The power of a great film score can’t be overstated. Sometimes it’s right up at the forefront, impossible to miss. Other times it’s more a piece of a whole, maybe tough to pinpoint in the moment but surely vital to the overall effect of the film. And while movie scores have changed significantly throughout the history of cinema, the rise of the digital age in the 21st century has resulted in massive evolution and, as a result, a more diverse sonic range than ever before. There’s still a place for the classicism of John Williams, but there’s also room for something more experimental from Mica Levi, something more technical from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, or something somewhere in between the two from someone like Daniel Pemberton.

Film scores have arguably never been more exciting, and while no doubt more great stuff is on the way, it felt prudent to take a beat and look back on what we’ve been given over the past two decades. So below I’ve culled together a list of the best of the best. Behold, the best movie scores of the 21st century so far.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – Howard Shore

Every iconic franchise has a signature soundscape, and this was certainly true of Peter Jackson’s ambitious The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Composer Howard Shore’s phenomenal original score is inseparable from the iconic film series, and he kicked things off in a big way with his work on The Fellowship of the Ring. From his warm, delightful Hobbit themes to the ethereal music for the elves to downright terrifying tones for the orcs and Uruk-hai, Fellowship’s soundscape is positively epic and it set the stage for what was to come. The diversity of this single score alone solidifies its place in cinema history, but the fact that it’s endured for nearly two decades is a testament to Shore’s work.

Up – Michael Giacchino

Michael Giacchino is another composer whose prolific nature makes it hard to pin down just one or two standouts, but aside from his work on The Incredibles and War for the Planet of the Apes, it’s Giacchino’s Oscar-winning score for the Pixar tearjerker Up that probably stands the tallest. Full of whimsy and heartache, Giachino’s work on Up perfectly reflects the adventurous odd couple at the center of the film, but never forsakes the heartbreak resting inside Carl Fredricksen. Indeed, Giacchino’s work is a major reason the opening 10 minutes of Up are so emotionally devastating.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – John Williams

John Williams has crafted more iconic pieces of film music than any other composer in history, and he appears twice on this list for two very different movies. Williams is no stranger to creating foundational franchise music (see: Star Wars, Indiana Jones), but his work on the Harry Potter series is truly magical. Honestly his Sorcerer’s Stone score could easily have landed on this list for providing the foundation for what was to come, but it’s the dynamic combination of those initial themes with other more playful and ambitious tones that solidifies his Prisoner of Azkaban score as the best of the best. It’s impossible to hear any single track from this score and not instantly be transported to the wizarding world, and that’s the power of a truly great film score.

The Social Network – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

The 21st century saw film music evolving in really exciting ways that made some traditionalists feel uncomfortable. When we look back on the way film music grew throughout this period, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ Oscar-winning score for The Social Network will undoubtedly be a touchstone. Recording artists making the move to film scoring isn’t a groundbreaking notion, but the Nine Inch Nails artists brought a wholly unique sound to David Fincher’s masterful chronicle of Facebook’s origins. The score vacillates from thrilling to haunting to downright devastating, capturing the emotion at the heart of what’s ultimately a story about power (and subsequent betrayal) in the hands of the young.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford – Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

2007’s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is one of the great underrated films of our time, but not only is Andrew Dominik’s revisionist Western a wholly unique sort of drama, the score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is hands down one of the best scores in recent memory. The film’s gorgeous Roger Deakins cinematography is crafted as if to reveal a blurred memory of sorts, and Cave and Ellis’ haunting, achingly beautiful score feels appropriately distant. The music also underlines the romanticism of the Jesse James story in a really gorgeous way.

Her – Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett

Spike Jonze took a massive leap of faith when he decided to craft a love story between a lonely man and his operating system in Her, but the filmmaker absolutely pulled it off, due in no small part to an achingly melancholic score by Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett. The piano-driven score is sad and heartbreaking, but at the same time dizzying and romantic. It underlines the complicated relationship at the heart of the movie, anchored by a pair of phenomenal performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson.

Catch Me If You Can – John Williams

Composer John Williams’ second appearance on this list comes in the form of one of his many collaborations with Steven Spielberg. But Catch Me If You Can sticks out in a great way among the legion of Spielberg films Williams has scored. Its jazz-infused soundtrack is a breath of fresh air and a break from Williams' more traditional work, breezing over the film with the same ease with which Leonardo DiCaprio’s Frank Abagnale appears to weave in and out of various professions and relationships. It’s undoubtedly one of Williams’ best scores, full-stop.

How to Train Your Dragon – John Powell

Animated films can sometimes provide boundless opportunity for composers, or force them to highlight every single emotional beat of a story to keep young viewers engaged. In the case of How to Train Your Dragon, composer John Powell was not only afforded the opportunity to spread his artistic wings, but the compassion with which this DreamWorks Animation story was told provided the perfect vessel for one of the greatest film music cues of the century so far. Powell would continue to hone and expand the Dragon soundscape through the film’s sequel, but his work on the first film remains jaw-dropping in scope and devastating in its emotional impact.

Sicario – Jóhann Jóhannsson

The late Jóhann Jóhannsson was truly on the cusp of an exciting new arena of film music at the time of his premature passing, but the work we did get to hear from the Icelandic composer remains some of the most exciting and innovative film music of the century so far. His work on Sicario is absolutely terrifying, blurring the lines between score and sound design in fascinating, frightening ways. The severity of the violence at hand is made tactile by Jóhansson’s unique sound, and his subsequent work on Arrival signaled he was in the midst of carving out a tremendous signature style.

