out.. i was in charge of disk-swapping..

― chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 7 June 2004 23:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Raumpatrouille wins this one, hands down.

that is a really damn good soundtrack. "bolero on the moon rocks" is probably my favorite peter thomas track.

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Monday, 7 June 2004 23:13 (twenty-one years ago)

wouldn'you like ta know? (waves'n'taps mock cigar silly-ly)

― Paul (scifisoul), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 03:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Forbidden Planet, Tron

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 03:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm glad I'm not the only one who really LOVES the Dune soundtrack.

Same here. Did that ever finally get a legitimate CD release?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 14:39 (twenty-one years ago)

MARS 1, EARTH 0

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 14:40 (twenty-one years ago)

(sorry)

(not really)

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 14:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Forbidden Planet

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 14:43 (twenty-one years ago)

shoot... the Akira soundtrack is great. Wish I hadn't forgotten it. And again, I'd suggest not forgetting Jerry Goldsmith's score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture... really pretty good. And again, I'll mention how great the Star Trek II score is. I pretty much grew up listening to nothing but sci-fi soundtracks.

― Brandon Mitchell (A.H.), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 08:31 (twenty-one years ago)

> The Ravel-like score for Disney's otherwise mediocre "The Black Hole"

Yes, the main theme is fantastic. Even the time signature is arresting [taps out rhythm on desk] - what is that, 6/4?

Actually, I think that The Black Hole itself deserves far more credit than it is commonly accorded. Yes, it is mediocre, but in different circumstances it could so easily have been an absolute triumph. What scuppered it, I'm sure, was the requirement for Disney product to be accessible and family-friendly, and these commercial considerations presumably forced the director to dumb down what is a very interesting and powerful story. It's very unfortunate, tragic even, and I'd love to see the film remade by somebody like David Fincher (or even better, David Lynch!)

While the cheese factor is frequently high, with some regrettable scenery-chewing by talented actors who should have known better, there's still lots to like in this movie, with flashes of the otherworldly grandeur that is cherished by every SF fan. For example, in the opening minutes, we witness the exploration ship's discovery of the lost research vessel, the Cygnus, a dark and seemingly lifeless behemoth, its commendably functional-looking latticework of girders and antennae backlit by the black hole's flickering corona.

There are also some deliciously creepy moments: I remember a scene where one of the rescue team spots a group of the ship's impassive and mute "android" crewmembers seemingly conducting a burial ceremony for one of their kind. Suspicions aroused, he approaches one of these hooded drones in an antechamber and pulls the mask from its face...
Suggestive of an interesting subplot sacrificed by the editor's knife is a scene towards the movie's climax wherein the Cygnus' half-mad captain suddenly pulls one of the rescue team aside and in a frightened whisper begs for protection from Maximilian, an imposing, murderous robotic bodyguard of his own creation. What's that about? We never find out.
Spookiest of all is the penultimate scene, literally a vision of a medieval Hell, with Maximilian floating amidst the flames, his captain cradled in his mechanical arms. This is not The Lion King, folks. There are some fascinating, complex themes submerged in The Black Hole, and if they hadn't been soft-pedalled in favour of cutesy robot sidekicks and stereotypical good guy/bad guy characterisations, it might well have turned out to be a classic of the genre.

― Palomino (Palomino), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 14:22 (twenty-one years ago)

If you count it as Sci-Fi (I do, vaguely), then Eraserhead

― superultramega (superultramarinated), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 15:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Good stuff about the Black Hole Palomino. I quite enjoyed this one as a kid; I'll need to see it again.

Can you write something similar about "The cat from outer space"?

― Keith Watson (kmw), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 20:04 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

Gotta second 'THX-1138,' especially if you count the sound effects track in addition to Schifrin's score. Walter Murch just seems like an all-around badass. Watching that film for the first time (on DVD, actually) I actually thought "I'd really like to listen to a sound-effects-only track on this," which isn't something one often thinks, and fantastically enough it had one (and great video-commentary on the sound effects production--a real geek bonus).

― I.M. (I.M.), Friday, 16 June 2006 00:21 (nineteen years ago)

Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts wrote all the music to Cowboy Bebop which is a fantastic sci-fi anime (TV and film) and the music (mostly jazz) is really good. there are several albums worth of material.

― marbles (marbles), Friday, 16 June 2006 14:36 (nineteen years ago)

Can we all agree that the soundtrack for Silent Running is the worst?

― LOL Thomas (Chris Barrus), Friday, 16 June 2006 16:27 (nineteen years ago)

Alien by a country mile with everything Bernard Herrmann did as a close runner up.

― darin (darin), Friday, 16 June 2006 17:13 (nineteen years ago)

Hardware! ("Mark 13" to you Europeans)
PIL, Ministry, Rossini, Boswell. something for every taste. no Nephilim, even though McCoy's in the movie.

― Ghost Bear Junior High Attendance Party (echoinggrove), Friday, 16 June 2006 17:38 (nineteen years ago)

>Gotta second 'THX-1138,'

I have the sound effects only track burned to a CD for listening

all hail Walter Murch

― milton parker (Jon L), Friday, 16 June 2006 17:58 (nineteen years ago)

also, re: Melle's Andromeda Strain

http://www.mimaroglumusicsales.com/browsebyartist.php?artistlast=mell%8E&artistfirst=gil&arraynum=843&limit=20

― milton parker (Jon L), Friday, 16 June 2006 18:00 (nineteen years ago)

Another vote for Eduard Artemyev's Solaris score.

― LC (Damian), Friday, 16 June 2006 18:09 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.lfo.co.uk/covers/Holst_Planets.jpg

― literalisp (literalisp), Friday, 16 June 2006 20:17 (nineteen years ago)

six years pass...

kinda genius and maybe underrated or something

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yuhpj4K_ESI

― scott seward, Tuesday, 21 May 2013 21:02 (twelve years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.