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I have rented a fair number of movies in my day, one year going so far as to rent nearly ninety movies. This was back in the glory days of VHS, when tape rentals cost less than two dollars, but the point stands. I have not approached that number in recent years, although there is no single cause. With the arrival of DVDs as the medium of choice, rental fees have increased, so much so that costs have practically doubled. Video stores also invariably place certain time restrictions on rentals, from two-night spurts for the newest releases to week-long tours for older fare. In addition, with the costs of purchasing DVDs rapidly falling over the past couple of years, it is becoming easier and more convenient to build up a personal collection. As such, heading down to the local video store is not what it used to be.
Into this environment comes Netflix, the freshest idea to hit the rental industry in years. Tired of the rising rental fees prevalent throughout the system? Pay a low monthly fee and rent as much as you like. Fed up with paying late fees when you don’t return your movies on time? Take as long as you like with each movie, returning it when you want. Annoyed with fighting the crowds on Saturday night, hoping you’re not stuck with another B-grade film after the top releases have been picked clean? Try a company with an endless supply of the newest and best releases. Better still, do all this from the comfort of your own home, making your selections and tracking your films via a handy web site. Netflix may not solve all of your film-related problems – after all, Hollywood will still make its share of suspect movies – but it is definitely a step in the right direction.
That last segment could have come right out of a paid Netflix advertisement, but I assure you that the words are my own. I was skeptical at first, but endorsements from a couple colleagues and my father helped push me over the edge. I simply logged on to the company’s site via the internet, provided an e-mail address and credit card information, and got started on a free trial. Movies arrive in the mailbox in thin, red-colored envelopes. Tearing off the cover sheet reveals a DVD and a handy return envelope with no postage necessary. Where I live near the nation’s capital, it takes Netflix one day to send me each movie, and my mail reaches them in one day as well. (Some areas take two days for each shipment, so expect some variation depending upon your location.) Shipping is free and it’s fast!
My favorite feature of Netflix is the service’s intriguing web site. Every available movie is listed, along critics’ picks and other recommendations. You can rate movies you have rented or movies you’ve seen over the years, and Netflix will use these to build a profile of the sort of movies you might like. It uses this database of movie information to recommend titles for you, a task it accomplished with surprising accuracy during my initial runs through the system. Now, as I have entered a lot of information about my previous viewing habits, I am enjoying the more obscure recommendations that Netflix has floated my way. The site is not without its kinks, including the delayed listing of all new releases. (These can be found by searching for a film by its title, but these will not be listed with the actual “New Releases” group until a month or two has passed.) The bugs are minor, though, and are easily outweighed by the system’s generally smooth performance.
Netflix is, admittedly, not for everyone. As a DVD-only program, those film fans still wed to their VHS players are out of luck. At $19.99 per month, Netflix can be a steal – depending on the viewer. Top movie rental chains like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video currently charge roughly four dollars for each DVD rental. Simple math indicates that a Netflix participant needs to watch at least five movies per month to justify the cost. A family renting a movie each weekend would therefore only need to watch one other film the rest of the month to make the decision to use Netflix a wise one. Casual renters should probably stick with their local video store. Finally, Netflix is not for impulse renters, as films must be ordered in advance. If you find yourself struck by the urge to watch certain movies at certain times, this may not be the service for you.
Netflix seems like the sort of product geared specifically for film fans like me. I watch more than 150 movies each year, so justifying the cost is never an issue with me. Even with the initial buzz of the product wearing off, it’s easy to imagine watching 2-3 movies each weekend, not to mention the occasional film during the week. I enjoy checking out the web site’s personal queue, a place where I can see the films I am to receive in the coming weeks. Every time I return a film, Netflix automatically sends me the next film on the list! After sifting through an extensive back catalogue of films, I may eventually see just about every film I wish to see. Until that day comes, or until fans are able to rent and download movies easily from the internet, Netflix will remain my destination of choice. While dreaming of those future days, I’ll just pop in my latest movie. After all, the sooner I watch it, the sooner I can get that next movie in my queue!
See Also: Critics Corner, Potpourri
Submitted 4/12/04.