Top 25 All Time Favourite Film, Video Game and TV Composers

For many years, we have come to love many video games, films and TV shows and one very important aspect of this is the music. Depending on the thing in question, without the music it would probably be very boring and dull. Whereas putting music into different scenarios, gets us hyped for many things and today we are looking at the best composers of music. No previously I did an all time favourite list on artists and bands, but what makes composers different to that is that they are in a league of their own. Yes they make music, but its the kind of music that you would generally use in a variety of situations such as the Imperial March if you're feeling a need to be like Darth Vader or just generally sick of life or He's A Pirate if you feel ready and pumped for a battle. The music they make, help keep the films, video games and TV shows flowing and it would be very boring without them unless there is a true purpose for not having said music. So this list is a list of composers that I feel are good at what they do and I have heard their music to judge them. So get your sound system or headphones out as we look at my top 25 all time favourite music composers:
25 - Bear McCreary

To many people, Bear McCreary seems to be unknown. But if like me you watch a lot of geeky shows like The Walking Dead, Agents of SHIELD and films such as the Cloverfield sequels and many other things, then you will know the music that he has done. Yes he did many TV themes as well as a few films and video games. His music is very memorable and while not quite iconic (at least from my point of view), he has made his mark with the well known theme to The Walking Dead which is a very good TV theme I must admit.

24 - Rob Westwood

Rob Westwood is a composer who's work can only be found in limited places. But if you have played any of the LEGO games that TT Games have made recently, you will have definitely have heard his music. Nothing iconic under his belt, but he manages to play around with iconic themes very well and turns them into something pretty darn sweet. Of course most of the LEGO games use music from the films they are representing in a playable form, but for those games that use licensed properties, but make an original story out of it do tend to have original music by Rob Westwood. Its the reason why the story campaign for Dimensions was epic (along with some music from the properties represented of course) and the reason why everyone gets a good kick out of the City Undercover soundtrack. Maybe one day he can do something iconic, but until then we still have all those LEGO games.

23 - Junkie XL

Now this guy is a multi talented musician. He isn't just a composer, but also a DJ, a producer and a multi-instrumentalist among many other talents. Before composing film scores, Junkie XL previously did work on Trance music. Although a more recent player in the composing business, he has quickly made his mark with the heart pumping and epic music that made Mad Max: Fury Road even better than anyone could imagine and has collaborated with Hans Zimmer on numerous projects such as some of the DC Extended Universe films and The Dark Knight Rises. He's definitely here to stay and I look forward to hearing his next piece of work.

22 - Henry Jackman

Although he hasn't done any iconic work, Henry Jackman has made a number of film scores which seem to always fit the tone of the film in question. One good example is Captain America: Civil War in which the music fits the emotional tone of the film as well as the internal fights between the Avengers. He's pretty good at what he does even if nothing he's done is iconic and as he moves to doing video game scores (which started with Uncharted 4: A Thief's End), I also look forward to what he does next and maybe one day, he will be able to something iconic or the next best thing to that.

21 - Greg Edmonson

Perhaps best known for doing the scores of Firefly and the first three Uncharted games, Greg Edmonson is seemingly a master at the guitar and managed to make the latter pretty darn epic that made those games feel like an actual film. Meanwhile on Firefly, we get that western space feel in the music and it works really well. Among his other work, there's some episodes of King of the Hill that he has done and a few films too. Most of us will know him for the Uncharted games and if it wasn't for him, those games would probably not be as critically acclaimed as they were (taking into account that the music is only one aspect of the game, but still an important one to have). Looking forward to what he does next.

20 - Jesper Kyd

Jesper Kyd is a well known face in the gaming world as he has done the scores and soundtracks for a number of big gaming franchises such as Assassin's Creed, Borderlands and Hitman. He manages to fit the tone of those video games perfectly with a bit of intensity as and when needed. He has done at least one video game score and soundtrack every year so even if you don't know the name, you will have heard his music more times than once. He's great at what he does and I hope to hear his music again soon.

19 - Mark Mothersbaugh

Although he started out as a singer, Mark Mothersbaugh quickly rose to fame when he did the score for Rugrats which includes the cartoon and all three films. He is a staple in the cartoon world not just for the previously mentioned show, but for some other cartoons too. More recently, he did the score for the hugely successful The LEGO Movie and its second spin-off The LEGO Ninjago Movie. He often knows exactly how to do the music for all those things and it works really well. He may not have done many iconic scores, but his music in films and cartoons is widely known all over and its just great to hear his music. Hope to hear more from him in the future.

18 - Lorne Balfe

Now this Scottish composer has done quite a few pieces of work. He has done a great number of films such as The LEGO Batman Movie, both Sherlock Holmes films and a few Dreamworks Animation films. He's also done some video games two including entries in the Assassin's Creed and Skylanders franchises. Hearing his music, its clear that he knows how to do serious music and music that fits any franchise he does. He managed to channel the Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer Batman music into The LEGO Batman Movie by doing his own twist on it but still getting those feels. He did a pretty good emotional score for Assassin's Creed Revelations which helped end Ezio's journey on a emotional but satisfactory conclusion. And he's done some other stuff too. He's even worked with Hans Zimmer so you know he's been taught well by a master. He's done some pretty dang good music and most people will know his music one way or another so yeah.

