Welcome to the 2023 SiftPop.com Sifties!
This year, the SiftPop writers came together to nominate five movies for Best Audio Experience. Since two of the major pieces that work together to create a complete cinematic experience are a film’s visuals and audio, we thought it would be important to highlight them for our Siftie awards.
The Mission: Impossible series has of course always had its iconic main theme. It began in the original TV series, and each one of the films has put their own spin on it. But when Lorne Balfe took over composing duties for Fallout, the franchise’s scores became percussion-heavy. It’s incredible in that film, and it’s somehow even better in Dead Reckoning Part One. The score is propulsive and heart-pounding, making you feel the intensity of each moment, almost as much as the death-defying stunts that Tom Cruise still insists on doing (emphasis on almost). Even as the motivations and plot beats in the film can be convoluted, and character decisions and fates can leave you scratching your head, you just might not care anymore because the score is just that good! Balfe is one of the best composers currently working in Hollywood, and seeing that he’ll be back for Part Two should let us know that our Mission: Impossible audio experiences will be in good hands for the foreseeable future.
Some things in filmmaking should be easy. One such thing? Make the audience feel something in their collective chests while watching the movie about the giant atomic dinosaur monster. Godzilla Minus One understood this simple but crucial dynamic for making a successful kaiju film. Godzilla’s approaching the town? Ominous, percussive stomps. Godzilla’s wrecking shop around Japan? Here’s some awesome score to soundtrack the absolute mayhem on the street. Godzilla’s readying and unleashing nuclear breath? Make the build up sound terrifying and the release reverberate through the speakers. Are the visuals important for selling the scale and size of the monster? Of course, but the scale work means nothing if they don’t work hand in hand with the audio to sell the destruction. Yeah, sure they also put human characters for the audience to care about at the center of the story… but did you hear the screech that thing let out?! That was pretty epic.
Being an emotional sci-fi epic, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 completely nails the audio experience. The audio effects match the film’s cartoonish feel without taking the world out of its previously established universe. Additionally, John Murphy created a remarkable score, really driving home the film’s emotional weight. But let’s be honest, the best part of the audio experience for all of James Gunn’s comic book films have been the soundtrack. Starting out with a raw acoustic version of “Creep” by Radiohead, the soundtrack instantly sets the tone. The film continues with some of the best needle drops, including “Since You Been Gone” (not that one), “In the Meantime,” “We Care a Lot,” and, of course, “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn.” Each track integrates so well, and instantly establishes its connection as inseparable, much like the previous films’ soundtracks. The film concludes with “Dog Days Are Over,” perfectly wrapping up this trilogy in both theme and tone, leaving a bittersweet smile on everyone’s face with a few tears trickling down. The Guardians of the Galaxy movies are easily the best the Marvel Cinematic Universe has to offer, and their audio sets them apart as truly special.
A big part of what makes Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse so great is its audio. Whether it’s the impeccable soundtrack by Daniel Pemberton or the different audio clues that mesh with any given universe we might find ourselves in, this movie is a treat. Every song or theme fits the given scene or universe so well that if you listen to the score on its own, you automatically get transported back to those moments and place. And “Am I Dreaming” by Metro Boomin, Roisee, and A$AP Rocky is one of the best needle drops of the year — it just as well transports you back to the end of this masterpiece when you listen to it, leaving you wanting and longing for more. Across the Spider-Verse is one of the best sequels ever made. Forget the fact it’s animated; it is that good, and a big reason is that soundtrack.
2020’s Tenet was Christopher Nolan’s first film not featuring Hans Zimmer as the composer since 2006’s The Prestige — while Zimmer has crafted some of the most iconic scores in movie history for Nolan, Ludwig Göransson taking over as the primary musical partner has turned out to be revelatory. Tenet’s score is great, but Oppenheimer’s is even better. With the film’s nonstop narrative pace, you need something in the background as connective tissue, and the music does that perfectly. “Can You Hear The Music” is a beautiful piece of score on its own, but in the context of the scene, it adds gravity to the wonder and immeasurable danger of dealing with the atomic world. “Fusion” is also great on its own, but put it behind J. Robert Oppenheimer and Lewis Strauss arguing and sending subtle shots at each other, and you get one of the most intense scenes of the year. And “Destroyer Of Worlds” puts you, along with Oppenheimer, in the worst place of existential dread possible at the end of the film. Göransson’s score is so layered and varied, just like the film itself.
Make sure to check out the previous 2023 Sifties winners, and don’t forget to check back tomorrow for the winner of Best Visual Experience!
You can also listen to the SiftPop writers’ top five movies of the year on the SiftPop Writers’ Room Podcast!