Remember Netflix’s star ratings? A while back, it was the go-to guide for figuring out which movie or show to watch. A title can have as much as five stars if Netflix thinks you’ll like it and fewer stars if it thinks you won’t like it. The ratings were predictive and based on your viewing history, but not a lot of users immediately got that. To many, the stars looked like an average of all user ratings, a score based on general enjoyability rather than personal preference.
To clarify this confusion, Netflix replaced the stars with what’s known as match percent. Now, an algorithm comes up with an estimated figure of how much you might like a title. This made things simple enough, but the update failed to address a crucial need: easy access to ratings. In a sea of dizzying content, you’ll need all the help you can get to find the best possible watch. And what could be more helpful than having user ratings right on hand?
Easy: having them right on the platform.
The best way to get user ratings on Netflix
Thankfully, there are a number of Chrome extensions that bring ratings directly to Netflix. One of the simplest and most convenient of these is Netflix Curator. Netflix Curator aggregates ratings from users all around the internet and displays them neatly on top of each title. You no longer have to waste time guessing whether something is worth watching or open multiple tabs to check its ratings; the extension has done all the work for you.
Aside from getting immediate access to user ratings, you can also adjust the extension to show only titles that fit your criteria. The standard setting grays out titles that have a rating of less than 7, while the high setting grays out those that have less than 8. The highest setting only highlights those that have scored 9 or higher among audiences—a nifty filter to find the best of the best.
If you still can’t decide what to watch, Netflix Curator also shows you handpicked recommendations from its team of curators over at A Good Movie to Watch. These are movies and shows that have at least 7/10 on IMDb and 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, so you know they’re quality picks. They show up with a badge that redirects you to A Good Movie to Watch’s more in-depth take on the title.
Other ways to get user ratings on Netflix
There are other extensions that bring in ratings onto the streaming platform, each with its own added features. Netflix Plus is a handy tool that specifically shows IMDb ratings, while Film scores for Netflix does the same but adds other film websites, like TMDB and FilmWeb, to its score range.
A more comprehensive alternative is Netflix Extended, which aside from displaying ratings also allows users to disable some of Netflix’s more cumbersome features, such as long intros and recaps. And if you’re already Simkl member, the site’s Enhancer extension gives you access to movie ratings and trailers aside from its existing features.
With any of these at hand, you’ll be spending more time actually watching quality content and less time wondering what to watch.