Christopher Nolan once said, “I like films where the music and the sound design, at times, are almost indistinguishable.” His movies have always been known for their sound, sound effects, and fantastic storytelling.
The “talkies” first started in the early 1920s. This was the latest rage and Hollywood was quick to adapt. We’ve come a long way in terms of sound design and film. With music, audio and sound design geniuses giving the best they can to the movies they’re working on.
We’re here to list 10 movies with the best surround sound. These are going to give your surround sound system a true test. And without further ado let’s get started!
There are a lot of movies for surround sound that should be listed here either because of the ambient sound in film or the musical score. Right now, we’re sticking to the most popular that have also been acknowledged by experts and professionals. These movies have also been recognized by award councils.
“Sound and sound design has always been very important to my approach to film because it is a more subversive and allusive aspect of the medium.”
– Larry Fessenden
10 of the Best Surround Sound Movies
1. Baby Driver
From the start, you notice that Baby Driver is unique when it comes to its music and sound.
An example of musical genius in this movie would be; in the movie, every single time ‘Baby’ went into a store, He has Hocus Pocus playing in his earphone, and the music in the store is synchronized with it. The thrift store has a rap song that is tempo-matched to the Hocus Pocus song. What’s playing in Baby’s earbuds is identical to all of the other music in the movie.
Baby Driver also has something called diegetic sounds. Diegetic sounds are extremely important in movies. These are noises made by things that appear on-screen.
‘Baby’ provided the cue, and the sound was mixed accordingly. When he only has one earbud in, the music can only be heard on that side of the theater or surround sound system, and we can also hear his tinnitus when he isn’t listening to music. The tinnitus also modulates depending on Baby’s stress levels.
You can see how much importance the producers of Baby Driver have given music, sound, and audio. This is why it ranks no.1 in our list of movies with the best surround sound.
Synopsis:
Baby is a young man who is partially hearing impaired. He’s indebted to a crime boss named Don. Don makes him pay off his debt by making him a getaway driver.
Baby has an inane talent for making crazy moves if he’s got the right audio track playing through his earbuds. The movie follows him on an insane sure-to-fail heist that takes all of Baby’s talents and skills to get out.
Technical Specifications:
Sound Format: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround 7.1, DTS (DTS: X), Auro 11.1, SDDS
Bass Intensity: The base intensity of “Baby Driver” is particularly significant, since the effects of low-frequency add a lot of depth and power to the movie’s multiple car chases and crash sequences. This manages to effectively create a visceral experience for the viewers.
Dynamic Range: The film’s dynamic range is extensive. Right from the subtle hum of engineers to the explosively loud sounds of high-speed chase scenes, everything is captured perfectly.
2. Dune
Dune blends the musical compositions of Hans Zimmer and the sound design created by Mark Magini, Theo Green, and their team. This blend is a unique sound track that is extremely dynamic and expressive.
There were plenty of tough decisions that arose when mixing the sounds for Dune. They had to find a cocktail of audio that worked to incorporate everything that was happening on-screen in a compelling sense while also not overpowering the scene.
Dolby Atmos surround space (which we know is a key ingredient in movies with the best surround sound) was used to bring out the details in particularly chaotic scenes. Checking out the audio in the Ornithopter Ride scene would give you an impressive sense of the work that went into the audioscape. One of the best things to note about this movie is that this is the second time this team has worked together.
Ron Bartlett, the sound mixer who worked on Dune believes that it’s imperative that they deliver a clean mix. This helps the audience see the director’s intentions through sound and film.
Synopsis:
The main character of Dune, Paul Atreides (played by Timothee Chalamet), sets out on an adventure to conquer the planet Arrakis with the help of his family. The desert planet is significant because it has melange, a rare spice. The story will depict the Atreides family and the instability in Arrakis. A movie guaranteed to give you a great example of the power of surround sound besides an immersive experience.
Technical Specifications:
Sound Format: 12-Track Digital Sound (IMAX Version), Sonics-DDP (IMAX Version), DTS (DTS: X), Auro 11.1, Dolby Surround Sound 7.1, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, IMAX 6-Track
Bass Intensity: The base intensity of the film is substantial. Low frequency effects are leveraged to convey the scale as well as the sheer power of spacecraft and sand worm sequences.
