Music is a universal language we all speak and understand. There is a special ominous aura, a purloined emotion, that transfixes our ears on the intangible made tangible. What words cannot capture in mood, tone, and feeling, music can. It is hard to imagine movies without music knowing how transformational a song or composition can be. No Country for Old Men, adapted from Cormac McCarthy, and directed by the Coen Brothers, envelops us in the world of a runaway, emotionless killer; the lack of a musical score builds on Javier Bardem's cold detachment as Anton Chigurh. Sometimes evil is its own music.
Joaquin Phoenix plays unconventional characters and is a mystifying talent. When he played the Clown Prince of Crime in Joker, his unhinged subtlety and savagery were balanced out by his choreography. He brought the character, a playing card, to life through dark musicality. Music has and gives personality; it is complimentary and transitory to the performance. Superhero movies use theatrical scores to heighten the imagery and themes of their stories. Batman takes us from the Batcave to the streets of Gotham with music he no doubt listens to while driving the Batmobile.
8 The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
The playful child that was Bruce Wayne comes alive in this animated film. The soundtrack is no different, full of whimsy and unbridled energy. The signature song, "Who's the (Bat) Man" by Patrick Stump, is true child's play. He makes fun of the fact that Batman is billionaire Bruce Wayne, who can spend money (or not) on escapades. The song also mentions how awesome it is that Batman can choke-hold a bear; an image no one can forget. "Forever" by DNCE, "Invincible" by Kirsten Arian, and "Black" by composer, Lorne Balfe (a student of Hans Zimmer), also capture the essence of the tinkering, braggadocious, brick-laying Dark Knight.
7 Batman & Robin (1997)
Elliot Goldenthal composes a marching order exposed to ominous surprises. His music is a fantastical take on the animalistic side of Batman and the seedy city of Gotham. On an ironic note, one of the worst superhero films of all time features a Grammy Award-winning track, "The End is the Beginning is the End" by alternative rock band, Smashing Pumpkins. A ruthless romp for the ears that gets you in the mood for beating baddies or ice puns.
6 Batman: The Movie (1966)
Neal Hefti and Nelson Riddle are the dynamic duo of composers. Adapted from the 1960s Batman television series, the Batman movie is the same great exaggerated, fun-loving romp fans know and love. The score captures the imagination children have of Batman as well as the unforgiving schemes of Batman's rogues gallery.
5 Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Based on Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was scored by the same series' composer, Shirley Walker. She was one of the very few female composers with lasting prominence in Hollywood, and her music stands out as hauntingly magisterial. The "Latin" overture we hear in the main title is actually the names of Warner Bros. staff sung backwards. The heartbreaking song, "I Never Even Told You" by singer, Tia Carrere (Cassandra Wong in the Wayne's World films), is a timepiece that captures the love loss in the film.
4 Batman Forever (1995)
Grandiose and morose, Elliot Goldenthal does Batman justice. The scores emphasize the detective noir and super heroics of Batman equally well. Livelier and more mysterious than the Batman & Robin soundtrack, Goldenthal also pinpoints the trauma and wistfulness of leading a double life from the perspective of Bruce Wayne.
3 The Batman (2022)
The first few years and potential of a young Bruce Wayne and Batman is deeply felt on this soundtrack. "Something in the Way" by Nirvana was a poignant choice; lyrics like "Underneath the bridge, tarp has sprung a leak" and "the animals I've trapped, have all become my pets" literally and figuratively show the crime fighter's aloof duality. Michael Giacchino's original score screams silent but deadly, vulnerable and powerful. It shows Batman's transformation from a ruthless manhunter to a symbol of hope.
2 The Dark Knight Trilogy (2008-2012)
The controlled conviction of the Batman; the unnerving chaos of the Joker; the city of Gotham hanging in the balance. Hollywood's renowned composer, Hans Zimmer, is able to raise every character's emotive tensions and leave the listener in a state of suspense and anticipation. Batman Begins (with title tracks that have the scientific names of bats) is the hero's journey, the pain and guilt of a broken man fixing himself. The Joker's theme in The Dark Knight shows the unhinged mind hatching a maniacal machination with no end in sight. The Dark Knight Rises is a bid for redemption and cleaning the slate for yourself and others.
1 Batman (1989)
Danny Elfman has the best music for the vigilante's life of crime fighting. His music is dark, triumphant, tragic, clever, and cold; it is simply cerebral camp. Just listen to "Batdance" by Prince and try not to be delighted. As far as superhero fare goes, no other composition made Gotham City or its night avenger more heroic or iconic.