[8] James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "Thomas Newman is the greatest living film composer and He Named Me Malala is absolutely prime territory for him.

He has numerous imitators but nobody has ever managed to make this style of music work the way he does so often – his usual band of soloists provide such wonderful colour, the recording (as ever) perfectly balanced to show them off.

"[10] Justin Chang of Variety wrote "Thomas Newman’s emotional cattle prod of a score, still, as musical overkill goes, it’s preferable to the goopy Alicia Keys ballad that drowns out the closing credits.

"[12] Mark Kermode of The Guardian called Thomas Newman's score as "lush" though dismissed its importance in the film's story, that "pluck at your heartstrings and inspire your devotion".

[13] Kenji Fujishima of Slant Magazine also gave a contrasting review, saying "Thomas Newman’s soupy score doesn’t help matters either, as his sweeping orchestral style suffocates in its attempts at uplift.