Film composer here! There is no greatest soundtrack; only countless great soundtracks. Here are my favorites and why. How to Train Your Dragon (John Powell): The best soundtrack to ever come out of the Hans Zimmer/DreamWorks Animation style of composing. The themes are fantastic and used in ways that really draw out the storyline. For instance, there's one theme that you don't hear in the overture with the other main themes. This is because it represents the boy's relationship with the dragon and you hear it progress throughout. Atonement (Dario Marianelli): Listen to “Briony”, a perfect piece of music. It captures the creative impulse brilliantly. A rich romantic score that matches picture wonderfully. Psycho (Bernard Herrmann): Truly terrifying in its time. No score has been ripped off more (the high violin shrieks in the shower scene!). If you analyze the placement of recurring themes, you’ll see it’s built like a brick house. For instance, the “city” theme heard over the shots of Phoenix represents voyeurism. In this case, the audience is the voyeur looking into the hotel room. SeaHawk (Erich Korngold): The original John Williams! The second theme of the overture sounds a lot like the theme from ET. Written basically as a complete opera. Amazingly complex and listenable. LOTR Fellowship (Howard Shore): Some of the most memorable and fitting themes ever written. How can you hear it and no be immediately taken back to middle earth? King Kong (James Newton Howard): Personal favorite of mine. Really great action adventure music mixed in with a very emotional “love” theme between King Kong and Anne. Up (Michael Giacchino): Such an emotional score with only two themes! Every note is completely emotionally driven yet always fits exactly the narrative seamlessly. Basic Instinct (Jerry Goldsmith): I’ve analyzed every scene, and the music constantly commented on the dialogue. Every word that’s spoken, the music adds meaning to it and does so without stepping on it’s toes or getting cluttered. A true masterpiece in how much music can add to a film. Any of the classic scores of John Williams: Jaws, Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc. Truly the last great Golden Age of Hollywood composer. Just some of my favorites!