Netflix Has a New Rating System

And the users have spoken… they hate it. I don’t blame people either. It just makes it harder for me to create a good Netflix list. Netflix's viewer ratings just got a lot more confusing. For some reason, Netflix decided to get rid of their bad review system of a 5 star algorithm and trade it for a “thumbs up, thumbs down” rating. I think it’s a little early to see if this will result in a better rating system, but for now, yes, it’s horrible. So, lets just use jamilslist.com instead! :). Ok ok, there's more to the story.

You think Netflix would want to help us find the best movies on Netflix, but no. Apparently they have analyzed the data, and decided that users want to start all over and add another level of confusion of how good or bad a movie really is. It’s been reported that 71% of users disapprove of the new system. But hey, not all people like change right? I myself don’t mind it, except in this case. The one thing that Netflix reviews had going for them was the personally written reviews. No matter the star ratings, you could always find the best movies by reading those reviews. I mean, for now I guess they're keeping the old reviews for us to view, but I have a feeling they will eventually disappear too.

It's pretty important that they keep the review too, because some of the best movies on Netflix I’ve ever found started with:

“Disgusting!”

“OMG, I was so disturbed by this movie I just had to turn it off halfway through”

“Way too much blood and gore. Pointless nudity at every turn”

I swear the 1 star reviews used to be the best ways to find a movie! But all that could be over now. Now we have to stand by and see the ratings of movies mindlessly go from 70%, to 55%, to 80%, to 35% without ever knowing what type of person is actually making these judgements.

Since Netflix has let them down, a lot of people are struggling with how to find movies on Netflix. I did write a similar post here on how I manage to find good Netflix movies, and I think it still applies. After a few months of this new system, I plan on writing another post on how to search for movies on Netflix after the new ratings systems. It's taken me a long time to put together my Netflix movie list, and there’s still a few tips and tricks I have up my sleeve so stay tuned for that!