Dynamic Range: The dynamic range of the movie is extensive. The subtle environmental sounds as well as the roaring noises created by sandworms are captured with perfection.
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
In this post-apocalyptic movie, Mad Max: Fury Road, sound editors Mark Mangini and Scott Hecker stated that each of the monster rigs had its distinct animalistic personality. This was done to make it seem like each war rig was alive.
Mad Max will truly test your surround sound system. There are quite a few unique selling points when it comes to sound editing and sound mixing. A key USP would be; the editor’s choice to use the sound of animals dying. An example of this is when you see the harpoon hitting a rig. You hear the sound of a whale dying. This invokes a real emotional response in the audience.
Synopsis:
The oppressive Immortan Joe holds apocalyptic survivors captive inside the desert fortress of the Citadel years after civilization has collapsed. When the five wives of the ruler make a daring escape under the leadership of the warrior Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), she forms a partnership with the reclusive former prisoner Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy). They attempt to evade the brutal warlord and his goons in a deadly high-speed chase through the Wasteland while armored in the enormous, armored truck known as the War Rig.
Technical Specifications:
Sound Format: The audio formats include Dolby Digital, Datasat, SDDS, Dolby Atmos
Bass Intensity: Due to the explosive action sequences and intense car chases, the bass intensity of the film is high.
Dynamic Range: The dynamic range is ample. All sounds in the film, right from War Rigs’ roaring engines to dialogues said in quieter moments, are properly captured.
4. Whiplash
Whiplash is a brilliant movie that focuses on music, and jazz especially. The audio and sound in the movie are transcendent. Certain outstanding movie scenes and quieter moments make watchers get goosebumps. To record a polished jazz tune is hard enough, to manage to record a polished movie is remarkable.
The Oscar-nominated sound crew behind “Whiplash,” which included production sound mixer Thomas Curley, and re-recording mixers Craig Mann, and Ben Wilkins, had a difficult task on their hands. Making sure to get accurate sounds when you’re using instruments that people are familiar with is truly a daunting task.
Get ready for a musical symphony of sound on your home system and surround speakers, if you choose to watch Whiplash. It’s definitely worth it’s ranking on the list, maybe even higher.
Synopsis:
Young jazz drummer Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) is driven to succeed at his prestigious music institution. Andrew is discovered by Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), a professor infamous for his scary teaching techniques, who adds the aspiring drummer to the premier jazz group, forever altering the young man’s life. But when his merciless teacher pushes him to the limit of his talent and his sanity, Andrew’s drive to reach perfection gradually turns into an addiction.
Technical Specifications:
Sound Format: Dolby Digital, SDDS, Datasat, Dolby Atmos
Bass Intensity: The bass intensity is high, given the film’s nature with its primary focus on drumming.
Dynamic Range: There are a wide range of sounds featured in the film, right from the tap of the drumsticks to the loud, intense sequences of full-fledged drumming performances.
5. Inception
Designing sound and audio for a film that delves into the bizarre and surreal is challenging. The sound producers who worked on Inception sure had their work cut out for them.
They have to create a sound that is relatable to a piece of machinery that doesn’t even exist. Think of trying to make a machine that sounds like it has the power to move an entire city on its axis. In terms of action, there isn’t much but it does capture the attention of the audience.
There is a part in the movie where everyone is inside the second level of the dream, it is pouring rain, and as they get into a car, a train suddenly collides with the automobile and makes loud noises similar to a metal-on-metal smashing sound. The purpose of this sound effect was to surprise and keep the audience on their toes. It also continues to have the same desired effect in your home theater with immersive surround sound. This makes Inception earn its spot in our list of movies with the best surround sound.
Synopsis:
In the movie, Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a robber who possesses the extraordinary talent of penetrating people’s dreams and stealing their secrets from the subconscious. In the realm of corporate espionage, his talent has made him a sought-after commodity, but it has also lost him everything he values.
Cobb is allowed to redeem himself when he is given the seemingly hard duty of instilling a notion in the minds of others. It would be the ideal crime if he were to succeed, but a dangerous foe is watching Cobb’s every move.
Technical Specifications:
Sound Format: Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Bass Intensity: The bass intensity of the film is high, primarily due to the multiple action scenes featured in the film.