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Alexandre Desplat

Alexandre Desplat nearly made this list for two Wes Anderson scores, but truly his work on The Grand Budapest Hotel is a cut above. Anderson’s somewhat epic tale of the goings on at the titular hotel is hilarious, stylish, and surprisingly moving, and it’s no coincidence that the film marks some of the best work of both Anderson and Desplat’s long, accomplished careers. Desplat’s sometimes quiet and understated but always effective score is positively charming, varying in tone and style but never impact.

La La Land – Justin Hurwitz

Though set in modern day, Damien Chazelle’s musical La La Land is unabashedly old fashioned. That extends to Justin Hurwitz’s Oscar-winning original score, which is piano driven at its core but traverses a wide range of tones and emotions over the course of the film. With a musicals such as this it’s easy for the actual score to be overwhelmed by the songs, but Hurwitz’s work is so gorgeous, so romantic that it’s impossible to ignore. Instead, it works hand in hand with the songs to create a soundscape inspired by old Hollywood that underlines the romanticism of Los Angeles itself.

Atonement – Dario Marianelli

Dario Marianelli’s Oscar-winning score for Joe Wright’s period epic Atonement is one of those pieces of film music that literally draws from its subject matter. Atonement concerns the writing of letters, and thus Marianelli uses the sounds of a typewriter to brilliant effect in his pulsing, sweeping score. It’s not all tack-tack-tack, however, as Marianelli’s work does the heavy lifting when it comes to the film’s emotional swells, be they war- or love-related.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – Jon Brion

Jon Brion is a genre unto himself. His sound is unmistakable, and nearly a decade and a half later his work on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind remains delightfully devastating. The main theme is romantic and wistful, but his score weaves in and out of the darkness of the film’s love story as Jim Carrey’s Joel lives out his memories with Clementine (Kate Winslet) while they’re being erased, quickly coming to regret his decision. The score perfectly serves Michel Gondry’s tactile vision for the sci-fi premise while maintaining the humanity of the characters as the film gets deep into even more outlandish imagery. Brion’s score is peak melancholy, just like the film itself.

The Dark Knight – Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard

Tackling characters as iconic as Batman and The Joker is no easy task, and while earlier superhero films like Tim Burton’s Batman and Richard Donner’s Superman found appropriately iconic (and melodic) themes to accompany their titular heroes, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight goes a different way entirely. Instead of crafting some high-flying, uplifting cue to back Christian Bale’s titular Batman, composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard instead took a cue from Nolan’s grounded, gritty take on the story by scoring the emotions at the heart of the characters. So for Batman we get thunderous, patient, repetitive tones whereas for Heath Ledger’s Joker, the music is quite literally chaotic and violent. This score contains multitudes, and by going against the grain Zimmer and Howard ended up creating a new sound entirely that’s still being imitated today.

Jackie – Mica Levi

One of the more modern scores on this list, Mica Levi’s groundbreaking work on Jackie fits right alongside the work of Jóhann Jóhannsson as a composer who’s pushing the boundaries of what a film score should be. While Levi’s work on the sci-fi drama Under the Skin is haunting, her use of sharp, flowing tones in Jackie underscores the grief at the center of Natalie Portman’s portrayal of the former First Lady. The score is purposefully overbearing, complimenting Pablo Larrain’s frequent use of close-ups and verité style which all come together to wholly envelope the viewer in this unique, affecting piece of storytelling.

There Will Be Blood – Jonny Greenwood

When it was announced that Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood would be scoring Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 drama There Will Be Blood, few could have predicted that he was about to create one of the most striking and impressive movie scores in recent memory. Greenwood’s work on the film is as varied as it is intense, moving deftly from sweeping and epic to aggressive and intimate. There’s a consistent “off” quality to the music that underscores the violent nature of Daniel Day-Lewis’ Daniel Plainview, and indeed one of the primary emotions this score conjures is undoubtedly sheer terror.

Carol – Carter Burwell

Carter Burwell is another composer whose sound is unmistakable, but the warmth and sincerity that he brought to Todd Haynes’ romance Carol is among some of his absolute best work. It reflects both the trepidation and passion at the center of the relationship between Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, but it’s also just an incredibly pretty, elegant score to boot.

Spider-Man – Danny Elfman

When it comes to the superhero genre, Danny Elfman is responsible for laying the foundation for two major evolutions in the history of comic book movies. The first, of course, is Tim Burton’s dark, Gothic Batman, and the second is Sam Raimi’s thrilling, vibrant Spider-Man. It’s the latter that makes the cut for this here list, as Elfman’s take on the webslinger is pitch perfect. It’s epic and heroic when it needs to be, but there’s also an undercurrent of playfulness that dials into the fact that Peter Parker is merely a teenager when he’s called upon to save New York City. Elfman also isn’t afraid to have some fun with Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, and indeed the more eccentric natures of Elfman and Raimi shine through to make 2002’s Spider-Man not just a hit, but also a significant beginning for the superhero genre as we know it today.

TRON: Legacy – Daft Punk

There are some film scores that are so memorable, so effective that they’d probably work just as well as a standalone album. That’s the case with Daft Punk’s work on TRON: Legacy. Say what you will about the film itself, but Daft Punk’s pulsating score perfectly captured the digital soundscape of the film while also working terrifically well as, well, a great Daft Punk record.

Beasts of the Southern Wild – Dan Rohmer and Benh Zeitlin

The indie Beasts of the Southern Wild broke out of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in a huge way, as Benh Zeitlin’s fantastical drama blurred the lines between reality and fantasy. The score by Zeitlin and Dan Rohmer works the same way, chugging along until it reaches almost otherworldly heights. Even if you don’t see all the possibilities that the young, impoverished Hushpuppy (Quvenzhane Wallis) sees with her own eyes all the time, you believe it—in large part due to this unforgettable score.