This free streaming service sounds like a piracy site but I swear it's legit

One that I've recently stumbled upon is PopcornFlix. At first, I was unsure of the name, as it sounded like something that might give my computer malware. But it has proven to be a valuable asset in my streaming journey. This isn't only because it's free. But also because of how easy it is to get a good array of content at the drop of a hat.

It's surprisingly easy to navigate

I was impressed by this

Popcornflix gives you the ability to not only search for the titles that you want to watch, but also find general genre-specific options. Just by going to the service, you're brought right to a homepage that immediately highlights the Popcornflix Spotlight, which has suggested movies highlighted. What I like about Popcornflix is that it has the ratings for the movies and TV series right underneath a picture that helps describe more about the film. It tells you how long the film or show is as well, which is immensely helpful when planning what you want to watch.

Because of the large collection of content, you're able to look through a number of genres to find something you like. There are offerings for Action Amplified, Prime TV Picks, Pulse-Pounding Thrillers, Comedy Favorites, Black Cinema, and more. Some movies and TV series fall into multiple categories, so you're not seeing different titles for every single genre. But it does give you a good amount to look at. If you want to search for something specific, there is a search bar at the top of the interface. You can also narrow your search in the Movies or TV Shows menus.

More genre options include No Scripts, No Limits, Anime Adventures, Animation Nation, Unearthly Horrors, Nightstalkers & Moonhowlers, and Behind Bars.

Helps to find hidden gems

There are some movies and shows I wasn't familiar with.

I like to think that I'm up on what's going on in Hollywood. I love to keep tabs on the industry and try to see as much as I possibly can. But Popcornflix has a good number of smaller release films or ones that were released on VOD that might have escaped the masses upon their release. A creepy offering from the Unearthly Horrors section was The Deeper You Dig, a 2020 release that I hadn't seen before that was actually a surprisingly effective horror film that stuck with me long after it was over. Once I watched that, I was interested in seeing what else this platform offered.

I was happy to see I could watch a number of Godzilla films as well as action films like the Bloodfist series. A movie I loved that I was pleased to see on the platform was The Iceman with Michael Shannon. Popcornflix does a good job of blending smaller releases with movies that did get some critical acclaim when they were originally released. If you're watching a title, you can scroll down and see who stars in the film as well as who directed it. Each name is hyperlinked, allowing you to click on it and see what other projects that person has done are on Popcornflix. After watching Avenging Angelo, which stars Sylvester Stallone, I clicked on Stallone's name below and saw that Eye See You is also on the platform.

Watch entire series in the TV section

There are options both new and old

FX's Taboo was a notable release when it debuted in 2017. If you didn't catch it when it came out, it stars Tom Hardy and is set in the 1800s in London. It is a limited series that only aired eight episodes. If you want to watch all of them, they're available on Popcornflix. But that isn't the only kind of series that the streaming platform offers. You can watch plenty of full series on the streamer, including ones you may not have heard of.

Popcornflix has a good number of smaller release films or ones that were released on VOD that might have escaped the masses upon their release.

Not only do they have smaller release series, but there are also classic TV series that may have aired long before you were born. This includes The Californians, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, The Greatest American Hero, and others. It's fun to drop in on a series and take a look around before you commit to watching an entire thing. The best thing about watching TV series on Popcornflix is that there are no commercials. So you're getting your episodes in the minimal amount of time it takes them to air. Plenty of fans of Popcornflix like the rotating nature of the shows as well. While many streaming services will have TV shows and movies that are on the platform for only a short time, Popcornflix pretty consistently just adds content and rarely removes it.

What needs improvement

There are some definite drawbacks to Popcornflix

While you may want to watch the entirety of a series, it may not be on there. There are five seasons of 21 Jump Street that aired in the late 1980s and early 1990s. But there are only four seasons on Popcornflix. That means you won't get to see how the series ends if you're only using this streamer to watch it. Weirdly, there are some series that just have two episodes from Season 2 on there. It's like watching the limited amount of episodes that airplanes have available.

Each movie and TV episode also has a rating system that gives each title a percentage. It's unclear what the rating means, as I tried to reference it against Rotten Tomatoes scores and they were wildly different. There also isn't a rating system that you can give that might be able to explain the scores on the site. Regardless of what they are, they are all generally positive, which helps amplify the attractiveness of each title. Lastly, when you click into a TV series, there's a picture of a wrapped gift that says Title - No Data Available on it. I'm unsure why the developers aren't able to stop that on the web, but it is random and frustrating. While Popcornflix isn't perfect, it offers a good number of series and movies to watch for free. It doesn't have the newest releases, but it has some classics and plenty of content that flew under the radar. It's worth having the app downloaded on your smart TV in case you're looking for something quick and easy to watch.