The goal of a sci-fi movie soundtrack or theme song is to set the atmosphere, enhance the drama of what’s happening and focus on the specific features of the characters. Sound effects, synthesizers, samplers, and various instruments are used to take us on a journey that heightens suspense.
Here are some sci-fi movie theme songs that have deservedly taken their place among the best.
Alien: Covenant by Jed Kurzel
Alien: Covenant is the sixth and latest in the Alien film series. The science fiction horror directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) which stars Michael Fassbender and Katherine Waterston is the sequel to 2012’s Prometheus. The film follows the crew of the colony ship Covenant as they discovered the ruins of the doomed Prometheus expedition on a remote planet. The world soon reveals itself to be inhabited by dangerous creatures that force the crew into a fight for survival.
The original score to Alien: Covenant, out May 26, was written by Australian composer Jed Kurzel (The Babadook, Macbeth). Inspired by elements of the original Alien score, Kurzel’s work invokes feelings of isolation and abject horror in the face of an unavoidable mounting catastrophe.
Interstellar by Hans Zimmer
When asking Hans Zimmer to write the soundtrack for Interstellar, Christopher Nolan didn't tell him it was going to be a space movie but instead that it was a story of a relationship between a father and a daughter. Due to the fact that it's a look into the past and future at the same time, Zimmer chose to combine both electronic instruments and antique ones, such as a 14th century organ.
Blade Runner by Vangelis
Epic end titles in Blade Runner, a 1982 American science fiction film, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is based loosely on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. In 1993, Blade Runner was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". A huge part of it’s appeal being the soundtrack.
Stranger Things by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein
A love letter to the supernatural classics of the 80's, Stranger Things is the story of a young boy who vanishes into thin air. As friends, family and local police search for answers, they are drawn into an extraordinary mystery involving top-secret government experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one very strange little girl. The acclaimed miniseries activates nostalgia on its soundtrack of eerie, droning analog synths, much like an alien transmission from the VHS era to the Netflix generation. The score comes courtesy of Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, two of the four members of soundscapists Survive.
Predator by Alan Silvestri
The score from 1987’s Predator, composed by Alan Silvestri, is completely orchestral. In his ongoing, decades-long career as a composer, Alan Silvestri has scored some of the most iconically revered and profitable films in Hollywood history, amassing over a hundred credits to the tune of two Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, as well as three Grammy awards. While stylistically diverse, the unifying voice of Alan's work is an unmistakable rhythmic melody whose themes continue to embody movie excitement and drama for generations of moviegoers. Go here for more about his immense contribution to the artform.
The NeverEnding Story by Limahl
Everyone’s favourite childhood movie! The theme song from the 1984 Wolfgang Peterson film The Neverending Story starring Barret Oliver & Noah Hathaway. It was performed by Limahl who released two versions of the song, one in English and one in French. The English version featured vocals by Beth Anderson and the French version featured vocals by Ann Calvert. It was a success in many countries, reaching No. 1 in Norway and Sweden, No. 2 in Austria, Germany and Italy, No. 4 in the UK, No. 6 in Australia and No. 6 in the US Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart.