Ranking Every John Carpenter Theme Worst To Best
13. Big Trouble In Little China (1986) With Alan Howarth
Big Trouble in Little China is a cult caper that wouldn't be out of place in the more fun-loving regions of today's MCU. In this respect, the Porkchop Express theme fits in perfectly with the happy-go-lucky adventurousness of the film. Is it cheesy? Well, kind of. Is that a bad thing? In this case, certainly not!
In this track, Carpenter demonstrates his uncanny talent for goading us into thinking we've heard the full story, before then hitting us with some slick key changes, and ramping up the enthusiasm and adventurousness. It's a bells and whistles plethora of guitars and keys, arranged to excite rather than unsettle. In many ways it represents the gung-ho personality of Kurt Russel's character, Jack Burton, who was as entertainingly daft as the film he occupied.
This music is about as far from scary as any other on this list, and credit to it. Big Trouble in Little China is pure nonsensical fun and is an essential feel-good component to many a childhood. Porkchop Express is the highly memorable embodiment of this.