As 2025 draws to a close, we list the best original film scores of the year, ranked from worst to best, from Hamnet to Sinners and more movies.
There are a spectacular range of styles making it into our top 10 original film scores of the year, all of which are spread across a variety of movie genres, from horror to drama to thriller. Seasoned veterans such as Jonny Greenwood make it with his excellent addition to One Battle After Another, alongside lesser-known but equally deserving composers such as Lia Ouyang Rusli for their score to indie darling Sorry, Baby. Each score is different, but without fail, each one transports you to another realm. You can see our full list of best original film scores of 2025 below, ranked from worst to best and with some honorable mentions at the end as well!
10. Weapons
Film review: Weapons Film Review: Enticing Horror Mystery
Full Score: Weapons (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
The original score for Weapons is an exercise in discombobulation. From the very beginning, the trio of composers Zach Cregger (who also wrote and directed the horror hit) and Ryan and Hays Holladay work with a multitude of instruments to disorient the listener. “Main Theme” is a spooky, mysterious number with creaking drumbeats and fretfully plucked strings, whilst others such as “Who’s There?” amplify the intensity and violence of this exquisite, undefinable horror film.
Much of the original score of Weapons is made up of short and sweet tracks (only one of them is over the 4-minute mark), but this doesn’t detract from what is a stellar watching and listening experience of amplified terror. The two closers of the film, “Swarm” and “I Found You”, take on seemingly lighter levels, with harps and other string instruments working in tandem to create an ethereal, happy atmosphere. It is in stark contrast to much of the horror that still holds Weapons by the throat as the film concludes, and that makes it all that much more riveting.
9. Train Dreams
Film review: Train Dreams Film Review: Finding Yourself
Full Score: Train Dreams (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film)
After scoring Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley’s previous films, Jockey (2021) and Sing Sing (2023), Bryce Dessner returns on scoring duties for the duo’s next one. Based on Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella, Train Dreams has lofty ambitions, recounting the life of seasonal logger Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton, Dark Matter) and all of his existential, complex, and grand reflections on life amidst turbulent experiences. Whilst Train Dreams too often feels superficial in its delivery, the same can’t be said about Dessner’s elegiac original score.
Simple but never simplistic, Dessner’s score is a beautiful blend of strings and percussion, consistently reverberating with emotional grace and succeeding in meeting the film’s attempted spiritual levels. Album-opener “A Faint Understanding” begins with a sparkle of piano notes before strings set in, readying viewers for Grainier’s journey ahead. Playing with similar motifs, “The Great Mystery” is another emotional highlight, accompanying the film’s cathartic conclusion.
A Nick Cave track titled “Train Dreams” closes the film’s original score as the credits play, his elegant, studied voice lending itself beautifully to the drifting instrumentation.
8. Hamnet
Film review: Hamnet Review: Will Leave You Devastated
Full Score: Hamnet (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Much has been said about Hamnet’s use of “On the Nature of Daylight” in one of its pivotal and most emotional scenes. Because of its power, it’s a song that has been overused in modern cinema. But whether you agree with its use here or not, it is undeniable that Max Richter’s original score for the film itself is a thing of beauty.
Part of what makes Maggie O’Farrell’s novel of the same name so engaging is the character of Agnes (Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter) and her connection to nature. Director/writer Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) and composer Richter understand this vital part of the story. “Of Agnes” plays as the film opens, the camera elegantly flitting amongst the woods of Stratford, England before we first meet Agnes in her most comfortable habitat. Spinetingling choral work and patient strings ease us into this gorgeous world.
Richter navigates to more dangerous territories in tracks such as “Of the heart”, where a drumbeat mimics the organ beating, but the most remarkable parts of this original score are when he settles into those poignant and emotionally riveting beats.
7. 28 Years Later
Film review: 28 Years Later Review
Full Score: 28 Years Later (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
In the wrong hands, 28 Years Later could have been a generic blockbuster, a lazy cash grab riffing solely on the success of 28 Days Later. But this is Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) we’re talking about here, a filmmaker whose films are defined by their daring nature as much as their ravishing visual styles. This one-of-a-kind brilliance can also be applied to Scottish musicians Young Fathers, who ferociously enter at Number 7 in our Best Original Film Scores of 2025.