Dynamic Range: The film varies in dynamic range, since it has both quiet moments as well as loud action sequences.
6. Black Panther
Hailed as one of the most exciting films of the MCU, Black Panther was a mesmerizing auditory experience for the fans. Skywalker Sound was responsible for the beautiful sound mixes in Black Panther. An audio favorite for most who enjoy the audio aspect of films was the Black Panther’s suit’s kinetic energy dispersal and Klaw’s sound emitter.
Both components featured a robust sublayer that reverberated well around the theater and produced waves of sound that were forceful, warm, and attractively textured. Every time vibranium was used or even just mentioned in the movie, it had the same pleasing sound texture that stood out in the mix, and I always found my ears pulled to it.
Synopsis:
T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns to Wakanda, an African country, after the passing of his father to assume the throne in his due place. T’Challa’s resolve as king and as Black Panther is put to the test when he is lured into a struggle that threatens the future of Wakanda and the entire globe when a formidable opponent reappears out of nowhere.
The young king must gather his supporters and unleash Black Panther’s full strength to fight his enemies and ensure the safety of his people when faced with deceit and peril.
Technical Specifications:
Sound Format: Dolby Atmos, Auro 11.1, Dolby Surround 7.1
Bass Intensity: The bass intensity of the film is very high since there are multiple major action sequences featured in the film.
Dynamic Range: The dynamic range of the film is vast
7. Interstellar
The familiar sounds of space are seamlessly incorporated by Richard King and his colleagues at Warner Bros. Studios. The phony synth noises, digitized whooshes, and moans that one would expect from a science fiction movie weren’t present. Simply put, the sound design looked sincere.
Instead of concentrating on what space “sounded like,” they tried to create a more realistic atmosphere by concentrating on the effects that space has on the locations that the characters are in. The movie’s ending places you in a situation so emotionally complex and cathartic, and the sound just amplifies it.
Synopsis:
The Earth will, in the future, become uninhabitable due to a widespread crop blight and a second Dust Bowl. NASA physicist Professor Brand (Michael Caine) is developing strategies to save humanity by transferring Earth’s inhabitants via a wormhole to a new planet.
But first, Brand needs to send Matthew McConaughey’s character Cooper, a former NASA pilot, and a team of scientists through the wormhole and across the galaxy to determine which of the three planets might serve as humanity’s future home.
Technical Specifications:
Sound Format: Datasat, Dolby Digital, IMAX 6-Track, Dolby Surround 7.1, Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)
Bass Intensity: The bass intensity is high due to the movie’s exceptional space scenes as well as the dramatic moments.
Dynamic Range: There are a variety of sounds, right from space’s quietness to loud moments of drama. And then of course, there’s the fan-favorite Cornfield soundtrack.
8. Dunkirk
Hans Zimmer composed the music for Dunkirk, which moves very quickly from beginning to end. And a large part of that is due to the way Zimmer makes advantage of an auditory illusion brought on by Shepard’s tones.
The sound is made up of multiple tones piled on top of one another, each separated by an octave and bearing Roger Shepard’s name. The higher treble tone fades off as the lowest bass tone begins to emerge. The sequence loops back once the bass and treble have fully faded in and out, respectively. This powerful soundtrack can deceive your brain into believing that the sound is continually ascending in pitch since at least two tones may always be heard rising in pitch at the same time.
Synopsis:
Germany made a push into France in May 1940, trapping Allied forces on the beaches of Dunkirk. The troops were carefully and meticulously removed from the beach using every available naval and civilian vessel under air and ground protection from British and French forces. 330,000 French, British, Belgian, and Dutchmen were successfully evacuated after this valiant campaign.
Technical Specifications:
Sound Format: Dolby (5.1), Sonics-DDP, Dolby Digital.
Bass Intensity: The bass intensity is high, due to the setting of war featuring explosions, air-based combat, and naval scenes.
Dynamic Range: The dynamic range varies, right from quiet, serious moments, to loud, extreme combat situations and battle scenes.
