The 10 Best Films Featuring Scores By John Williams, According To Rotten Tomatoes

American composer John Williams has been a legendary force in filmmaking for decades, crafting some of the most recognizable film scores in the world. From his work in popular franchises like Star Wars and Indiana Jones to his scores for Oscar-winning dramas like Saving Private Ryan, Williams’ influence on the cinema landscape is evident.

With 52 Academy Award nominations and 5 wins, the composer holds the record for living person with the most nominations and is second to only Walt Disney for total nominations in Academy Awards history. But which of the many celebrated films featuring Williams’ original scores are the best, according to critics on Rotten Tomatoes?

10 Superman: The Movie (1978) – 94%

Superman: The Movie is just one precursor to the Marvel and DC cinematic universes modern audiences are familiar with. Starring Christopher Reeve as the titular caped crusader, Superman: The Movie became a smash hit and cemented both Superman and Reeve’s icon status in the pop culture stratosphere.

Williams implements a masterful score and his “Superman Theme” is one of the most iconic pieces of music from a comic book movie ever, and has become the hero’s musical calling card. The thrilling theme earned the composer another Academy Award nomination and is just one of his most memorable scores.

9 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) – 94%

One of the earliest collaborations between John Williams and famed director Steven Spielberg, the science fiction film Close Encounters of the Third Kind follows Roy Neary, a blue-collar worker who has a life-altering encounter with a UFO. The alien film was a box office hit and has since become a classic that still holds up today.

In the film’s theme, Williams employs a 5-note motif that becomes part of the plot when the film’s scientists use the same tones to communicate with the aliens. He received the 12th Academy Award for Best Original Score nomination of his career for his powerful Close Encounters compositions but lost to himself for his iconic Star Wars score.

8 The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – 94%

The only Star Wars film scored by Williams to break into the composer’s top ten, The Empire Strikes Back marks the second time the composer teamed up with George Lucas. The two would forge one of cinema’s most iconic and recognizable partnerships, Williams winning his third Oscar for his A New Hope score in 1978.

Williams’ compositions are part of what gives the space opera franchise its icon status, the impressive gut-punch of a main theme grabbing viewers’ attention in a matter of notes. Regarded as the best film in the original trilogy, The Empire Strikes Back shows the beginnings of Luke’s Jedi training and the Han-Leia romance. The battle between the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire on the icy planet Hoth is one of the film’s main focuses, and Williams pairs a masterful score with the action and drama happening on screen.

7 The Long Goodbye (1973) – 94%

Robert Altman’s neo-noir film The Long Goodbye stars Elliott Gould as Philip Marlowe, a P.I. who gets involved when an old friend is accused of murdering his wife. Gould’s turn as Philip Marlowe, a character in the same vein as James Bond, is incredible and rivals Humphrey Bogart’s portrayal of Marlowe in 1939’s The Big Sleep.

Williams worked with Johnny Mercer to create two songs for the film’s soundtrack, “The Long Goodbye” and “Horray for Hollywood.” The soundtrack features 9 versions of the titular track, Alman requesting a new arrangement of the song with each use in The Long Goodbye. These range from a piano solo by Williams to a mariachi version of the song.

6 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – 95%

The first entry in Steven Spielberg’s action-adventure franchise following Harrison Ford’s archaeology professor Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark has become a classic since it came out in 1981. Tasked with finding the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can, the always-cool Indiana Jones goes on an epic adventure that takes him from Nepal to Cairo and reunites him with an old flame.

At the 54th Academy Awards, the film received 9 nominations, including Williams for Best Original Score, and won 5 awards. Williams’ heart-pounding score may have lost, but many movie fans can identify Raiders‘ memorable main theme, “The Raiders March,” in just a few hummed measures.

5 Catch Me If You Can (2002) – 96%

Another collaboration between Williams and Steven Spielberg, the humorous biographical crime film Catch Me If You Can tells the story of Frank Abagnale, a teenaged conman who spends the film posing as a pilot, doctor and lawyer to make millions. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Frank in the classic chase film and Tom Hanks plays Carl Hanratty, the FBI agent trying to hunt him down.

With Catch Me If You Can, Williams received the 42nd Academy Award nomination of his storied career. The film’s jazzy score is just as entertaining as the chase happening on screen, each composition making the cat and mouse game being played between Frank and Carl all the more fun.

4 Jaws (1975) – 98%

The first summer blockbuster, Jaws was also the first time Williams composed the score for a Steven Spielberg film. A dramatic thriller focused on a small New England beach town with a killer shark problem, Jaws has become synonymous with peak cinema and is among the list of the best films ever made.

The pair’s impressive teamwork is evident in the opening scene of Jaws. Williams uses his ominous score to drum up suspense, and the Jaws theme is heard multiple times before the great white shark is finally seen by audiences. Williams’ expert use of his score, coupled with Spielberg’s early mastery of his craft, quickly establishes the film’s central danger and keeps audiences hooked. It’s not surprising Williams would win his second Academy Award for his work in Jaws.

3 Schindler’s List (1993) – 98%

The World War II-era drama film Schindler’s List is the fifth film, and most recent, featuring an Academy Award-winning score penned by Williams. The gut-wrenching Steven Spielberg film tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who employes thousands of Jewish refugees in his factories to save them from the Holocaust.

A film with powerful performances from Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes, Schindler’s List also features a well-crafted score. Williams’ compositions give the emotionally devastating film a beautiful soundtrack, the sorrowful “Theme from Schindler’s List” still manages to retain a touch of hopefulness. After decades of working together, Williams and Spielberg have become one of the most successful pairings in filmmaking history.

2 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – 99%

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is often noted as the most beloved movie in Steven Spielberg’s filmography, and the most critically acclaimed of his numerous collaborations with Williams. In the sci-fi film, a young boy named Eliott befriends an extraterrestrial stranded on Earth. With the help of his friends and family, he keeps E.T. hidden and helps the friendly alien return home.

The film’s swelling score is just as timeless as its story of friendship and imagination. For his original score, featuring beautiful compositions like “Flying” and “E.T. and Me,” Williams won his fourth Academy Award. E.T. also won three other Oscars for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound and Best Sound Editing.

1  How to Steal a Million (1966) – 100%

The oldest film on this list, William Wyler’s 1966 heist comedy How to Steal a Million is the only 100% fresh film featuring an original score by Williams. Starring Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole, the film follows a woman who enlists a thief to steal a statue from a Paris museum to conceal her father’s art forgeries. The heist film is one of Hepburn’s best, the stylish Nicole Bonnet always clad in the actress’s go-to designer, Givenchy.

One of the 5 films he composed for in 1966, his How to Steal a Million score shows the immense talent and promise the now-legendary Williams had early in his career. It would only be two years before he’d receive his first Academy Award nomination for Valley of the Dolls, a drama starring Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke and Sharon Tate.

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