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, I looked like at least that.
I turned to free online streaming, where I never know if a movie will load or the video quality is poor.
When I searched for "123movies.la," I found a modern search engine with a familiar feel to other search engines. The logo and search box are both present, and the look is simple.
This website is loaded with movies you've never heard of, and some new ones too.
A Design That Shines, But Isn?t Gold
I quickly looked through the catalog and noticed that the new car had a transmission that was not up to par.
I was looking for some recommendations for a Taco-Tuesday movie, and I found the design to be familiar. However, I wanted some recommendations specifically for a Taco-Tuesday movie, so I headed over to the movie section.
The landing page for the movies doesn't seem to take into consideration what I might like. Instead, the films are in no particular order and half of them don't have an image for me to judge the book by its cover. So, I'm lost in a sea of meaningless movie titles with no direction on which way is up.
Luckily, 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 for me by offering to filter based on most viewed links and top of IMDB.
Unfortunately, while these filtering methods will give you a list of things people enjoy, it is limited to their library. And worse - it is a randomized list.
When I clicked "most viewed," it populated a different list every time, although 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 seem to be a group of top recommendations that appear in no particular order.
And the "Top IMDB" filter option has the same issue as the regular IMDB filter option.
Besides offering a group of random movies, the service offers a group of movies that bear no resemblance to IMDB's actual top lists.
Despite this, there are some undisputed classics that everyone can agree on.
I think we can all agree that Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith should come before a review of it.
Indeed, 123movies.la has an excellent algorithm that puts the masterpiece of a review by PlinkettReviews before the actual movie.
While the layout of the website is easy to navigate, you will still be lost in an overwhelming library.
Surprisingly Clean on Mobile
There are many free streaming sites that are difficult to use on a phone without AdBlock installed.
Any click could bring you down a rabbit hole of ads that may or may not be malware 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 could back out of. That's impressive compared to some sites that are almost unusable with ads on.
Most of the mobile sites I use 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.
However, this website didn't offer that. Instead, the link went straight to a landing page you're able to back out of. I had to do this twice before the show was playable.
The show started and didn't pause to buffer through the entire episode.
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
Taco-Tuesday could have been ruined with a randomized movie list that gives no real direction. But instead, I ended up watching a movie that was so bad I couldn't stop laughing.
I think that the site perfectly sums up my experience using it.
The website looks good, but the library is horrible. It is awful in the favorite-dive-bar-with-bad-service way.
I don't think you should invite friends over to watch a movie on 123movies. But if you find yourself bored on a weekday and want to watch a movie, keep an open mind and check out the library. You're not going to recognize most of the movies on the list, but most of them are so bad you won't be able to stop laughing after a few glasses of wine.
This website is appealing because it has the look of an ugly dog.
If you decide to take a chance on finding something on the site, you'll have a decent experience finding a mediocre movie.
The (not so) Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
I always try to give the benefit of the doubt whenever possible. But there are some things that I can't forgive.
This website's algorithm can be inaccurate, which can result in titles being suggested that are not accurate.
So you decide to watch the movie "Cats." After drinking a few glasses of wine, you convince yourself that a live-action musical about humanized bird murders is actually worth sitting through. You sit down and give it a try.
You are lying down under your favorite blanket with a big bowl of popcorn and your favorite fluffy socks.
The movie begins to play.
You click the movie. You are immediately taken past the ads and into the movie. The movie begins playing.
But you?re greeted by a much younger Jeff Goldblum staring in the 2001 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.
The site said that they would provide you with a movie. However, when you tried to watch the movie, it wasn't there.
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 are 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 site offers free movies with minimal ads and a great layout that makes it easy to check out their library.
Two things can be fixed to make the library more glittery.
Second, be sure to only use reputable sources. Lastly, be sure to check the dates of the articles.
Make sure the links are accurate. Use reputable sources. Check the dates of the articles.
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 is frustrating when I am redirected to another movie. To me, this seems like the most critical issue for the quality of my life.
Secondly, make sure the filters are accurate.
I'm not the biggest tech guy, but I imagine there is a way to get an accurate list of IMDB movies integrated into the site. At minimum, the most viewed movies on the site should be easy to find - its data should already be there.
I first thought the filters were helpful. But when I refreshed the page, I was offered a different list with the same movies.
It might be a hassle to verify each link points to the correct movie, 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 is a very poor site.
The library's layout is easy to navigate, but it lacks compelling movies and the links might be incorrect.
Although this website is free, there are some drawbacks that make it difficult to recommend it to friends.
I'll 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 the McDonalds of free streaming. It's usually disappointing, but when everything else is closed, it's an option to get by on.
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