17 - Nicholas Hooper

So Nicholas Hooper is perhaps best known for doing the fifth and sixth Harry Potter film scores and a majority of TV films and BBC shows. So probably not nearly enough well known stuff like most of the composers on this list, but the reason why I put him on the list was because for those two Harry Potter films, he along with director David Yates helped begin the emotional state that the last four films would be carrying. His music for Dumbledore's departure were very emotional that it made me cry whereas his more action packed music is as action packed as its going to get. I hope he does get to do more work because he is a good composer. But doing Harry Potter is a good start if any.

16 - Alexandre Desplat

Alexandre Desplat is an interesting one as he has done a number of Hollywood film scores as well as some French ones (the latter is probably due to him being part French). His most well known works are the final two Harry Potter films, Godzilla (2014), The Imitation Game and The King's Speech just to name a few. He has won numerous awards for his music in almost every single award ceremonies that you could think of which means that he is good at what he does and is here to stay. I personally enjoyed listening to his take on Harry Potter music especially as the last two films are the most intense but emotional. I also enjoyed his Godzilla score because that film was very intense and he made it as intense as it could get while also channeling the music from Toho's Godzilla franchise which made it all the more better. Great at what he does and I look forward to what he does next.

15 - John Powell

If you have ever seen an animated film from either Disney, Warner Bros., Dreamworks Animation or Fox, then you will know this man's music. John Powell is largely known for doing the scores of animated films more than anything else and he is good at it. Both How to Train Your Dragon films have great scores that have a fantasy and adrenaline feel while also having a bit of Scottish piece in them which made an already great pair of films even better. Meanwhile in Happy Feet, we got the intensity of Mumble going through snowy blizzards to find aliens and defying the elements to get what he wants all thanks to Powell. There's kazoos everywhere in Chicken Run's score and we get that fairytale feel in the first Shrek film. Bottom line here is that whatever the film's theme or feel is, John Powell will match it. He is very good and I look forward to what he does next in the animated and occasionally live action world.

14 - Harry Gregson-Williams

But in some cases, John Powell didn't do all those film scores alone and had help from this guy. While John did the first Shrek film, Harry Gregson-Williams would go on to score the rest of the films and also did some work on Chicken Run too. But most people will definitely know him for his work on the Metal Gear series. I mean there is no person that can do a great theme for Solid Snake than him. It is pure epicness and emotions. Among his other work, he's also done Team America: World Police, two Chronicles of Narnia films, several films by Aardman (including the previously mentioned Chicken Run) and many others. He knows what makes good music and we're lucky to have him around making great music. Can't wait for what he does next (and yeah I am aware that I'm saying that a lot on this list).

13 - David Newman

40 years and over 100 films is a lot. But you know you are doing well when you have reached those two milestones. So David Newman is perhaps best known for doing the scores of Anastasia, both Bill & Ted films, Matilda and a mixed bag of films that are either really bad, really good or really forgetful. Which ever way you see it, he has done a few good film scores and has received awards for a number of them. The fact that he has done as many as 100 films in his over 40 year career means that he's been around longer than most composers on the list and is here to stay. I hope his next film is good.

12 - Klaus Badelt

And here we have another guy who has worked with Hans Zimmer. Klaus Badelt has done numberous scores, but is possibly best known as the first guy to do the Pirates of the Caribbean theme "He's A Pirate" and arguably did the best version of it. Additionally, he's also done the scores for Prince of Egypt, Gladiator (of which he did with Zimmer) and the video game Motorstorm: Apocolypse. When you know you have done an iconic theme to a pretty good franchise, you know you've done well and Klaus has definitely done well. Here's to his next iconic music whatever that may be.

11 - Alan Menken

I have talked a fair bit about all the things that made the Disney Renaissance great, but one thing I have not talked about until now is the music of those films. Alan Menken did not all but most of the music for those films which is probably also why they are great. I mean yeah those films had great musical numbers, but the scores themselves are just as good and helped keep the films flowing. Outside of Disney (and just to clarify he also did some of the music for the post-Disney Renaissance films), he also did the scores for Sausage Party (which itself was made by some former Disney employees and spoofed Disney to a degree) and Little Shop of Horrors. But I'd say his heart is more with Disney than any other studio largely due to the amount of work he has done for the big company that it is over the years. I also hear that he's doing the scores for Disney's next couple of live action remakes so that will be nice to hear.

10 - Patrick Doyle

So Patrick Doyle is a frequent collaborator of Kenneth Branagh and has done the scores for almost all his films including some of his Shakespeare films. But most people know this Scottish composer for doing the fifth Harry Potter film as well as Eragon, the first Planet of the Apes film in the current trilogy and the first Thor film. He often throws in his Scottish heritage into his work and I enjoyed his music in Goblet of Fire as most of it was battles, Quidditch matches and of course the Triwizard Tournament so he had plenty to offer for that film. Unfortunately he also scored The Emoji Movie but that's OK as most of his other work has been for better films than that anyway. He is a good composer and I look forward to hearing his next piece of work.

