Start of the new year. It’s that time again for everyone to do a customary look back on all things from last year. I have been doing recaps of my film viewing experiences like this one for the past three years. Inspired by director Edgar Wright’s post about the films he watched in a year, I built on that idea and analysed my film-viewing experience over the last year.

The List

I watched a total of 160 films in 2025. Note that the number of films indicates the number of unique films, not the total number of viewings - films like One Battle After Another are counted only once. I have set a goal of 200 films each year, but failed to achieve it again this year. Sometimes this is out of my control as an unexpected workload from my job means I have to put in overtime, which leaves less time for this hobby. Nevertheless, this is an improvement over last year’s 138 films.

Along with films, I have also watched Twin Peaks, which is a TV series. I am slow with TV series, but this is something I aim to incorporate into my film-viewing hobby – to watch at least one TV series each year.

I also kept track of the number of first-time watches in the year. In total, I have watched 131 new films, which is the highest across the 3 years I have done this recap. This means that 81.875% of films I have watched are films that I had not watched before, representing a constant increase in the ratio over the years, of which I am proud.

Here is a breakdown by decade for the film releases.

Unlike 2024’s distribution which looked similar to 2023’s, last year’s distribution shows a huge increase in films from the 2020s. Here are some statistics.

Statistics:

• Decade with most films watched: 2020s

  This came as a surprise initially. However, looking at 2024 and 2025 as the top two years, it makes sense. I started paying attention to awards seasons and attempted to watch most of the nominated films, which meant I watched a fair number of films from the previous year. This year, I also paid more attention to new film releases. Even though I did not manage to watch all of them – including popular ones like The Long Walk – this is an improvement over the numbers from last year’s recap.

• Release year with highest watch count: 2025 with 24 films

  Similar to 2024, I watched the greatest number of films released in the most recent year. This also explains my number of visits to the cinema, as below.

• Number of visits to the cinema: 28

  This is almost a 100% increase from last year’s numbers. One huge surprise was the opportunity to watch Princess Mononoke in IMAX (and in theatres for that matter) for the very first time. I have watched the film a gazillion times before, yet this experience in the cinema still managed to defy all expectations I had. It was spellbinding. The layers in the sound mixing completely engulfed me, and the images of the towering trees in the forest made me feel as if I was there with Ashitaka and San. The only thing missing was probably the scent of wood and damp soil.

• Oldest film watched: Frankenstein (1931)

  I did not manage to watch any films from the Roaring Twenties, as I did with the other years I recapped. James Whale’s Frankenstein is a significant departure from Mary Shelley’s novel, yet it captivates me with its depictions of human fear and how that fear eats away at people more than a creature with flesh and blood. The reason for revisiting this classic is that Guillermo Del Toro’s readaptation was around the corner.

• Film watched the most: Ne Zha 2 (3 times)

  I have watched it three times, all in the cinema. This is an experience that must be had in the cinema, as it is genuinely one of the most mind-pulverising viewings (more about it in my review). The film created great ripples among Chinese audiences in the Eastern hemisphere, propelling it to become the fifth highest-grossing film of all time (beating the likes of Avengers: Infinity War and Star Wars: The Force Awakens). Therefore, it came as a surprise that the film did not gain much traction in the Western world when it was subsequently released there. Personally, I thought it was a shame, as this film shows the limitless capabilities of animation and fantasy storytelling.

• Directors with the most films watched: David Lynch

  I watched four films by Paul Thomas Anderson and four films by Peter Jackson last year. However, there is no question about David Lynch here, since Twin Peaks is essentially his creation. I discovered him fairly recently, with Eraserhead being one of those rare visceral films that drew me in completely, and the Elephant Man showcasing his breadth. Twin Peaks is the twisted mind child of Lynch and is mysterious, thrilling, terrifying, and surreal all at once. I wish to watch more of his works in the coming years.

Genre:

New this year, I also recorded and analysed the genres of the films I watched.

My top genre was horror, which comes as no surprise as it is my favourite genre. Coming in second was action. I normally do not see myself as an action film type of guy, but many films, particularly blockbusters, include action. Examples are Jurassic World Rebirth, Superman, and Predator. My least watched genre was Western, with only one film – A Fistful of Dollars. I admit that I am not as familiar with the genre as I am with the others, mainly because it is an older genre that we do not see much nowadays. I intend, however, to watch more westerns.

In short, I am fairly pleased and proud of my film-viewing experience last year. With more films watched and added to my canon of film knowledge, I am one step closer to being a “snob”. Jokes aside, I am truly delighted to discover great films last year, and here’s to another year of film-viewing.

Customary top 10 list

Finally, here is a customary top 10 list. Once again, this is more of a personal preference than an attempt at objectively ranking all films I have watched. 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.

Here are my top 10 films of all time (for now).

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
3. Taxi Driver (1976)
4. Farewell My Concubine (1993)
5. No Country for Old Men (2007)
6. Spirited Away (2001)
7. The Godfather (1972)
8. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
9. The Shining (1980)
10. Magnolia (1999)

Author: Chia Jing Heng (andreusjh99)