It’s the new year once again. Keeping up with what I hope will be a new tradition for myself, I thought I would look back at the films I have watched in 2024 and recap my viewing experience. This started with an Instagram post by director Edgar Wright, who posted about films he watched in 2022, and I ended up doing a similar recap for myself last year. So here goes.

The List

I watched a total of 138 films in 2024. Note that the number of films indicates number of unique films, not the total number of viewings - films like Mad Max: Fury Road are counted only once. This falls far short of my goal of 200 films and is also a decrease from the 182 films in 2023. This is due to a couple of reasons:

1. A busy work schedule in the latter half of the year
2. I have also watched a few TV series like Game of Thrones (rewatch) and Attack on Titan (first-time watch), which definitely take away from film-viewing time.

Slightly unrelated side note: I highly recommend Attack on Titan as it is genuinely one of the best pieces of long-form storytelling that I have seen. I have been meaning to write a piece about the series. Hopefully, I will find time for that this year.

I also kept track of the number of first-time watches in the year. With 100 first-time watches, this sets the ratio of first-time watches to the total number of films at 72.5%, surpassing my goal of 50% and marking an increase from last year’s 64.3%.

Here is a breakdown by decade.

The distribution is fairly similar to last year’s, with the 2010’s topping the list in numbers, though for different reasons (below).

Statistics:

• Decade with most films watched: 2010s

  Unlike last year, this was not as surprising to me, mainly because I was going through films from various modern franchises like the MCU, Mission: Impossible, etc., and they contributed to the total. I am also pleased with the first-time-watch ratio (72.7%), which is around the yearly average.

• Number of years by release date: 56 different years

• Year with most films watched: 2024 with 16 films

  Similar to 2023, I watched the greatest number of films from the most recent year. This is not surprising as I have been paying more attention to film releases. However, this marks a decline from 2023’s 22 films, partly due to my previously mentioned work schedule.

• Oldest film watched: Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922)

  This is a revisit of the classic rather than a first-time watch, as it has been a while since I last saw it and because a remake of the film by Robert Eggers is right around the corner. I admire Murnau’s ground-breaking direction and how well the film still holds up. I am surprised by how it manages to keep me on the edge of my seat during key scenes despite lacking the advantage of modern horror filmmaking tricks.

• Film watched the most: Mad Max: Fury Road (3 times)

  As I have less time to indulge in my film-viewing hobby, I did not really have the luxury to revisit films that I liked as often as I wished. Nevertheless, I have watched 5 films twice last year. For one of the five films, however, I watched once more in black-and-white, as it is one of the officially released versions of the film. This is the fourth instalment in the Mad Max franchise, and is already one of my favourite films ever – Mad Max: Fury Road. Loved it in colour, loved it in black-and-white, and wished there were a hybrid version, as it would be absolutely spectacular.

• Number of visits to the cinema: 15

  Mostly for new releases, but surprisingly for a few rereleases as well. One particular highlight was being able to watch Ridley Scott’s Alien on the big screen for the first time, and it was one hell of a viewing experience.

• Directors with the most films watched: Ridley Scott

  I watched 6 films from Scott last year. Although I was disappointed with Gladiator II, there is no denying his influence on modern filmmaking, and I wish to visit more of his works in the coming year.

All in all, although the total number of films has fallen short of expectation and decreased since last year, I am pleased with the first-watch ratio in particular and am truly delighted to have discovered many new gems that have become my absolute all-time favourites. Here’s to another year of film-viewing.

Customary top 10 list

Finally, a customary top 10 list. Note that there might be contradictions compared to my list from last year, and this is completely normal. Opinions change. Rewatches and new watches can alter my perspective on films. Moreover, when it comes to my top 10, they are all, in my opinion, great films and remarkable technical achievements, and it’s more of a ranking of preference than of quality.

1. Pulp Fiction
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
3. Taxi Driver
4. Farewell My Concubine
5. No Country for Old Men
6. The Grand Budapest Hotel
7. Spirited Away
8. The Godfather
9. Mad Max: Fury Road
10. The Shining

Author: Chia Jing Heng (andreusjh99)