Young Fathers’ unique visual arrangements are a constant throughout 28 Years Later, but they also gravitate to a more cinematic musical language too, their songs building in climax and distortion at the correct moments. “Promised Land” is one of the best examples of this, a marvellous and weird blend of chanting, classical strings, and contorting tones.
In “Causeway”, they borrow elements of Richard Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” to accompany one of the film’s best setpieces, slowing the tempo and adding their own twist on this classical piece. Meanwhile, “Alpha”, which accompanies the zombie of the same name, is an ear-bleeding amalgamation of drums, electronic distortion, and screams. In the hands of Boyle and Young Fathers, the end of the world has never been this unique or horrifying.
6. KPop Demon Hunters
Film review: KPop Demon Hunters Review: Popping with style
Full Score: KPop Demon Hunters (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film)
It couldn’t be a Best Original Film Scores of 2025 list without mentioning the immense success of KPop Demon Hunters, whose original soundtrack was one of the main reasons for the film’s incredible success. With Marcelo Zarvos (Dark Waters) composing the underlying instrumental score, the remainder of the film’s music was created by a multitude of talents.
Chances are you’ve heard of the songs that continue to capture viewers’ imaginations and hearts. “Takedown” and “Soda Pop” are irresistible earworms with some of the catchiest lyrics of the year, but it is “Golden” that tops the lot. It’s a song with a big buildup—for central group Huntrix (HUNTR/X), it is literally the crowning achievement of their career—but still, it surpasses all of these grand expectations. It’s fun and funky, full of driving drumbeats and glorious vocals.
For a film like KPop Demon Hunters, music is integral to the experience. The vast team behind the original score and soundtrack manage to make the aural and visual aspects intertwine with all the seamlessness and excitement that one could hope for.
5. Jay Kelly
Film review: Jay Kelly Review: Life is a Stage
Full Score: Jay Kelly (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Romantic, wistful, nostalgic. Many might feel sickened by Jay Kelly’s sugary sweet sensibilities, but if you can ignore those complaints, you’ll find yourself whisked away by Noah Baumbach’s (Marriage Story) warming but painful ode to cinema and the pursuit of stardom. Nicholas Britell, who has utilised brass and piano so elegantly in films such as Moonlight (2016) and If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), is a match made in heaven for Jay Kelly.
Britell’s original score works so well because it captures the very essence of Baumbach’s film: that is, the intense regret that the titular character feels despite his incredible success. Britell’s graceful music flits from celebratory to melancholic effortlessly, with opening tracks like “Opening Quote” and “Practicing the Score” both intrinsically soothing and heartbreaking. The latter, in particular, is a showcase of how well Britell uses brass and drums in unique ways, their sporadic usage driven by a basis of smooth piano.
The highlight is “Can I Go Again?”, a song that whisks you away the instant the first note starts. It is a perfect accompaniment to the film’s emotional and complex conclusion, and a main reason why this score sits at Number 5 on our Best Original Scores of 2025 list.
4. Sinners
Film review: Sinners (2025) Review: Brilliant Dance with the Devil
Full Score: Sinners (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Like KPop Demon Hunters, Sinners entranced the vast majority of filmwatchers in 2025. It also saw writer-director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) reunite with longtime collaborator Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther, Oppenheimer)—a relationship which has birthed one Academy Award for Göransson, and could lead to another in early 2026.
Göransson’s original score for Sinners easily earns its place in the top five of our Best Original Scores of 2025. The blues-inflected composition is a joy to behold, a journey through the steamy, turbulent 1930s of Mississippi. Guitars are the driving force for Göransson, who proves himself once more to be one of the most versatile composers working in the industry today. Few others so consistently capture the very vibe and tone of a film as he does.
