Catching Fire fares a bit more optimistic with its musical presentation. Coldplay’s “Atlas” starts the soundtrack off with a twinge of hope. Then we get pop hits from the likes of Christina Aguilera, Sia and The Weeknd with the latter two on one track. It gets a little less indie unlike like its predecessor however. But there’s something to be said about both of these discs. Consideration can even go to the producers because a vast majority of these songs were made just for the release of the movie. Only people that are into the musical aspect of a film would go out to find these tracks. Sia’s “Elastic Heart” (without The Weeknd) was the only one that was taken and put on the artist’s regular record. These songs were made just for these films and that’s what makes them entirely special.

The music of The Guardians of the Galaxy takes soundtracks into a more common direction. The music featured in the movie is entirely made up of songs from the 60’s and 70’s. That same nostalgic feeling you get from Boogie Nights and Pulp Fiction comes into fruition once again. Essentially, the soundtrack is a mix tape with all of the dirt and grime that comes with it. Hell, the name alone makes me want to buy an old 8-track player and install it in my 70’s muscle car with the chain link steering wheel. It was even sadder when it rolled down a hill as I was washing it after I was distracted by my wife Marge. Awesome Mix Vol. 1 gives me hope for the rest of the series. The track list runs the gamut from soul, to glam rock, pop rock, and all the stuff in between. It all works with the goofy aesthetic of the film. Just looking at the producers of the record – including the film’s director James Gunn as well as President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige – you can see how much care was put into choosing the right songs to go with each scene. It is also strange to note that the CD made up of songs from decades ago is also number one album sold right now. I haven’t sang “Escape” by Rupert Holmes this much since Shrek came out.

With the past three movies I’ve written about being big both with critics and audiences, is it possible for a smaller, less received film to have a redeeming soundtrack? Yes. That’s a dumb question to ask.