9. Top Gun: Maverick
The second installment of the “Top Gun” franchise, “Top Gun: Maverick” leverages Dolby Atmos effects and its immersive capabilities to amplify the featured aerial dogfight sequences as well as the high-speed action sequences. The incredible sound design effortlessly captures the powerful roar of jet engines along with the subtle and calming environmental sounds, making the film a highly captivating auditory experience.
The film was a major contender at the 95th iteration of the Academy Awards, where it clinched the prestigious award for Best Sound. The exceptional work put in by the sound team made it all possible. The Production Sound Mixer, Mark Weingarten, made sure that each dialogue along with ambient sounds was recorded and edited with perfect accuracy, thereby contributing to the movie’s immersive experience. James Mather, the Supervising Sound Editor was another instrumental figure in making the detailed soundscape, carefully crafting the roar of jet engines besides the combat sounds which added top-tier realism to each aerial sequence.
Al Nelson and Chris Burdon, the film’s re-recording mixers balanced all the elements skillfully within the final mix, bettering the dynamic range and making sure that the scenes with high intensity resonated properly with impact while keeping clarity during quieter sequences. The sound team’s combined efforts helped them earn the well-deserved recognition at the Oscars.
Synopsis:
Set over three decades after the installment’s first action movie, Tom Cruise aka Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is now a respected, seasoned Navy pilot as well as an instructor. He now faces a plethora of new challenges and obstacles, and confronts his past all while offering training to a new, younger generation of navy fighter pilots for a lethal mission. Maverick must face his biggest fears and his past’s ghosts as he paves the way for the younger aviators with fighter jets by leading them into a mission which demands the biggest sacrifice.
Technical Specification:
Sound Format: DTS (DTS: X), Dolby Atmos, Auro 11.1, IMAX 6-Track, 12-Track Digital Sound, Sonics-DDP.
Bass Intensity: The base intensity of the film is particularly notable, since the low-frequency effects contribute to the visceral feelings of being present in the cockpit.
Dynamic Range: The dynamic range of the film is highly expansive, offering clear and crisp sound from moments which are whisper-quiet to the adrenaline-rushing explosive sequences.
10. The Zone of Interest (2023)
“The Zone of Interest ” leverages Dolby Atmos to craft an atmospheric as well as immersive sound scape which complements the film’s narrative. The sound design of the critically-acclaimed film primarily focuses on subtlety, utilizing ambient sounds of top-notch sound quality along with minimalistic special effects to better the storytelling factor.
The film garnered a lot of critical acclaim, and rightfully was in the race of clinching numerous Academy accolades, including the one for Best Sound. The sound design of the film, overseen by Johnnie Burn and Steve Single, aka the Sound Designer and the Supervising Sound Editor respectively, was crucial in crafting the haunting atmosphere featured in the film. The composer of the movie’s score and a key contributor to its sound design, Mica Levi gave the audience a subtle yet profoundly affecting, high quality sound experience that focused on themes such as dread and normalcy.
The collaboration of all the contributors paired with Dolby Atmos offered a surround sound experience which was both understated as well as powerful. The sound design of the film successfully managed to highlight the narrative’s emotional weight and earned the movie numerous accolades in the domain of sound design, including the Academy Award for Best Sound.
Synopsis:
Set during the infamous Holocaust, “The Zone of Interest” is a very chilling exploration of evil’s banality. The movie focuses on Auschwitz’s commandment and his family, who leads a seemingly idyllic life beyond the concentration camp’s walls. As the evils of the Holocaust take place or unfold, the movie juxtaposes the daily normalcy of the commandmant’s family life with the unthinkable atrocities taking place nearby, thereby providing a stark and unsettling commentary on two main aspects: human nature and moral blindness.
Technical Specifications:
Sound Format: Dolby Digital
Bass Intensity: The base intensity of the film is moderate. This makes sure that the lower frequencies support the film’s narrative without overwhelming the audience.
Dynamic Range: The dynamic range of the film is carefully controlled. It maintains both clarity and depth in both quiet as well as intense sequences.
Conclusion
Focusing on the audio of the movie is something that a lot of people need to start taking seriously. It’s not just visual effects that make a movie. Audio is an integral part of the film. Concentrating on the audio will enrich your movie experience. The sound design team is always the unsung hero of a good film.
Use our post-production services on Postudio to create your film. And maybe, someday, you’ll find your movie listed on our page.
