Soundtracks That Are Better Than the Movie! (Part 1)

by the F'N Toaster

Every so often, a crappy movie comes out that has a soundtrack to it that is actually better than the movie itself! Sometimes the "various artists" compilation is only marginally better than the flick.  Other times the music featured in the film seems way better than the waste of celluloid deserved in the first place. In this 2-part review I will shed a little light on several soundtracks that I think are better than their respective movies and maybe introduce some of you to some great albums in the process. So here goes:

The Crow 2: City of Angels – The only good thing about this movie was Iggy Pop being in it. Otherwise, watch the original and don’t waste your time with Hollywood’s attempt to cash in on something that should have been left to end as Brandon Lee’s legacy. I did, however, like the soundtrack. While not as good as the soundtrack to the original (which still ranks among my favorites of all time) it features a lot of good selections, some from bands that were still up and coming at the time. While it was carried by Hole’s cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman” (which was actually a good cover from when Hole still rocked) and Filter’s awesome “Jurassitol,” the compilation also featured White Zombie doing a wicked cover of “I’m Your Boogie Man” as well as songs from Korn, The Toadies, The Deftones, PJ Harvey and yes, Iggy Pop. The Hollywood marketing machine failed with the sequel but actually put together a really good soundtrack.

Doom Generation – Yeah, so you’ve probably never heard of this movie. It’s a weird Gregg Araki film that’s biggest claim to fame is featuring a young Rose McGowan in many, many sex scenes. I enjoy the film as one of those midnight guilty pleasures, but there is nothing to feel guilty about concerning the soundtrack. Having a strong “shoegazer” feel throughout, the soundtrack features amazing songs from Curve, Lush, The Pizzicato Five, Meat Beat Manifesto, The Jesus and Mary Chain, the Cocteau Twins and Slowdive. This is one of my all-time favorite soundtracks. If you are a fan of the shoegazer sound or just want something great to listen to at night, check this one out.

Sucker Punch – Probably the one movie of 2011 that divided its viewers the most, Sucker Punch is what it is. I like it for the attempt to be original and ambitious, but feel it flounders in some major ways. But all throughout the movie I kept noting how great the soundtrack was. Featuring Bjork, Queen and several uniquely interpreted covers of classic alternative songs (some sung by the lovely Emily Browning, who also starred in the flick) make this one a real stand-out.

Spawn – What should have been an awesome movie… well… wasn’t. If you want a good adaptation of Spawn, check out the animated series that was on HBO. The soundtrack was incredibly cool and very ambitious. It featured collaborations of two opposite groups making a new song. I’m talking Marilyn Manson and the Sneaker Pimps, Filter and The Crystal Method, The Butthole Surfers and Moby, Korn and the Dust Brothers and Prodigy and Tom Morello! Do I need to say more? It was extremely original and far better than that movie deserved for a soundtrack.

Spider-man 3 – In speaking of lackluster superhero movies with great soundtracks, how did Spider-man 3 end up with songs from Wolfmother, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Killers, Jet, Snow Patrol, The Walkmen and The Flaming Lips? Somebody must have read the script and went “Oh, people are gonna be pissed. Better get some great indie rock bands for the soundtrack.” I’m going to believe that’s what happened. It makes me feel better about having watched James Franco get amnesia and having that become the central plot-point in the movie featuring VENOM!  

Tron Legacy – Daft Punk made the soundtrack. That’s really all you need to know. The movie was okay, had plot-holes the size of Manhattan, but entertaining nonetheless. But frickin’ Daft Punk composed the soundtrack and appeared in the movie, playing the soundtrack. So awesome.

Hackers – My friends showed me Hackers years ago after hyping it up to be some great movie. I really wasn’t impressed, partially because the world of hacking computers isn’t really that exciting or glamorous, and also because the story really wanted to be this rebel-rousing anthem for the technologically inclined youth of the 90’s, but fell victim to an implausible story. That said, the soundtrack is great, even a little ahead of it’s time. Featuring a slew of great techno acts such as The Prodigy, Orbital, Underworld, Leftfield and the Stereo MC’s one hit wonder “Connected,” this album should be what’s remembered from the “Hackers” legacy. Angelina Jolie has done just fine since.

The Saint – I didn’t hate this movie, but it wasn’t great. Jonny Prophet jokes that it features Val Kilmer in many scenes where he’s disguised as Val Kilmer in glasses, or Val Kilmer with a long haired wig. For a movie based on the television show of the same name (starring Roger Moore), it tried hard to capitalize of the success of Mission Impossible (another film adapted from a television series) but fell short for a variety of reasons. The soundtrack to the movie, though, I really enjoyed. I remember remarking to Jonny Prophet as we saw it in the theater “Val Kilmer is just doing random things like reading a piece of paper, but with the techno soundtrack it seems like something’s happening!” I bought the soundtrack and was very pleased. It features David Bowie, The Chemical Brothers, Orbital, Moby, The Sneaker Pimps and Daft Punk. You can probably get it cheap on a second hand site and I definitely recommend it.

Cool World – While the movie came off more like if R. Crumb had made Who Framed Roger Rabbit (not as good as it sounds), the soundtrack actually lived up to the first word in the film’s title. In some ways, this soundtrack was as equally ahead of it’s time as Hackers, but fell to the wayside when the movie was a bust.  Featuring a strong techno line-up in David Bowie, Moby, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Ministry, The Cult and Brian Eno, this is definitely a soundtrack I recommend checking out. Best of all, you can get a copy dirt cheap on the secondary market. I think I got mine for 75 cents! 

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this review as we will look at an iconic soundtrack to a forgettable movie and  a couple decent soundtracks to movies so horrible that they still conjure feelings of hated to this day.