Soundtracks are an important component of many films. They can elevate good movies to great movies, or they can be the saving grace of an otherwise bad movie. This list is about the latter. 32 times the soundtrack was way better than the movie for which it was produced.
Judgement Night (1993)
Rap-rock mashups were not invented by the Judgement Night soundtrack, Anthrax and Public Enemy had an earlier hit with “Bring The Noise,” but it was still an early example of combining the two seemingly disparate genres to great success. The movie itself is so caught up in tropes and stereotypes that even the great cast couldn’t save the story. The soundtrack was a massive hit and decades later is still far more remembered than the movie.
The Bodyguard (1991)
Of all the examples on this list, The Bodyguard stands out because these days, many people may have no idea that the soundtrack produced one of the most iconic movie songs of all time. That would be, of course, “I Will Always Love You,” by Whitney Houston. Houston co-starred in the movie alongside Kevin Costner, but hardly anyone remembers anything about the romantic drama. The song, written by Dolly Parton, is legendary. The soundtrack for The Bodyguard is one of the best-selling albums of all time.
The Million Dollar Hotel (2000)
It wouldn’t be surprising if you’ve never even heard of The Million Dollar Hotel, because it’s a very forgettable movie. The soundtrack, however, is amazing, especially if you are a U2 fan. With most of the songs written and/or performed for the soundtrack, it features a revolving lineup of the members of U2 along with the likes of Daniel Lanois and Bill Frisell, plus one of the film’s stars, Milla Jovovich, singing a haunting version of Lou Reed’s “Satellite of Love,” which is worth the price alone.
The Crow: City of Angels (1996)
The Crow: City of Angels was an ill-conceived follow-up to 1994’s The Crow and without Brandon Lee, who was killed making the original, it just didn’t work at all. The soundtrack, however, featuring some of the biggest bands like Hole, Deftones, Filter, and others of the ’90s definitely works.
Maximum Overdrive (1986)
If you were a kid of the 1980s, you probably watched Maximum Overdrive too many times on cable. Stephen King‘s debut as a film director is a great story, but it has aged very poorly. The soundtrack, featuring AC/DC at the height of their power, is still a banger, especially the theme song to the movie, “Who Made Who.”
Sucker Punch (2011)
Like a lot of Zach Snyder movies, Sucker Punch is visually stunning, but kind of all over the place. The soundtrack, with the likes of Bjork, Queen, and others, including cover versions of classics by the cast members, is truly the highlight of the project.
Reality Bites (1994)
It may be a movie that in a way defined a generation, but Reality Bites just isn’t that great of a movie. The soundtrack is really what defined it, and Generation X. Ben Stiller‘s directorial debut is fine, but the soundtrack is a classic.
Dead Presidents (1995)
The Hughes Brothers’ second movie, Dead Presidents, didn’t hit quite as hard as their debut, Menace II Society, but the soundtrack was so great, that it was released in two volumes. It’s one of the grooviest soundtracks ever, with some of the best R&B artists of the ’70s appearing on it.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)
Even the most ardent Power Ranger fans can admit that the 1995 movie isn’t good. That said, the soundtrack, as was a trend in the ’90s, is fantastic, featuring icons like Devo, Van Halen, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Cocktail (1988)
Tom Cruise was already one of the biggest stars in the world when he teamed with Elizabeth Shue for 1988’s Cocktail. A movie about a bartender with a lot of flair may not have been the best idea, but pairing it with a fantastic soundtrack was a great idea. It even landed The Beach Boys their first #1 hit in decades with “Kokomo.”
Batman Forever (1995)
Batman Forever isn’t well regarded by many fans of the Caped Crusader, but the soundtrack is still beloved by many. The highlight of the album is Seal’s “Kissed By A Rose,” which was such a massive hit, Seal admits it saved his career.
The Beach (2000)
The Beach will never be in the discussion for director Danny Boyle‘s best movie, but the soundtrack, like many of his movies, is still fantastic. Featuring some of the best artists of the era including Moby, Underworld, Blur, New Order, and others, it holds up way better than the movie.
Vanilla Sky (2001)
Even if the soundtrack was only “Everything In It’s Right Place” by Radiohead, Vanilla Sky would still be on this list. It’s so much more than just that though. Cameron Crowe always has great music in his movies, and while Vanilla Sky isn’t his best movie, the soundtrack may be the best.
Spawn (1997)
Following in the tradition of a lot of ’90s movies, Spawn is a movie that isn’t good, but it still has a fantastic soundtrack. Metallica, The Crystal Method, Prodigy, and other ’90s heavy hitters litter the tracklist.
Superfly (1972)
While Superfly isn’t the worst movie on this list by any means, it lands on here because the soundtrack has aged so much better than the film. The late Curtis Mayfield’s soundtrack is legendary at this point and far more people love the music, many of whom have likely never even seen the classic Blaxploitation flick.
Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
By the third Austin Powers movie, we were reaching the point of diminishing returns, but any movie starring Beyonce is sure to have a banger of a soundtrack and Goldmember is no exception. Featuring two songs by Queen Bey and a bunch of other great songs, this movie has to be on this list.
