Mubi reviews

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Movies are handpicked. Each title has been chosen according to its quality and merit in its genre, so cinema lovers will know they’re subscribing for access to top notch content.
• New movies are released daily. Each one is available for 30 days, providing viewers with ample time to watch the title.
• Social network for like minded people. Mubi brings together film lovers with its online social network, creating a club for those who enjoy high quality cinema.

Cons

• No mainstream movies or new releases. Cinema fans looking for fresh titles from the box office won’t find these at Mubi, as this is not the platform’s focus.
• No TV shows. Movies are Mubi’s speciality, so there isn’t a space for people to binge watch box sets with this streaming service.

• Risk of missing content. Although Mubi places a large focus on telling people when titles will leave the service, the rotating library means you run a higher risk of missing a title before getting a chance to watch it or finish it.

Types of content available

While 30 movies on a platform should prove to be more than enough for many, some will run out from time to time. This means that the rental section of the site will prove useful for people who want to rent additional titles which have been handpicked by the site. The section shines a spotlight on indie titles which may not appear so frequently in the mainstream media. There are also rental collections available for cinephiles who want to view a range of titles from directors such as Philippe Garrel or Werner Herzog.

Just like its streaming titles, Mubi’s movie rentals change each month. If you live in a town without a great video store or indie cinema, Mubi is a godsend.

Top Mubi TV shows and movies

Although the content library on Mubi is constantly rotating, here are some examples of the titles you could be watching.

Dead Souls (Part 3)

A film focused on introducing viewers to the prisoners who were abandoned in the Gobi Desert and starved to death in reeducation camps following the Communist Party’s Anti-Rightist campaign in 1957, where they were designated as ultra-rightists.

The Swallows of Kabul

Mohsen and Zunaira try to explore their budding relationship in summer 1998 despite the Taliban’s oppressive presence.

The Staggering Girl

Francesca goes back to her childhood home in Italy to persuade her mother to come to New York with her after receiving a stranger’s secret confession.

The Chess Players

General Outram takes over the kingdom of Oudh in Lucknow, declaring British rule and demanding that the king abdicates.

The Plagiarists

A white couple’s car breaks down, and they are helped by a black man who provides them with inspiring wisdom.

Burden of Love

WWII is ending and it’s the age of the baby boomers. A healthcare bill is being introduced to create birth control consultation centres across Japan. Then Minister Araki, who introduced the bill, has his wife find out she’s pregnant.

The Vagabaond

A judge called Raj Raghunath leaves home after a fight with his father. He becomes involved with a criminal called Jagga but kills him. His case is then heard by his father.

School’s Out

A high school teacher commits suicide in front of his students. The substitute teacher notices that six students show a lack of emotion. He is pulled into a sinister game they are playing.

History Lessons

A film which serves as an adaptation of Brecht’s unfinished experimental novel The Business Affairs of Mr Julius Caesar.

Too Late To Die Young

Set in Chile during summer 1990, a group of teens try to make sense of their desires and relationships as the country deals with the end of Pinochet’s dictatorship.

User interface

The Mubi user interface is clear and easy to navigate, with a clean black and white colour scheme. The options in the main menu along the top of the screen are Live, Now Showing, Rentals, Feed, Notebook and Log In, plus three horizontal lines which lead to further choices when clicked on.

When selecting the further menu, you will see options to try seven days free, gift Mubi, find out about the company, look at ways to watch, learn about the film schools program, browse jobs, read the terms & privacy or access help.

The Now Showing bar reveals the movies available in the library with a standard subscription. There is a film of the day, which is often exclusive to the platform. Scrolling down, you will find the rest of the movies. A trailer is available on the left, and detailed information with the option to click through to more is on the right.

The rentals tab provides options for further movies to rent if you run out of titles in the standard library for the month. There is a slider at the top of the page with movies under the spotlight, and then a grid of further movies can be scrolled through.

The feed is a unique feature which shows what the community is talking about at the time. Meanwhile, the Notebook is Mubi’s daily international film publication where you can read up on movies in the industry.

Compatible devices and system requirements

There are a range of devices you can watch Mubi on. These are:

• Apple TV
• Google Chromecast
• Amazon Fire TV
• Roku
• Sony
• Samsung
• Android TV
• LG
• PS3
• PS4
• Nvidia Shield
• iOS
• Android
• Safari 9 and above
• Chrome 68 and above
• Firefox 69 and above
• Internet Explorer 11 or Edge

Films can be downloaded on Android phones and tablets, iPads and iPhones. They are available for offline streaming in HD once the app has been downloaded from either the App Store or Google Play.

To watch on a bigger screen, simply use Airplay or Chromecast to put movies on TVs. You can watch on up to 5 devices, and 2 screens at the same time.

How to cancel Mubi

• Log in to your Mubi account
• Click on Your Account
• Navigate to your account settings
• Go to the Subscription tab
• Head to your software title
• Click on Billing and Payment
• Click on Cancel Subscription
• Email [email protected] and ask them to cancel your subscription

Plans, trials and subscription options

There is generally a free trial available with Mubi. This will be either seven days or 30 days depending on your location and the promotion the streamer is offering at the time. As for membership, this is $10.99 a month, and additional rentals tend to cost between $2.99 and $5.99 each.

Competitors

Mubi’s strongest point is obviously the breadth of movies it offers to subscribers. Those who use the service regularly will gain access to many more titles than those with a Netflix or Disney Plus subscription, because the content rotation is much more frequent. For those who like to watch old movies, Netflix will not have a good collection in comparison and Disney Plus has a vault which is limited to its own titles. Similarly, Hulu will not tend to have movies made before around 1970. Furthermore, Mubi offers international titles where many competitors do not.

What we think of Mubi

Mubi is a great service for those who enjoy global cinema and old movies. Those who grew up watching such titles will enjoy having access to a huge range of handpicked titles in heavy rotation on a monthly basis, for a reasonable regular cost. The ability to download offline content and watch titles on a range of devices means that Mubi can keep up with its streaming competitors easily.

The features where Mubi pushes the boat out are the feed and the Notebook. No other streaming service (to our knowledge) provides an integrated community and online publication to open up discussion about titles on the platform. These features allow people who are into the niche cinema world to truly become immersed in it.

There are a few downsides with Mubi, as there will be with any streaming service. For example, the video games consoles compatible with the platform are limited to PlayStation models. Additionally, the rental prices may be considered too high by some, especially for those who watch multiple titles a week and may run out of content on the standard subscription. Finally, this service is clearly not for those who only have a casual interest in mainstream movies.

Is Mubi worth it?

Mubi has a niche audience in mind, so it will be worth it if you are seriously into old movies and want easy access to a huge range which is constantly in rotation. Those who watch movies as a way to chill out won’t necessarily get this from the content library with Mubi, as these films are designed to be appreciated for their artistic merit and thought about in terms of the issues they raise.

It’s a good way to begin experimenting with global cinema through the ages without spending too much money. The free trial allows people to see if it’s for them, and the monthly subscription can be cancelled at any time. Unique features such as the feed for movie lovers to share updates and the online publication provide a top notch, immersive experience for those who enjoy cinema to this extent. If this is a world you want to be part of, Mubi is the service for you.