123movies.la
Finding the perfect movie for Taco Tuesday can be a challenge. Going to the movie theater is out of the question, and you've already spent 30 minutes scrolling through Netflix, but nothing has caught your eye.
On Tuesday last, for me, at least, that was what it looked like.
So, I turned to free online streaming where you never know if a movie will load or the video quality is like that of a potato.
I typed in "The Shawshank Redemption" and within seconds, 123movies.la came up as the first result.
I found 123movies.la when I typed in "The Shawshank Redemption." Its modern look has a very familiar feel to other search engines, like Google simple. A logo and a search box are all that is present on the page. I typed in "The Shawshank Redemption" and within seconds, 123movies.la came up as the first result.
This site is loaded with movies you have never heard of and some new ones too.
A Design That Shines, But Isn?t Gold
I looked through the catalog and realized the new car in front of me had a transmission that was shoddy.
The design is familiar, and it is easy to search for whatever you are looking for. However, I wanted some recommendations for a Taco-Tuesday movie. So, I headed over to the movie section.
The landing page for the movies does not seem to care about what I might like. Instead, the films are in no particular order and half of them do not have an image for me to judge the book by its cover. So, I am in a sea of meaningless movie titles with no direction on which way is up.
Fortunately, there is a filter option for the amoeba of movie titles.
You are able to search by genre and year. But those do not help much. Instead, I prefer to listen to users. And they make it easy by offering to filter based on most viewed links and top of IMDB.
Unfortunately, while these filtering methods will get you a list of things people enjoy, it is limited to their library. And worse still, it is a randomized list.
When clicking the "most viewed" link, a different list is populated every time, although this is not an entirely new list. For example, the cinematic masterpiece and Charles Band's 2005 magnum opus "The Gingerdead Man" first appeared at #1 on the most viewed tab. But when I refreshed the page, it was #7 despite its clever title and obviously compelling plotline. There appears to be a group of top recommendations that appear in no particular order.
The 'Top IMDB' filter option has the same issue as the ?Other Filters? option.
Besides offering a group of random movies that bear no resemblance to IMDB's actual top lists, it also offers a group of randomly chosen movies.
Naturally, there is no singular "best" movie out there. There are different titles that appeal to different viewers based on their individual preferences.
But I believe that it would be in all of our best interests if Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith were to come before a Star Wars: Reviewed.
Yet, 123movies.la has an algorithm that puts the masterpiece of a review by PlinkettReviews before the actual movie.
While the layout of the website is easy to follow, you will still be lost in a meaningless library.
Surprisingly Clean on Mobile
Many free streaming sites are challenging for a phone without ad blocking installed.
Any click may bring you down a rabbit hole of ads that may, or may not, be malicious for your device.
But 123movies was reasonable. I clicked around before landing on American Dad. When I selected the show, I was given two ads that I was able to cancel out of. That's impressive compared to some sites that are almost unusable with ads on.
The sites I use on mobile will generally have an ad over the play button. And that ad will redirect a few times until you're on a landing page that tries to convince you that hot singles in your area are looking for you.
The website I clicked on didn't offer what I was looking for. Instead, it took me to a landing page where I could back out. I had to do this twice before the show was playable.
The show started and did not pause to buffer through the entire episode within 20-30 seconds.
Overall, the mobile experience of this site should be the standard for free streaming services. They offer a mediocre library with minimal ads that are easy to avoid, and fast servers that start your show (or movie) without buffering multiple times.
Sometimes, Bad is Good
On Taco Tuesday, I thought my movie-watching experience would be ruined by a randomized list that didn't give any real direction. But fortunately, I ended up watching a movie that was so bad it made me laugh uncontrollably.
I think that the statement perfectly sums up my experience using this site.
The site looks good, but the library is not good. However, it is not bad in the ?I?m never eating here again? way. It is awful in the ?favorite-dive-bar-with-bad-service? way.
I am not going to suggest you invite friends over to watch a movie on 123movies. But if you find yourself bored on a weekday and want to watch a movie, be open minded and check out the library. You are not going to recognize most of the movies on the list, but most of them are so bad you will not be able to stop laughing after a few glasses of wine.
This website has a repulsive appeal.
If you decide to take a chance on the site, you will have a decent experience finding a mediocre movie.
The (not so) Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Whenever I have the opportunity, I give the benefit of the doubt. However, there are some things that cannot be forgiven.
This site has a broken algorithm that suggests the next title. Additionally, this site can be inaccurate.
Let's say you give it a chance. You sit down to watch a movie. You've had a few glasses of wine, and you're ready for a bad one. You know, something like the 2019 Hollywood failure ?Cats.? After convincing yourself a live-action musical about humanized bird murders is worth sitting through, you give it a shot.
You are underneath your favorite blanket with a big bowl of popcorn and your favorite fluffy socks.
You initiate the action of clicking on the movie. Once past the ads, you are able to view the movie.
But you, who are older than 2001's Jeff Goldblum and better-looking, are greeted by a much younger Jeff Goldblum staring in the 2019 movie Cats & Dogs. Let's leave aside that Jeff's performance is probably a better theatrical choice than the financial black hole that is the 2019 Cats.
You were promised a movie. The website's description even had the movie's poster, release date, and actor list. 123movies does not deliver on their promise.
I am not comfortable with this.
I can handle the lack of good movies, the subpar algorithm, and possible malware-laden ads. However, I cannot handle a false advertisement. If you're going to be a library filled with bad movies, at least take the time to get the links right.
What Can Be Improved
Sometimes you need to accept things for what they are.
This website offers free movies with minimal ads and a decent layout that makes it easy to check out their library.
Two things can be done to put glitter on their turd library.
First and most importantly, make sure the links are accurate.
It can be a tough choice to find something to sink two hours of my life into. And once I finally make up my mind, it can be frustrating when I'm redirected to another movie. To me, this seems like the most critical fix for the quality of life.
Second, ensure that the filters are accurate.
I do not know how to get an accurate list of IMDB movies integrated into the site. At the very least, the most viewed movies on the site should be easy to find - its data the site should already have.
Initially, the filters seemed helpful. However, after refreshing the page I was offered a different list with the same movies.
Valuating each link for accuracy might be a hassle, but fixing the quality of the filter seems like a more straightforward fix that makes using the site much more user-friendly.
What?s the Verdict?
This website does not meet the high standards of quality that we typically expect from our sites.
The layout of the library is easy to navigate, but it lacks compelling movies and the links might be incorrect.
Despite being a free website, some of the downsides of this site make it difficult to recommend to friends.
I will use 123movies if I need background noise while cleaning the house, but it would be tough to put this site on a list of reliable resources.
This is a McDonalds that offers free streaming. It is usually disappointing, but when everything else is closed, it can be an option to get by on.
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