While this period had a lot of iconic films that were soon embedded in pop culture and public consciousness, this decade also embraced the iconic movie music scores that not only sunk into our ears for a long period of time but also evolved the way the audiences perceive music.
This list will look at ten iconic film scores that ingrained in the public mind and moderate use this decade. Just a disclaimer, the list will only look at entire film score soundtracks, not single music pieces. This means “Rey’s Theme” from Star Wars: The Force Awakens would not qualify.
La La Land (2016)
La La Land is meant to be a film full of musical showcases to evoke the old Hollywood spectacle of elaborate musical numbers and intensely choreographed dances. Director Damien Chazelle took those tropes to heart and created a story about the expected ups and sudden downs of achieving dreams in the city of stars.
He and composer/friend Justin Hurwitz laid the groundwork for the movie’s musical structure with the jazz theme, and Hurwitz went grand with a sweeping Hollywood-inspired score that best accompanies the songs. The film’s rousing score is best heard from its toe-tapping songs like “Another Day of Sun."
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
On the spectrum of animated films, no other animated film boasted a more rousing and thrilling score than in the How to Train Your Dragon movies. Though, for this time, the first film made its mark on the list.
Composer John Powell incorporated a lot of Viking and Scandinavian elements to let the score back up its action sequences. And yet, on the flight sequences, he weaved a harmony of pause, then transition to a thrilling arrangement to depict Hiccup and Toothless sweeping over the air.
Under the Skin (2014)
Film scores with droning instrumentation have been an overused theme for film scores over the last decade. The most recognizable composition has to go to Mica Levi’s score for the experimental alien thriller Under the Skin.
With a razor-sharp synchronization that evokes a lot of synthesizer techniques and computer modulation, like a robotic violin strum, it presented an otherworldly feel, especially as it is utilized in the film’s dark void sequences. Its immersive sound makes it remarkable for other media to use, with one example being American Horror Story: Asylum.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Alexandre Desplat has an extraordinary discography when it comes to film compositions with efforts on Argo, The King’s Speech, Godzilla, Little Women, and The Imitation Game. While his score for the Oscar-winning Guillermo del Toro creature drama The Shape of Water came close to most-significant, his score for The Grand Budapest Hotel was what solidified Desplat as a current confident force on film scores.
Taking inspiration from central European music and using even the region’s instruments, Desplat found a way to express Wes Anderson’s world through his world-building music.
Moonlight (2016)
Backed with a compelling story that encompasses three stages of a boy’s disheartening life, Moonlight best utilizes its score to evoke the significance of each stage to Chiron’s story. Nicholas Britell found distinctive identities on the score, with one section presented by piano and the more prominent scenes evoked through haunting strings.
The best example of the use of music is on the remarkable sequence involving Hans teaching Little how to swim. With just a loud violin score to interpret Little’s thoughts, Moonlight’s score turns an overlooked story to grand.
Black Panther (2018)
Previously, film music from the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been criticized for being generic, as implied by a viral video. And while one score was definitely the most recognized of the 22-film spectrum, the one that had the most distinctive personality is the score for Black Panther.
Taking inspiration from African tribal music and techno influences, Ludwig Göransson gave a unique identity on its score to illustrate the kingdom of Wakanda. With rousing horns that follow up its signature drums, Göransson composed a memorable theme for the Black Panther.
Interstellar (2014)
Hans Zimmer is the pioneer of the film music technology courtesy of his background of early new wave music, and his genius composing scores through the use of synthesizers and sound hardware made him a reliable partner for Christopher Nolan.
While Dunkirk effectively interpreted the concept of time through rushing rhythms and Nolan’s own pocket watch, Interstellar interpreted the concept of space with an immersive string orchestra and assisted with modulation tweaks. While the score was criticized for drowning the film’s sound design, that made the score more memorable.
The Social Network (2010)
Opening with haunting chords and three-pattern keys, The Social Network provided a creepy yet remarkable score to provide a context of the movie’s social subtext and timelessness. To better convey the provocative origins of Facebook and the legal battles that follow, Nine Inch Nails members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross gave the score a technological edge and an alternative music scene feel.
The end result is an immersive score that never lost its luster on repeats. One can listen to the score and easily picture David Fincher’s haunting vision.
Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)
Alan Silvestri has been one of the masters of the thematic film music. With scores for Back to the Future, Cast Away, and Forrest Gump, he composed remarkable theme music for some of cinema’s most iconic films. So, it is no surprise he was brought in to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to compose the theme for The Avengers.
Throughout the film, the score would support the awesomeness of each scene. Nothing is more prominent than the movie’s most iconic scene where the main six Avengers gathered together for the first time. This piece would be carried out until Endgame.
Inception (2010)
Everyone can easily blame the score of Inception for the “bwahh” motif to be overused in film music and in film trailers. But, setting that aside, Hans Zimmer’s score for Inception is an unforgettable one. To clarify, the other memorable theme “Mind Heist” was composed by Zack Hemsey, not Hans Zimmer, and was not even featured in the final film.
While the latter might be recognizable, it does not sway away from Zimmer’s sweeping score to allow it to be heard as its own mind-bending scores. Taking advantage of the Shepard tone to magnify the movie’s dream levels, Zimmer intentionally makes the score droning in the audience’s ears to evoke the heist theme. To get deeper, the score itself went deeper. Listen to the piece “Time,” as it summed up Inception as a cerebral experience.