Judging a Movie by the Soundtrack

If you think judging a book by the cover is bad then look out, I judge movies by the score. It’s an odd thing to do but relatively true. The more original the soundtrack the more likely the movie is better. Case in point, Running with Dick and Jane vs. Gladiator. The first objection I know will come is, how can you compare the two. Gladiator was an epic where Fun with Dick and Jane is a date movie. Well that my friend is the point. If a movie has ‘pop’ songs or anything with a chance of being a hit this is a tell, tell sign that the movie is generally a low budget, pop movie. Another way to look at it is a sure way to bump up ticket sales. Endorsing movies with pop songs will give an added boost in exposure, whereas fully scored movies usually have a fan base that already knows when and where the movie will take place. Don’t get me wrong I love a movie with my favorite songs so eclectically in one place. However, classic movies, movies that stand out in the minds of the ‘ordinary’ individual are movies that have a great full score.

When you have a full score that follows a movie you get a more seamless play on emotions. This plays to the individuals immersion into the make believe world that the director wants you to believe. Whereas a movie with a diverse soundtrack takes you out of that make believe world and transplants you right in the middle of your brain as you take focus off the movie to hum the tune. Epic movies want you to stay in the moment. If you stay in the moment you will not miss any part of the plot, action, romance, or whatever floats your boat. This is extremely important in an epic movie, as usually the movie is longer than normal. If you are completely engrossed in a movie you will not notice how long you are in the theater. You know these movies, they are the ones where the lights come up, you look down at your watch or mobile saying, ‘Good Lord, it’s been three hours!’

Another reason most epic movies are scored is for the simple fact that a scored movie can convey more emotion than a hit song. With a full orchestra and a witty composer you will find how easy it is to go from happy to sad, to any other emotion the composer wants you to feel. There is no way a prerecorded, bought song can convey the same range of emotions that a scored piece can. Not to mention, money talks. If a movie has a pretty good budget that can allow for the scoring, payment of the orchestra, studio time and editing time lets face it the movie is going to be pretty good. (Unless it’s spin off from a currently in production movie *coughAlexandercough*) The smaller the budget the more likely its going to purchase music rights to a song.

Whether or not you believe me, look at any movie that ‘Critics’ say is an epic. Next, look up its soundtrack. Ten bucks to none you’ll see a great composer and a list of songs that will never appear on a top-ten list.