When a movie skips a traditional score and opts for a soundtrack of pre-existing songs, it's a gamble. Sometimes you get Pulp Fiction or Trainspotting—iconic collections that elevate the film. Other times, you get a mess of mismatched tracks, cynical needle drops, or covers that make you cringe. Here are seven of the worst movie soundtracks ever assembled, ranked by how badly they misuse music.
7. Godzilla (1998)
Let's start with an easy target. Roland Emmerich's Godzilla is a disaster on every level, and its soundtrack is no exception. The album features a disappointing cover of David Bowie's "Heroes," a Rage Against the Machine track that feels out of place, and—most painfully—a P. Diddy song called "Come with Me." Yes, that really happened. It's a soundtrack that somehow makes a terrible movie even worse, like a bad cover version of a bad film.
6. The Room (2003)
Tommy Wiseau's cult classic is so bad it's good, but the soundtrack doesn't get a pass. The instrumental score by Mladen Milicevic is oddly memorable, but the songs that accompany the infamous sex scenes are just plain bad. They add to the unintentional comedy, sure, but hear them out of context and you'll still be haunted by the awkwardness. These tracks are essential to The Room's train-wreck charm, but they're also objectively terrible.
5. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder tries to replicate the success of Ragnarok's Led Zeppelin needle drop, but it goes overboard. Guns N' Roses songs like "Sweet Child o' Mine" and "November Rain" are crammed in without any real connection to the story. The result feels hollow and desperate, dragging down otherwise great tracks. It's a prime example of how even classic rock can sound awful when it's forced into a movie that doesn't earn it.
4. Sky High (2005)
This family-friendly superhero movie is actually pretty decent, but its soundtrack is a letdown. Instead of licensing original songs, the filmmakers opted for cheap covers of new wave classics by Talking Heads, The Smiths, and Devo. The result is a collection of inferior versions that feel like a budget compromise. Kids might not notice, but anyone who loves the originals will be cringing.
3. Suicide Squad (2016)
David Ayer's Suicide Squad is the poster child for misused music. The soundtrack is packed with hits like "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Sympathy for the Devil," but they're thrown in with no rhyme or reason. The songs feel like they were chosen by a marketing team rather than a director, and they do nothing to enhance the chaotic, poorly edited film. It's a textbook case of good music wasted on a bad movie.
2. Lost Horizon (1973)
This musical adaptation of James Hilton's novel is a legendary flop, and its soundtrack is a big reason why. The songs by Burt Bacharach and Hal David are forgettable and feel completely out of place in a story about a utopian valley in Tibet. The film's failure is often blamed on its misguided attempt to turn a serious story into a musical, and the soundtrack is the weakest link.
1. Suicide Squad (2016) – Honorable Mention: The Whole Thing
Yes, we already mentioned Suicide Squad, but it deserves a second spot for the sheer audacity of its soundtrack. The album was a commercial success, but that doesn't make it good. It's a cynical playlist designed to sell records, not to serve the movie. If you want to see how not to use music in film, this is the ultimate case study.
For more on how great soundtracks can elevate a film, check out our ranking of the most entertaining movies of the 2010s. And if you're in the mood for something truly flawless, see our list of the most flawless anime of the past decade.
