Bear McCreary is an American composer best known for his work on high profile science-fiction and fantasy films, shows and video games. I have loved his music since the days of Agents of SHIELD and 10 Cloverfield Lane, but recently he's continuing to solidify his status as one of Hollywood's best composers. 2022 in particular has been a hell of a year for him between Amazon's lavish The Rings of Power and the much awaited follow-up to his work in 2018's God of War with God of War: Ragnarok.
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*disclaimer I have not seen Bear's first credit Battlestar Galactica so couldn't include it in this list :(
7. Mothra's Song - Godzilla King of the Monsters
Bear McCreary's work is often associated with a grand and operatic style that makes him a perfect fit for genre shows that demand a level of gravitas. And that's certainly true for his work in 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters. However, what makes McCreary's work so enduring is how he blends the grandiose with beauty. Mothra's Song is a perfect example- it's majestic and beautiful and intimidating all at once. It's perfect for a film in the Godzilla franchise, which started off as an exploration of the awe-inspiring power of nature.
6. Main Theme - The Walking Dead
This is something that will crop up with several entries on the list but one of my favourite parts of McCreary's work is his ability to imbue a project with a strong sense of identity and ambience. The Walking Dead was a lightening in a bottle TV show that captured audience's attention immediately, whether it was because of its compelling opening, brilliant performances or cinematic style. Similarly, the show's main theme is instantly iconic and thrusts us into this new world of hopelessness, danger and death just like our main character, Rick Grimes.
5. The Veil of Time - Outlander
Outlander is 20% about the central love story between Claire and Jaime and 80% a tourism advert for Scotland. Well, that's not entirely true but capturing the beauty and essence of Scotland is one of the reasons that the show is so special. Bear might not be Scottish, but it's clear how much research and dedication has been put into Scottish music in the creation of the original soundtrack for Outlander. Of course, that means bagpipes but he also captures the mythic quality of this historical show, an intangible feeling of fate and love and timelessness.
4. Crossing Into Darkness - Agents of SHIELD
Consider this part of my ongoing plea for ABC to release the original soundtrack albums for Agents of SHIELD seasons 2-7 on Spotify. AoS remains somewhat underrated amongst Marvel's portfolio, particularly its tremendous run between season 2-4 which is one of my favourite stretches of comic book storytelling. Just like the show, McCreary's score rewards long time viewers, continually evolving the main theme along with the narrative until it reaches a glorious and bittersweet crescendo. Daisy Johnson's Quake theme is a particular highlight but it's the track Crossing Into Darkness (which you can listen to on Youtube) which is a perfect encapsulation of the way Bear blends sincerity with superhero flourish. This piece never fails to evoke a love for the characters and their journey.
3. Michelle - 10 Cloverfield Lane
McCreary's work in 10 Cloverfield Lane is, dare I say it, underrated. The music gives this psychological mystery a strong ambience whether its during the wordless foreboding opening or the thrilling montage of Michelle's plan to escape Howard's bunker.
This is one of my favourite little thrillers, and the way the music adds to the atmosphere that director Dan Trachtenberg establishes is a huge reason why. Though it definitely has echoes of Bear's other work (for example The Walking Dead), the eerie and ominous tone of the soundtrack has its own unique identity.
2. God of War, Memories of Mother, Salvation - God of War (2018)
If anyone asked me to point them in the direction of an epic soundtrack, this is what I would point towards. Just listen to the piece above - the choir, the horns, all of it! God of War's music is bombastic, tragic, mythical, brutal, strong and vulnerable all at once. This is a video game with brutal violence and plenty of dark themes, but it's also a father/son story about a family grieving a terrible loss. McCreary's score is able to enhance the most epic setpieces of the game, but also complement the subtlest emotion during Kratos and Atreus' journey to understand each other.
1. Galadriel, The Stranger, Numenor - Rings of Power
Perhaps it's recency bias but McCreary's work on this year's The Rings of Power is nothing short of outstanding. Taking a leaf out of Howard Shore's leitmotif based work for Peter Jackson's trilogy, and yet bringing his own strengths to the show, the music for The Rings of Power is arguably the greatest technical aspect of the show alongside its visuals.
I couldn't pick between Galadriel, The Stranger or Numenor as my favourite tracks from the album but there are so many others that, in any other TV show, could be the main theme of the soundtrack. This is a tapestry of beautiful character focused musical themes, giving each storyline its own flavour while providing connective tissue that subtly links everything together. There's also hints at future revelations seeded from the very beginning (ahem Sauron), and it is completely thrilling to hear a few of the themes combining when the storylines cross paths.
Thank you for reading this article about my favourite Bear McCreary works - any time he is attached to a project, I find myself incredibly excited about the soundtrack. At the moment, the Rings of Power OST is on a constant loop on my Spotify.
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