Jonathan Ross reveals his favourite film scores from Star Wars to Inception – but which is best?

This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.

Let me tell you something I genuinely believe. Film music is magic. Real, proper magic. It can lift a good film into greatness, turn an emotional moment into something unforgettable, and create melodies so powerful that just a few notes can take you back to the cinema seat where you first heard it.

I’ve always loved film scores. Even when I was a kid, I wasn’t just watching the screen, I was listening. When I fell in love with the original Star Trek series as a boy, it wasn’t just the stories that gripped me, it was the music. The theme, tension, drama and cosmic possibilities seemed to resonate in every note. It stayed with me, and the obsession only grew.

The power of music usually sneaks up on you. You’re watching a scene that hits harder than expected. The acting is solid, the visuals sharp – but it’s the music that wraps it in emotion, that makes your chest tighten, your pulse quicken, your eyes sting. You start to notice when the music cues change. You notice when silence is the cue. You realise that every note is deliberate, and every scene that stuck with you likely had a musical handprint on it. That’s when you understand: a great film score doesn’t just accompany the story. It is part of the story. And after that, you never watch a movie the same way again.

Without music, a chase is just a run. A kiss is just skin on skin. A death is just silence. The score translates the emotional subtext directly into your gut. It tells you what the characters can’t. It deepens joy, magnifies sorrow, and makes fear palpable.

Some composers seem to understand cinema on a different level. If I was forced to choose, I'd say Ennio Morricone is the greatest, a genius. Then there's John Williams, who shaped the childhood of anyone who grew up in the last 50 years, including mine and my children’s. There's Thomas Newman, who works like a painter with sound. Alexandre Desplat is elegant and endlessly inventive. Rachel Portman is a pioneer in the classical music and movie world, writing the most evocative and emotional themes. They all create music that doesn’t sit alongside the film, it is part of the film.

So here are some of my favourite soundtracks. Some big and bold, others subtle and strange, but all of them unforgettable.

Let’s begin with the maestro, Ennio Morricone. His music doesn’t just accompany the film. It elevates it. It tells you the story before a word is even spoken.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly features an incredible score. It’s the third film in the Man with No Name series, and they each build beautifully, getting bigger and better. The opening theme is unforgettable; it howls and whispers and growls and it sets the tone perfectly. You’re in the dust, in the tension, staring down a gun barrel. And it’s glorious.

But Morricone’s brilliance goes far beyond that. The score to the underrated Once upon a Time in the West is another work of art. That harmonica theme is like nothing else – it's melancholic, mythic, ghostly. The sort-of sequel to that, Once upon a Time… the Revolution (aka Duck, You Sucker!), also boasts a soundtrack to die for. But the final part of this multi-generational cinematic feast is Once upon a Time in America, a near perfect synthesis of writing, directing, acting and composing that leaves you breathless.

One of Ennio Morricone’s most successful scores is for the Oscar-winning film The Mission. He beautifully blends Amazonian rhythms with the Baroque style of the Jesuit missionaries, capturing the emotional and spiritual depth of the film with haunting beauty. Gabriel’s Oboe, a lyrical and unforgettable theme from the film, is one of Classic FM’s most played movie scores.

In my eyes, Morricone is untouchable – a true original and the legacy of his glorious scores continue to live on. But you cannot have a serious conversation about film scores without talking about John Williams. He defined the sound of modern cinema.

The other day I was listening to Jurassic Park, and that score takes some beating. The main theme is soaring, majestic, full of wonder and awe. It doesn’t just support the visuals, it lifts them. When those gates open, when the music swells and Richard Attenborough utters the famous line, “Welcome to Jurassic Park,” we all believed.

And of course, there’s Star Wars. Just the opening blast of brass and strings and you’re there, in space, on the verge of a magnificent journey. Williams made the galaxy far, far away feel very close and very real. Indiana Jones is the sound of adventure, ET the Extra-Terrestrial is full of magic and heart. Harry Potter, Jaws, Schindler’s List — each score has its own distinct identity, and yet they’re all unmistakably Williams.

Not every great film score needs to announce itself with full orchestra and a bang. Sometimes it whispers. Sometimes it sneaks up on you. That’s where Thomas Newman comes in. Road to Perdition is a beautiful example. That score is quiet, thoughtful, and filled with sorrow. It’s music for lonely characters and moral questions. There’s a grace to it that’s hard to describe. Newman uses piano, strings and soft rhythms. It’s atmospheric but never vague. It knows exactly what it’s doing.

Another Newman score, for WALL-E, is near silent for long stretches and yet, you’re completely emotionally invested. He gives two wordless robots more heart than most romantic leads ever get. It’s whimsical, melancholic, and deeply human. Newman doesn’t shout. He creates spaces in the music that allow the audience to breathe, to think, to feel. That, to me, is the mark of a great composer.

Alexandre Desplat brings elegance to everything he touches. His music always feels perfectly tailored. It’s expressive, intelligent, and full of nuance.

The Shape of Water is one of my favourite scores. Desplat gives it soul; it’s romantic and it’s eerie. The melody ripples like water itself. It feels like it’s coming from another world, but it pulls you in emotionally. Inspired by his teenage years growing up in the Caribbean, Desplat crafted an immersive aquatic sound world using pianos and flutes to create what he called a “blurred underwater sound”. He creates a sense of wonder without overdoing it. It’s enchanting but beautifully grounded.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is the complete opposite in tone but equally brilliant. It’s fast, quirky, and richly textured. A kind of controlled chaos that fits director Wes Anderson’s world perfectly. It’s playful but precise. Desplat brings a kind of European flair, a sense of charm and wit that’s completely his own.

Desplat has a light touch, but it’s never slight. His scores are full of character and craft. He knows when to lead and when to lean back. That kind of restraint is rare, and it makes his music endlessly timeless.

Hans Zimmer is a certified genius. I recently interviewed him and it was an absolute pleasure to talk to him about his work. One of my favourite film scores of his is Inception. It complements and clarifies the film in a really interesting way. There is a mathematical element in the way he approached this piece, showcasing the different layers and divisions of time in the story. Without Zimmer, the film would not have the complexity and suspense that he is able to express so fully with music.

For me, the best film music doesn’t fade. It imprints itself. You hear a few notes, and you’re back sitting in a dark cinema, lost in a story and that’s what makes it so special. It’s the emotional code that runs underneath the picture. It speaks the things the actors don’t say and gives the audience permission to feel. The best composers – Morricone, Williams, Newman, Desplat, Zimmer – don’t just understand this. They live it.

Music isn’t just part of cinema – it’s the beating heart of it. I’ve sat through bad films with incredible scores and still left the cinema humming. I’ve fallen in love with characters because of the music that surrounded them. Putting on the right soundtrack in the car can transform an entire day.

So if you’re watching a film this evening – any film – take a minute to listen. Really listen. Because sometimes, the most powerful moment isn’t in the words or the action. It’s in the music.

Jonathan Ross will announce the number one score in The Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame just before 7pm on Monday 25 August, with the countdown beginning at 10am.

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