9 - Clint Mansell

There are a lot of composers out there who have done more than just films and such. Clint here has done not just films, but also film trailers. He did "Requiem for a Dream" for a Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers trailer and also did the goodbye/ending themes for Mass Effect 3. He has done a fair bit and he used to be in a band too like with some of the earlier mentioned composers. And when he's done those pieces of music, you will know his music more than the person. He's a good composer and once again I look forward to hearing what he does next.

8 - Basil Poledouris

This man is unfortunately no longer with us, but he is widely known for doing the RoboCop theme (as well as the music for both that and the third film) and music for the 1982 adaptation of Conan the Barbarian. In addition, he's done two Free Willy films, the 1998 adaptation of Les Miserables and Starship Troopers. He may not be around anymore, but his music is iconic so he will remain well known and those films probably wouldn't have been as good with his music. Rest will Mr. Poledouris.

7 - Randy Newman

This man needs no introduction. If you have seen a majority of Pixar and Disney films, then you will know Randy Newman. While his singing voice has been mocked and made fun of by many, he made music about friendships, changes, the truth hurts and many others. His best known song is of course "You Got a Friend In Me" which has been sung over a billion times by many since its debut in the first Toy Story film and both Disney and Pixar are lucky to have him. One thing I won't forgive him for however is the music used when the toys seemingly enter hell in Toy Story 3. Other than that, everything else he has done is good and let's see what he does next.

6 - James Newton Howard

Since 1985, James Newton Howard has done at least two film scores a year and the amount of films he has done is quite the library. He's worked with almost every film studio you could think of, he's not quite worked with every known film director but he has worked with the likes of Christopher Nolan and M. Night Shyamalan. Among his scores, he did fantastic on the King Kong (2005) and Atlantis: The Lost Empire and with him doing scores every year, he won't be retiring any time soon and Hollywood is lucky to have him. I look forward to hearing what he does next (and yes I am also aware that there is some repetition of what I say).

5 - Howard Shore

If you have ever seen a Peter Jackson film that was filmed in New Zeland and is based on a series of books by J.R.R. Tolkien, then you will have heard the music of Howard Shore. He made those films very epic and emotional where appropriate and has also done over 80 film scores in his career as a composer. Along with the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies, he has also done music for Hugo, eXistenZ, The Aviator and A History of Violence just to name a few of his many works. Definitely here to stay and definitely among the best composers out there.

4 - Danny Elfman

Anytime you here Tim Burton doing a film, you know the likes of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Danny Elfman all taking part. Now you all know about where the first two fit in, but as for Elfman, he does the music and rightly so. He does exactly what Burton asks of him when it comes to making his films and always manages to fit his music right into the film. His most well known work is for the original series of Batman films starting with the 1989 film. More recently, he came to complete the score for Justice League and has won many awards over the years. Whether you love or hate him, Danny Elfman is here to stay and anyone who has ever seen Tim Burton's films will know of his work definitely.

3 - James Horner

The last composer on this list who is no longer with us. James Horner is perhaps best known for doing the Titanic score which went on to become the best selling score of all time. Alongside that, he also scored Avatar, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn (this one in particular was his big break), An American Tail, the first Land Before Time film and many others. His work is well known and his music is great to listen and its a shame he is no longer with us. But its thanks to those films and others that he will be remembered for years to come. Rest well.

2 - Hans Zimmer

I have previously mentioned Hans Zimmer a few times on this list and for good reason. But now we are actually talking about the Hans Zimmer now. The German born composer who has done almost everything in the film and video game world. He did the music for many DC films as well as the Pirates of the Caribbean films. He put friendship as his focus when doing the score for all three Madagascar films and rather than do the exact same theme, he went and did something completely different for Man of Steel and gave us a theme that sounds like the theme of hope and aspirations. Other films he has scored include Gladiator, The Lion King, Black Hawk Down and most if not all of Christopher Nolan's films. He always knows what works well in films and knows how to make something epic, inspirational and memorable. Some films may not have been the same without Hans Zimmer and the world is lucky to have such a man for the job.

Honourable Mentions:
Shirley Walker - Best known for doing Batman's theme in the DC Animated Universe.
Murray Gold - Was the composer for all things Doctor Who from 2005 to 2017.
Normand Corbeil - Was the composer for games developed by Quantic Dream up to Beyond: Two Souls.
Jack Wall - Video game composer widely known for doing two of the Mass Effect games and others too.


1 - John Williams

I know that this is a predictable choice for a number one spot, but I cannot think of any composer who has done a huge amount of scores and most if not all of them are iconic in some way. Yes John Williams is by far the best composer we have today. He has scored a lot of films including most of Steven Spielberg's films, the main Star Wars films and three of the Harry Potter films among a huge pile of others. Anyone who has ever seen films like those will have heard John Williams and even if they haven't heard his music, he is very well known. His music is great to listen to and he always has a distinctive style that makes his music very recognisable and all those reasons is why I love him the most out of all the composers on the list.

So that's my list. Let me know in the comments what your favourites are and I will see you in the next top 25 list. You can listen to all these people's music on the likes of YouTube, iTunes, Spotify and others.