10. Jet - "Falling Star" (from Spider-Man 3)
What a shocker! This album has a couple of other noteworthy songs (such as The Killer's impressive B-side "Move Away" and Snow Patrol's "Signal Fire", which features a surprisingly moving music video), though the majority of this album is absolute junk. Having never been a fan of Jet, especially after hearing their mediocre track from Spider-Man 2 ("Hold On"), listening to this song came across as a massive surprise, it's a sensational track that brings to mind the best of Oasis (think "Don't Look Back in Anger" mixed with a little "Morning Glory"). Typically I don't like rewarding unoriginal works, but this feels more inspired than ripped-off. Just a nice, relaxing melody that'll make you feel as if you were floating all the way up in space.
9. Pete Yorn - "Undercover" (from Spider-Man)
Remember when Black Widow was dating this guy and making records with him too? Maybe Black Widow will go "undercover" against Spider-Man in Civil War. Either way, I don't care because this song is on the agenda and it is truly amazing. Clearly the best song on this pathetic compilation album which featured the likes of Macy Gray, Sum 41, Black Lab and... Bleu? Whatever. "Undercover" is so great that I don't even know how to describe its greatness, it just is (and it just so happens to be featured on an album called Nightcrawler, you can't get much more Marvel than that).
8. Atomship - "Time for People" (from The Punisher)
Haunting, haunting stuff here. The Punisher was a good little action movie with a not-that-bad soundtrack to go along with it; despite featuring one of the worst singles I've ever heard in my life with Drowning Pool's "Step Up", an ungodly abomination which had no right to be featured on this album as it doesn't even have anything to do with The Punisher (especially the deplorable music video, which makes the band members out to be Scarface-type criminals, you'll be waiting for The Punisher to "step up" and blow the pretentious goofs sky-high, but it never occurs). "Time for People" is eerie, yet shockingly beautiful when it comes to it's uplifting chorus which punctuates the line "I'll be free one day". This should have been the film's lead single, but the producers definitely didn't have the courage to take a chance with a truly great band and instead went for the run-of-the-mill "artists" like Seether/Amy Lee and Drowning Pool to sell the record/movie.
7. Seal - "Kiss From a Rose" (from Batman Forever)
Is it bad that I always thought this song was for Titanic and not Batman Forever? This track doesn't fit the movie whatsoever. Batman Forever is a god-awful film with arguably the most forced love story in any comic-book adaptation. Still, despite the film's awfulness, the soundtrack is nothing to underestimate (featuring what may be U2's best song, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me"). Had this song not been overplayed so much back in the day, even today (look out for it playing during The People v O.J. Simpson), it would have risen much higher up on this list.
6. Smile Empty Soul - "Who I Am" (from Spider-Man 2)
Of all the songs featured on any Spider-Man album, here's the one which ignites the most similarities to the wall-crawling protagonist. "Who I Am" is a refreshingly straight-forward rock song that features dynamic vocals and engrossing guitar-work throughout. Initially, the vocals sound kind of off-putting, due to the effects used, though almost immediately that notion is dispelled by all-around phenomenal writing; "no one knows the way I feel, a part of me I have to fight, buried somewhere deep beneath my skin, the emptiness in me is faded, I can see my life is waiting, now I know I'm living for who I am".
5. Deftones - "Teething" (from The Crow: City of Angels)
Fantastic song from the Adrenaline days of Deftones. Lots of great tunes throughout this record from the likes of White Zombie, Filter, Iggy Pop (who co-stars as one of the villains in the film) and a few more noteworthy tracks that are worth seeking out. "Teething" is a frantic blast of sheer, unbridled lunacy and it is so great. Quickly jumping up the list as one of my favourite Deftones songs of all-time, the tune is delightfully defiant and aggressively profane as it reaches it's pulse-pounding conclusion.
4. Smashing Pumpkins - "The End is the Beginning is the End" (from Batman & Robin)
There are two different versions of this song (you may remember the alternate version being featured in the first Watchmen trailer) and while both are great, you'll always find me choosing this fast-paced album opener over the slow-burn closer. The drumming in this track alone makes it worth a listen, but the whole band is on-point, delivering a rousing tribute to the Batman mythos, despite being bundled against an abysmal adaptation.
3. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell - "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (from Guardians of the Galaxy)
Special thanks goes out to James Gunn and the entire crew of this outstanding space-adventure extravaganza for producing an all-around excellent compilation album to perfectly coincide with the excellent film and its lead character. While songs such as "Moonage Daydream" and "Come and Get Your Love" would have been great for this spot, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is a classic in every sense of the word. Just a lovely, marvelous little tune that was an honour to see gain some extra recognition through this fantastic movie.
2. Boysetsfire - "High Wire Escape Artist" (from Daredevil)
Starting off with a fiery, sudden blast of vocal brilliance, "High Wire Escape Artist" is the perfect song to encapsulate the movie's title character, and yet it was never played during the actual film itself (the producers did find time to fit in Drowning Pool/Rob Zombie's terrible "Man Without Fear" track though). This song, along with Revis' "Caught in the Rain" and Autopilot Off's "Raise Your Rifles", gave this mixed-bag compilation album an immediate burst of life, all while lead singles "Won't Back Down" and "Bring Me to Life" failed to do so.
1. The Cure - "Burn" (from The Crow)
By a wide margin, this was the easiest pick of the entire list of tracks due to the fact that this is most definitely the best soundtrack to coincide with a comic-book adaptation. Not only is the song a fitting anthem for the movie as a whole, it's also a moving tribute to Brandon Lee as well. Atmospheric guitar-work, haunting lyricism, euphoric vocals and first-rate drumming make this track an instant classic. Truly one of the greatest songs ever made.