moviefone.com
Moviefone is a website that allows users to find information about tv and movie trailers, showtimes for local cinemas, and more. The website offers an optimized search tool that makes it easy for movie and tv fans to find what they're looking for.
In 2014, the Moviefone telephone service was shut down and the website was overhauled to appeal to a wider audience. The company was bought and sold numerous times in its lifetime.
Website Design
The website design is clean, crisp, and futuristic. It is visually appealing with a blue/gray/white theme. The logo is plain but straightforward.
There is an advertisement at the very top of the page as the header. Many people find advertisements on websites to be a necessary evil, but when they are that large it takes away from the website. Luckily, the ads on this website mostly pertain to movies and tv shows, so it's not all bad.
Content
Moviegoers can browse by genre, release date, rating, and more. Moviefone provides a wealth of information for movie lovers.
The website Moviefone offers movie times and tickets as well as information about new releases on DVD and videos. There are also photo galleries, behind the scenes looks, interviews, and ratings to help you explore the website's content.
The Featured Stories section on the home page of Moviefone.com is made up of a slideshow with behind-the-scenes looks and teasers to upcoming movies. One of the featured stories that you can expect is an interesting feature story about the Scarlett Johanson movie. The article written by the Moviefone Staff includes information about the upcoming movie, such as cast, director, and release date. The article also embeds a youtube video so that you can easily view it. The Moviefone Staff do a good job of citing their references directly and linking other important information.
For avid movie-goers, the problem of arriving to the ticket booth on time can be quite disappointing. Moviefone eliminates this problem by bringing the tickets directly to you online. With Moviefone, you can search for local theaters and movie times for your city. There is a large list of cities to browse through, but if you live in a rural setting, the odds are this feature won't work properly.
The movie category on the Moviefone website is well organized and has a 2020 release date list. The website provides options to filter the list by year, month, and genre. Hovering over the poster provides information about the trailer, more info, and showtimes. Looking up more info on the movies is useful, as Moviefone lists release dates, plot summaries, cast, director, genre, production company, and distributors.
New movie trailers are prioritized according to the newest release. Trailer categories include upcoming movies, in theaters, and latest releases. The website features numerous teasers that can be difficult to navigate.
New on DVD has a section on its website that is useful for people who don't love going to theaters or who can't wait for their favorite new film to release on DVD. There is a very handy tool on this page. A list that is navigated according to release months lets viewers know what DVDs are releasing in what month. However, this feature seemed to be down at the time of me trying to access it. If it is functional, it would be useful.
Moviefone's video content is filled with interview-style pieces. The most popular project is called Unscripted. This series features celebrity guests like John Cena and Craig Robinson. The cast is varied and focuses on a multitude of different movies and television shows. In the show, the actors and actresses get to answer viewer questions and "go off the script." The news content is primarily made up of videos from Unscripted, photo galleries, and behind the scenes articles.
Desktop & Mobile Accessibility
The desktop version of Moviefone is perfectly fine. The website design is okay and the layout is good. There is nothing particular to complain about. The nice clean look is probably my favorite part of the search engine.
Mobile browsing on a phone is okay. It is just a scaled-down version of the website. It is optimized for readers. The text is readable and navigation is simple. However, there is no mobile app to review.
Positives
Moviefone has many positives, such as a unique search engine that allows viewers to find movies and showings quickly. The organization on Moviefone is great, with many options for sorting through content.
The wide range of content on the site is great. There are news articles, videos, interviews, and behind the scenes information for everyone to enjoy. The exclusive Unscripted video series is a highlight.
After clicking on the erroneous link, I received a hilarious error message that said "Stop trying to make this page happen. It's never going to happen." The list of reasons included that the link had either disappeared or that I was using the wrong URL.
Negatives
There are some downfalls to this website. The design is forgettable. It is visually appealing but does not leave a lasting memory. Another issue is that sometimes certain links do not work. There is also no mobile application, which I find strange for such a long-standing company.
Many people in rural communities will have a hard time using this website because it is focused on larger cities and it does not have many results for specific zipcodes.
Improvements Needed
There are a few improvements Moviefone could make. Firstly, making an app would be a good improvement because it would increase traffic on the website and more viewers for their content. Next, I would put forth more of an effort to connect with viewers in more rural locations too. Another issue that could be fixed is the number of bugs and links that were down on the website.
Summary
Moviefone has become an important part of the entertainment lifestyle.
The website's design is modern and sleek. The color scheme is blue, white, and grey. The layout is easy to navigate and provides smooth transitions between pages. The categories and subcategories are well designed, too.
Moviefone is a website that covers a wide variety of genres and movies. There are series done by the Moviefone staff and celebrities. These series involve actors and actresses going off the script to answer questions sent in from viewers. So, whether you're looking for information on a specific movie or just want to see what interesting things celebrities have said in the past, Moviefone is sure to have what you're looking for.
Moviefone has many positive features, but also many negative ones. It is particularly useful for active movie-goers who live in large cities. Overall, the website is moderate compared to others of this nature.