I don't understand I love the music! I think it's great. I always have.
This movie was released in 1985. Synth reigned supreme back then. I feel like the music for Ladyhawke fits the film like a glove. I give them props for breaking the mold and trying something different other than Celtic-type music for a fantasy film.
I think it works. How else would you score the film? It's completely cheesy and I think it's wonderful.
Oh well. To each their own I suppose.

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I caught this film for the first time yesterday and thought the soundtrack nearly killed the entire experience. It was possibly one of the worst soundtracks ever recorded for a fantasy film. What the hell were they thinking?! Imagine Star Wars or Lord of the Rings with a score like that. Just awful.
No .. Imagine Kingdom of Heaven with a score like this. Seeing Crusaders fight under the cheese sounds of 80's synthesizers!!

I caught this film for the first time yesterday and thought the soundtrack nearly killed the entire experience. It was possibly one of the worst soundtracks ever recorded for a fantasy film. What the hell were they thinking?! Imagine Star Wars or Lord of the Rings with a score like that. Just awful.

I agree. Moderately awful then, and utterly unlistenable now. What I'd love is a rescored version. Then the ones who loved the Alan Parsons can swim in the 80's synth cheese, and the rest of us who loved the cinematography, the production values, the performances and the script can actually enjoy those without feeling like someone's scratching on a blackboard.

Yeah I agree. Today I was watching the film and got 40 minutes in, I had to stop watching due to elements outside of my control. All the time the soundtrack took me out of the movie and me and my dad just started making jokes about it.
I would love a re-scored version, as I was very much enjoying other aspects of the movie and I keep thinking how much better it would be with a more fitting soundtrack. Ofcourse the original track should also remain available for people that do enjoy it.
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I agree completely and as a huge fan of new wave "synth" myself, I hate seeing arguments made for bad music in film. The soundtrack is an inexcusably bad soundtrack, and it distracts from the film, which is a bad-filmmaking problem, not a "nobody can make comments about the music in films made prior to the present" problem. It is annoying that some posters are defending this monstrosity of a soundtrack based on the fallacious argument that "everything ever done in a film is okay because that is how things were done in the [insert decade]." The PROBLEM is that regardless of decade, a director or producer is capable of making a disastrous mistake (soundtracks are crucial to film think of Star Wars with period-appropriate disco rather than the classical soundtrack it has and one has the correct idea). A bad (key) decision like choosing an ill-fitting soundtrack can destroy a film easily. Since this mistake could be corrected for DVD-viewing audiences it should be corrected.
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Gosh I'm happy I wasn't the only one who noticed this! I just finished watching it today, 26 years too late. So perhaps it's just that I'm seeing the movie out of context and in the wrong century, but seriously, how
ridiculous
was that music?! When I think of fantasy tales I think of Lord of the Rings or even Stardust. Both of these movies had phenominal soundtracks which gripped you and made you even more part of the movie. And Ladyhawke was full of 80's synthesizer music. I have never before been that distracted by a movie soundtrack. Something more serious would suit this movie far better.

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The music on a whole is not bad. There are some quite beautiful themes in it. Just because people have a cliche mindset on what should be the score of a fantasy/medevil movie does not mean that you can't do a film using stuff styled more contemporary. Really I feel like a bunch of "Lord of the Rings" type dorks are just wanting something to fit their stereotype of what a score should be for this type of film. Also, people wanting to stereotype Matthew Broderick into "Ferris Bueller" for every movie that he did back then . . . Give me a break and quit trying to pigeon hole everything.

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Lol, couln't agree more.

I don't agree. Ladyhawke is the movie AND the sountrack. Its like changing Mona Lisa's background to make it modern. You like it, or not, as a whole.
Great answer. This discussion is so close to the discussions that appear on so many boards (including this one) - "Who would you cast in a remake?".
Some people don't understand that movie is art, or don't understand what art is at all. They would change everything that doesn't fit into modern standards, and in few months change it again because the fashion would have changed. They'd replace Julie Andrews by Lady Gaga in Sound of Music, Laurel&Hardy tune by some D.J. work and Eminem would make soundtrack for Rio Bravo. Also, they would visit old museums, castles and churches if instead of the portraits of local former bishops, kings and aristocrats someone hanged portraits of prince Harry, Berlusconi and Bush/Obama. And '2B or not 2B', and 'Kingdom 4 a horse' is the only understandable way Shakespeare should be written to them.

Nope, it''s not entirely about context. It's a matter of personal preference. I was in high school when this film was released. I followed the making of the film beforehand and looked forward to viewing it. Upon experiencing it I thought the theme (not incidental) music embarrassing, Broderick was miscast but loved everything else.

I guess this sountrack is one of those things you have to consider into the context. I saw this movie back there in the 80's and it became one of my favourite ones from that era. Whenever i think about it it comes to my mind the scene where Navarre is riding his horse through the fields in a sunset with Alan Parson's sinths dominating it all. It was just amazing to see that. I became an APP fan from there and I cherish my collection of vynils of that band.
But I have to admit that if I hadn't seen it then, I would probably agree with you now. It's one of those things that did't pass the test of time. A typical product of the 80's that make people laugh now.
Some people think that they should make a new score for it. I don't agree. Ladyhawke is the movie AND the sountrack. Its like changing Mona Lisa's background to make it modern. You like it, or not, as a whole.

Tangerine Dream's score for Legend was terrible, which is appropriate, as it was recorded in about 10 minutes for a butchered cut of the film.
Jerry Goldsmith's original score is a masterpiece and if more people had seen the proper cut it would have a WAY higher rating thatn it has.

Calling Tangerine Dream "techno-synth" is like calling The Beatles a pop rock band.

I came here for just this reason. I've been a fan of the film since I saw it when it was first released. I haven't actually seen it in years and had totally forgotten the music.
It's odd to me, as a fantasy film.. this techno-synth style is such a failure here, and Tangerine Dream did such an awesome job for Legend
My roommate, who had never seen the movie before, was also put off by the soundtrack. It seemed to me, that the soundtrack would have been more "appropriate" for a television series lol
Peace

They should replace the score thats true.
But whats strange is that Synth music works on films like Blade Runner or Near Dark, but here it totally backfires.
It's almost like the composers are making fun of the movie. That kind of score would be more suited on a Television cartoon show rather than a motion picture.
Whoever decided on the soundtrack got it wrong. All the way.
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Agreed. My husband and I watched it yesterday and we couldn't get past the music. It is so cheesy and out of place. They should remaster the movie and replace the 80s synth music with something more appropriate.
The movie itself is good, but it is difficult to appreciate what you are seeing with music like that. Maybe people didn't notice the music as much when it came out in 1985.