Dangerous Minds (1995)
The Michelle Pfeiffer-led Dangerous Minds was pretty much panned by critics at the time, but it ended up being a huge hit. That was very likely because the soundtrack, specifically “Gansta’s Paradise” by Coolio was such a huge hit and got people out to see the movie. The song is a classic, but the movie is not.
Under The Cherry Moon (1986)
Under the Cherry Moon was Prince’s directorial debut and it shows. The movie is a hot mess. The soundtrack, on the other hand, which was released as the album Parade by Prince, is the Purple One at the height of his talents.
Queen Of The Damned (2002)
Queen of the Damned is a movie about a vampire awoken from a long slumber to the sounds of Nu Metal, so he forms a band and the music for the band makes for a great soundtrack if you’re a fan of the genre. Just skip the movie, because it’s not nearly as good as the music.
Last Action Hero (1993)
In 1993, Last Action Hero was an ’80s-style action movie released a few years too late. The same could be said about the soundtrack that features some of the best metal bands of the ’80s, like Def Leppard, Aerosmith, and Queensryche. Both have aged better than you would expect, but now, decades later when we aren’t worried about Grunge killing off Hait Metal, the soundtrack is truly great.
Belly (1998)
Director Hype Williams got his start directing hip hop videos at the height of their popularity in the 1990s. He parlayed that into an opportunity to direct his first feature film, Belly, starring a slew of ’90s hip hop icons. The movie wasn’t nearly as good as the soundtrack featuring many of those same artists like Nas, Method Man, DMX, and others.
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
There is no question that Saturday Night Fever was a cultural phenomenon in the disco era and launched John Travolta’s movie career. It’s fair to ask if that was because the movie was great, or because the soundtrack became one of the best-selling albums of all time after it was released. It’s almost certainly the latter because decades later those songs, like “Staying Alive” and “Jive Talking” are still listened to today, while the movie is hardly ever talked about.
Over The Top (1987)
Meet me halfway here. While you ponder how a movie about the world of competitive arm wrestling got green lit, remember that the music in Over The Top is really pretty awesome. With a score by Giorgio Moroder and a bunch of songs written by Moroder and performed by ’80s greats like Kenny “The King of Soundtracks” Loggins and Sammy Hagar, the soundtrack really rocks.
Bio-Dome (1996)
Any Pauly Shore vehicle is going to have a tough time getting good reviews and Bio-Dome was certainly no exception. It’s not that bad, but the soundtrack, which includes Faith No More, Reverend Horton Heat, and The Ramones, among others, is way better than the movie.
Marie Antoinette (2006)
The history may not be accurate, and the movie overall is just…odd, but the soundtrack for Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette is fantastic. It includes songs by The Strokes, The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, New Order, Aphex Twin, and others.
City Of Angels (1998)
1998’s City of Angels starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan is almost completely forgotten today, but two songs from the soundtrack, “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls, and “Uninvited” were huge hits at the time and are still favorites today. Oh yeah, the soundtrack includes songs by Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, U2, and Peter Gabriel. NBD.
Elizabethtown (2005)
Even when Cameron Crowe misses with one of his movies, as he did with Elizabethtown in 2005, the soundtrack never misses. The movie is mostly forgettable, but the soundtrack is chock full of bangers from the likes of Tom Petty, Elton John My Morning Jacket, and his ex-wife Nancy Wilson.
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
There is a lot to criticize about Fifty Shade of Gray, like the complete lack of chemistry between the leads, but you can’t say anything bad about a soundtrack that has songs by The Weeknd, Beyonce, Ellie Goulding, Sia, and The Rolling Stones.
Tank Girl (1995)
A lot of people were disappointed by the film adaption of the comic Tank Girl. Lori Petty was great as the titular character, but the movie just isn’t as “cool” as the alt-comic is. What is very cool about the movie is the awesome soundtrack. Pulling great catalogs of established artists, especially Riot Grrl-type artists, like L7 and Veruca Salt it fits the ethos of Tank Girl better than the rest of the movie does.
Cruel Intentions (1999)
We will acknowledge that Cruel Intentions has a huge cult following, and with good reason, but it’s a movie that feels pretty dated a couple of decades after it was released. Still, we have to point out that the soundtrack hasn’t aged poorly at all. The of use of “Bittersweet Symphony” might be the best use of music in a movie of all time in the climatic scene of the movie.
Xanadu (1980)
1980’s Xanadu is one of those movies that feels like it was only made to highlight a great soundtrack. Starring Olivia Newton-John, the fantasy musical is almost unwatchable, save for the fantastic music. In addition to the stuff by Newton-John, it has a whole slew of songs from the great Electric Light Orchestra that are the real highlights of the movie.
Batman & Robin (1997)
Most critics don’t have very many nice things to say about 1997’s Batman & Robin. It has its followers, but most people dismiss it as the worst of that era of Batman movies. The soundtrack, however, follows in the same great tradition as the rest of those Cape Crusader movies. While we certainly don’t want to hype R. Kelly up, there are still some great tunes you can jam to without the guilt, including a great song by The Smashing Pumpkins called “The End Is the Beginning Is the End.”