Here’s the top five streaming services and what is best to watch on them during these unfamiliar times…
It’s tough to stay sane during these abnormal times, and the duty of staying inside during lockdown can be hard for many. However, fear not! We have the top five best streaming services to watch in the comfort of your own home without you ever having to leave. Read through this list and see which is the best for you!
Netflix
Everyone has heard of Netflix and the term “Netflix and Chill”. Well, now it has a stronger meaning. Whilst this lockdown is unfamiliar, it’s the perfect time to catch up on TV shows or films that you never had time for before.
Plans for the subscription service begin at £5.99, giving you access to thousands of contents! There is content exclusive to Netflix, allowing you to be amongst the first to watch it! If you need a good distraction from the world at the moment, then Netflix should be your first stop.
Recommendation: The Good Place
There are many exclusives films and shows on Netflix including Sex Education and Titans. One of the best is The Good Place with all four seasons available on Netflix. A show that is pure brilliant and will completely shock you in how funny it is.
It follows a group of people who have died and are sent to “the good place”. However, the problem is all but one, Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), was sent there by mistake.
The Good Place, a show that will constantly leave you boggled whilst making you laugh at the same time.
Amazon Prime
It may not roll of the tongue like “Netflix and Chill”, but Amazon Prime is a tough competitor to Netflix, providing you with a fast delivery service and great content. The best thing is students can get it free for six months, and then only costs £3.99 a month, great for the student budget.
Like Netflix, it can be streamed through any modern device. The added benefits to Prime is it gives you additional services such as Prime Music and Amazon Drive for files. Despite these, it doesn’t limit the quality content Prime gives you including amazing TV shows like The Office US to original films such as Hustlers.
Recommendation: The Boys
Superhero films can feel a little oversaturated, especially with the onslaught of Marvel films brought on us. Whilst none are bad films, they become repetitive. Amazon Original The Boys is an irreverent take on what happens when these superheroes abuse their powers rather than using them to help others.
The Boys follow a group who embark on a heroic quest to expose these fraudulent superheroes in a hilarious fashion. It has the fresh take on superheroes that is needed to revitalise it and will make excellent binge viewing in lockdown.
Disney+
Disney films are universally loved by all, dominating the market for decades. Now you have the perfect chance to binge all your favourite films without floating between different subscriptions. Featuring films from Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and Disney and all available to download straight to your device.
It costs £5.99 a month to use the service, allowing you to use it on four screens. The best way to forget about the world outside is to immerse yourself into the beautiful world of Disney, and binge wholesome films to cheer you up.
Recommendation: The Mandalorian
If Baby Yoda already didn’t make you want to watch The Mandalorian, maybe the excellent storytelling and characters will. A Disney+ exclusive, this is the first live-action Star Wars series set five years after Return of the Jedi. The show follows a bounty hunter and his exploits beyond the reaches of the New Republic.
Despite it being a Star Wars title, knowledge of the films isn’t needed to enjoy. It’s a polished production with a great cast and the visual effects are amazing. If you like entertaining shows with charming characters, then this is one definitely worth watching in lockdown.
MUBI
Not the most popular out of the streaming services, but MUBI provides the high-quality movies for subscribers. MUBI caters to lovers of niche films. All the movies on this service are selected for their quality, so it varies from well-known blockbusters to independent foreign films.
A free seven-day trial is available, then the subscription is £7.99 a month. Whilst it may be the most expensive subscription on this list, it’s a must have for film fans and will provide you with so much life experience from the comfort of your own home.
Recommendation: Lady Vengeance
With the success of Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, interest in East Asian films has increased. Known for his most popular film Oldboy, Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance Trilogy is essential viewing for anyone interested in South Korean cinema.
However, Lady Vengeance is my favourite of the trilogy as it tells the story of a woman released from prison after serving a sentence for a murder she didn’t commit, and her revenge against the true murderer. Excellent all-round, specifically the cinematography that is stunning. It’s incredibly stylish and doesn’t hold back anything, a film guaranteed to keep you entertained.
Funimation
This service is intended for a specific niche, but offers a variety of animated TV shows, both in English and Japanese. It offers a two-week free trial- as well as a version of the service that is no cost, but limited and full of adverts.
The full subscription charge is £4.99 a month with unlimited access to the Funimation library allowing you to watch as much anime as your heart desires. The best thing about Funimation is you access the show quickly and don’t have to wait weeks until it’s translated. It has a range of different genres of anime and many hours of content that you can enjoy.
Recommendation: Fruits Basket
Whilst the service has many popular titles such as Attack on Titan and Naruto, the best recommendation would be Fruits Basket (2019), a show unlike any other and re-awakened my love of anime.
The premise is simple, an orphan girl who befriends a mysterious family, the Sohmas. She soon realises twelve of the members are possessed by animals of the Chinese zodiac whenever they are stressed or embrace a member of the opposite sex. Fruits Basket is funny whilst extremely emotional at times. A show unlike any other, the perfect escape for a few hours.
By Charlie Vogelsang
Feature image: Polygon