Opener “Filídh, Fire Keepers and Griots” effortlessly welcomes viewers to the film with laidback guitarwork and haunting vocals that speak to the African American and Irish influences on the film. Göransson then switches the mood to a darker tone, readying us as best he can for the vampiric horrors that will follow. Sinners is one of the best and most remarkable films of 2025—the same can be said for its original score.
3. Sorry, Baby
Film review: Sorry, Baby Film Review: How Do We Heal?
Full Score: Sorry, Baby (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Told across a series of chapters that move between the present and the past, Sorry, Baby is Eva Victor’s powerful portrait of a woman struggling with the trauma of being sexually assaulted. With this being only her fourth film score, composer Lia Ouyang Rusli is a relative newcomer in comparison to many others in this list. It is impressive, then, that her original score for Sorry, Baby cracks our top three.
It only takes one sung note to know this score is going to be a winner. “The Year With The Baby”, which is titled the same as the opening chapter, morphs into a serene experience of versatile vocals and exquisite piano. Rusli continually comes back to these elements and patterns that reflect main character Agnes’ fragile mindset, whilst also peppering proceedings with electronic flourishes that bring out flashes of happiness or anger. Most notable is “Gavin Will You Come F*ck Me”, a short and snappy burst of musical energy that hints at Agnes being able to move forward from the assault. The film’s darker moments, whereby the sexual assault is specifically focussed on via flashbacks, are backed by unintrusive and understated music from Rusli.
Sorry, Baby is subtle but immensely powerful in its depiction of sexual assault. With their original score, Rusli slots neatly into proceedings, always respectful of the film’s sensitive subject matter and fully focussed on Agnes and how exactly she is feeling.
2. Resurrection
Film review: Resurrection Review: Dreaming When We’re Awake
Full Score: Resurrection (Original Soundtrack)
The best way to describe Bi Gan’s (Long Day’s Journey Into Night) Resurrection is transportative; the same can be said for the film’s original score. Composed by electronic rock group M83, the original score for Resurrection is a triumphant and stirring work of aural magic. M83 have experience in scoring films, and their original music has also been used frequently in soundtracks, but with Resurrection, the duo announce themselves to the film world in a big way.
Their ambient, electronic wonder is bookended by “Spinning Fury (Parts 1 and 2)”, both elegiac and dreamlike synth-driven pieces with repeated strings. They are wonderful openings and closings to Bi’s ethereal film, one that will, undoubtedly, be seen as one of the greatest of the century so far. Resurrection’s silent film parts are also backed by more classical compositions (both called “Fantasmers”) from M83, a departure from their more electronic work but no less effective.
The crowning achievement is “Sullen Passage”, where soaring vocals will render you unable to look away from the screen as Bi’s film reaches its climax. It is mournful and uplifting, peppered with exultant synths; the vocals at the start and end of the 3-minute track are simple but vibrant, transporting you to another world, an indescribable realm.
1. One Battle After Another
Film review: One Battle After Another Review: Ready To Explode
Full Score: One Battle After Another (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Paul Thomas Anderson and Jonny Greenwood: two professionals who rarely, if ever, miss the mark. Thankfully, the duo seem to like working together, as One Battle After Another is their sixth collaboration since There Will Be Blood (2007)—and what a marvel it is.
Anderson’s firecracker black comedy is the most stressful time you could have at the cinema this year, and Greenwood’s fascinating original score is the perfect accompaniment. The title track, “One Battle After Another”, is a jangling mixture of strings driven by rhythmic piano work. Throughout this opener and the film as a whole, Greenwood continually plays with tempo and keys, crafting an original score that is perfectly in sync with the film’s intense suspense.
Wandering drumbeats drive other songs in the score, most notably in “River of Hills”, which accompanies one of the best scenes in cinema this year. How Anderson and Greenwood made a car chase whereby the three cars are actually quite far away from one another so tense and watchable is simply astonishing.
Jonny Greenwood’s original score for One Battle After Another is a comfortable winner this year in our list—a modernist marvel that sits up there with some of the best compositions of the century.
Honorable Mentions:
- April
- The Ballad of Wallis Island
- The Mastermind