Abstract: Film mulching technology was introduced into China in the 1970s and has been widely applied in the cultivation process of crops, playing a significant role in increasing crop yields and farmers' income. However, continuous accumulation of waste mulching films in the soil has caused severe mulch films pollution, which seriously impedes crop production and poses a formidable challenge to the sustainable development of agriculture in China. This review summarizes the occurrence characteristics of residual mulch films, their impacts on soil ecology and crop growth, cultivation modes with reduced plastic film mulching, and the application and degradation mechanisms of degradable mulch films. Residual mulch films accumulate in the 0-30 cm soil layer mainly in the forms of macroplastics and microplastics, among which microplastics represent one of the most prominent research hotspots. The abundance of microplastics increases with the mulching duration and decreases with soil depth, whereas their particle size tends to decline as the mulching time and soil depth increase. Excessive mulch film residues can alter soil physicochemical properties, raise soil bulk density, reduce soil porosity, proportion of macroaggregates, soil pH, organic matter and organic carbon contents, inhibit soil enzyme activities such as saccharase, urease and dehydrogenase, and decrease the diversity and richness of soil microbial communities. Mulch film residues adversely affect crop growth by slowing seed germination, restraining the development of crop roots and aboveground parts, modifying quality indicators including vitamin C and soluble sugar contents, and even triggering yield losses. On this basis, this paper proposes to promote cultivation modes with reduced plastic film mulching including mulch film reuse, inter-row mulching and crop rotation, as well as the application of biodegradable mulching films. Cultivation modes with reduced plastic film mulching can improve soil water content, crop yield and water use efficiency. Biodegradable mulching films can reshape soil microbial community structure and enhance microbial richness, and mitigate the translocation and accumulation of soil heavy metals in crops. Their degradation process requires the synergistic effects of soil physicochemical properties (temperature, moisture and pH), ultraviolet radiation, soil microorganisms and enzymes. Future research is needed to clarify the comprehensive effects of conventional mulch film residues and degradable mulch films on soil, crops and ecosystems, as well as the degradation mechanisms of degradable mulching films. The findings will provide a theoretical reference for ecological risk assessment and pollution prevention of mulch film residues.