IMDb Ratings for Netflix

Netflix’s rating system has always functioned differently compared to most other systems used by popular websites. Even before stars were replaced with thumbs, ratings on Netflix were never an indication of how all other users rated a title, but rather how likely you would be to enjoy it.

IMDb Ratings for Netflix is a Chrome extension that provides you with an alternative by getting scores directly from IMDb, which are based on a weighted average of all user ratings and do not take your viewing history into account.

The thumbs-up, thumbs-down rating system has never been popular since its introduction, as it leaves no room for intermediate scores that would indicate just how much you liked or hated a certain movie or show.

However, it is important to note that the old star-based system was never like the one on IMDb in the first place. The score you saw was not an average rating across all users, but rather how likely you would be to enjoy the title based on your viewing habits.

Netflix is not likely to give up on its rating system, as one of the service’s main selling points is its ability to provide recommendations, and your ratings are an important part of the algorithm.

This is where IMDb Ratings for Netflix comes into play. Once installed, it will display each title’s IMDb rating in the top-right corner when it is highlighted. Good scores will be shown on a green background, bad ones on a red background, and average ratings on a neutral gray.

If you place the mouse cursor over the rating, the extension will bring up a tooltip that displays the Metascore and Rotten Tomatoes rating, as well as a short description from IMDb and some other important details. When clicking the rating, you will be taken directly to the movie or show’s IMDb page.

Users who find that IMDb ratings are an accurate assessment of a title’s quality should definitely give this extension a try. It would be nice if some visual customization options were available, but it integrates seamlessly with the Netflix UI and can make it a lot easier to separate the good from the bad.