Hans Zimmer is one of the most high profile film composers working today having created music for the likes of The Lion King, Inception, Dark Knight, Gladiator, Dunkirk, Man of Steel as well as TV shows like The Crown and Planet Earth. Even non-film fans are familiar with a few of his pieces and his work within the movie industry has hugely influenced the state of mainstream film scores. (For more on Zimmer's impact on movies, see this interesting Den of Geek article). His use of digital 'electronic' sounds integrated with orchestral horns and strings have given him a distinctive style, one that has been much emulated but never replicated. All in all, he is one of my favourite composers and here are 10 of what I think are his best tracks.
Honourable mentions: Da Vinci Code, Pirates of the Carribbean, Kung Fu Panda, Sherlock Holmes, Blade Runner 2049
10) 'Gap': Dark Phoenix
In all honesty, I have not yet seen X-Men: Dark Phoenix but a new Hans Zimmer comic book movie score was enough to get me to listen to its soundtrack. Though the album is a little uneven compared to Zimmer's usual consistency, 'Gap' is a major stand out and a firm favourite in my playlist. Even though the piece mainly consists of a simple repeating motif, this theme is so epic even if the movie itself was not.
9) 'Is She With You?': Batman vs Superman (composed with Junkie XL)
I'm glad Hans Zimmer keeps breaking his 'no more comic book movies' rule because his theme for Wonder Woman- composed alongside Junkie XL- is one of the best. Though BvS is not a movie I enjoyed, Wonder Woman's entrance as her theme kicks in is one of my favourite moments to re-watch and Rupert Gregson-Williams work with the established motif in 2017's Wonder Woman was fantastic. With Zimmer returning for Wonder Woman 1984, I am hugely excited to see how he expands on his original theme.
8. 'Flight': Man of Steel
Another comic book score- and not the last on this list- Hans Zimmer once again elevates an uneven superhero movie. Clark Kent's theme is wonderful but it's 'Flight' that makes for a thrilling and uncommonly upbeat moment in an early DCEU movie where Superman flies for the first time.
7. 'Cornfield Chase': Interstellar
The partnership between Hans Zimmer and director Christopher Nolan is one that works tremendously well, as seen in 2014's Interstellar. The track 'Cornfield Chase', similar to Dark Phoenix, has a simplicity that makes it so effective in its depiction of the central father-daughter relationship in amongst all of the sci-fi complexity. 'No Time For Caution' is another fantastic track from the album.
6. 'Red Warrior': The Last Samurai
The Last Samurai is a highly underrated movie starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe and is about the eradication of the Japanase Samurai in the 1870s. The soundtrack perfectly encompasses the tranquility of Japanese customs but also the fierceness of the Samurai warriors. 'Red Warrior' is especially impactful for its inclusion of warrior cries at the 1 min 17 sec mark.
5. 'Now We Are Free': Gladiator (alongside Lisa Gerrard)
'Now We Are Free' is one of the most beautiful scores of all time (and Tina Guo's rendition on her electric cello is even better). The fact that Hans Zimmer composed such an emotional score for a movie about Roman gladiators is incredible and the music makes the entire movie feel just as grand and sweeping as classics like Ben-Hur. The decision to center this track around Lisa Gerrard's stunning vocals gives the theme a simultaneous angelic and haunting quality.
4. 'Supermarine': Dunkirk
There are some people who are not fond of this soundtrack but, personally, I think this is one of Zimmer's best works because it almost single handedly sustains the tension throughout the entire movie.
Most of the soundtrack consists of an endlessly ascending, harsh series of notes (see 'Supermarine' and 'The Oil') that, as mentioned previously, sustain the tension. Towards the end of the movie, Zimmer allows the audience to release the breath they have been holding with a slower, more conventional score (see 'Variation 15' and 'End Titles'); the contrast between the two leads to a hugley satisfying and emotional finale.
3. 'This Land': The Lion King (1994)
2019's The Lion King was a movie that capitalised on people's nostalgia for the 1994 original movie- the characters and story remained intact with only the voice cast and visuals of the movie changing (for worse in my opinion). One aspect that was carried over was Hans Zimmer as composer for the movie. This makes a lot of sense because musical themes are a poweful way to associate emotion or character with a motif, and hence evoke a strong sense of nostalgia. (E.g see the use of the Avengers theme in this year's Endgame.)
The track, 'This Land', has a firm place in our childhoods as The Lion King's main theme but is also a truly majestic piece of music that pays homage to African culture (something that Black Panther's Ludwig Göransson did so masterfully too).
2. 'A Watchful Guardian': The Dark Knight (composed with James Newton Howard)
I've written an entire article on the scores in The Dark Knight so I won't dwell on this too long except to say that the very final scene of The Dark Knight, in which 'A Watchful Guardian' plays never fails to give me goosebumps. As soon as the movie cuts to the title card with a powerful emphasis from the score, I stay still for a few minutes just taking in the music. Incidentally, I do the exact same thing with another Nolan movie, Inception...
1. 'Time': Inception
With apologies to John Williams, Bernard Herrmann, Ennio Morricone and any other iconic film composer, 'Time' from Inception is the best piece of movie music...ever? It may not be an iconic theme like Star Wars or intrinsicly linked with its movie like Pyscho, but 'Time' is such an epic, masterful and stirring piece of music, one that has connected to millions of people (according to the Youtube views counter, anyway) even if they haven't watched the movie itself. Even more so than The Dark Knight, Hans Zimmer's music elevates the ending of Inception since the final scene is free of dialogue. The music carries the scene.
(Okay so the real number one is undoubtedly going to be next year's Wonder Woman 1984 but apparently pure faith isn't enough to justify its ranking?)
Thank you for reading this article- I'm sure you'll agree that this list is a better award for Zimmer's work than an Oscar (which he has somehow never won!).
I do not own any of the images or vidoes used in this post.