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Netflix's Cowboy Bebop TV series review: A rare success

Netflix's Cowboy Bebop TV series review: A rare success

There's nothing quite like Cowboy Bebop. The stylized, over-the-top galaxy-spanning sci-fi adventure combines the pacing of an old-school Hong Kong action film with the melodrama of classic westerns -- all to the tune of a bumping jazz soundtrack. The landmark 1998 anime series focusing on space cowboys and lost souls was, simply put, a vibe, and a richly eclectic one at that.

It's no secret Cowboy Bebop is among one of the more sacred and influential anime shows of the last 20 years, and it's a series I have fond admiration for. That's what made the prospect of a live-action adaptation something to feel a little apprehension about.

Thankfully, Netflix's debut season of the live-action Cowboy Bebop is not only a fun, thrilling romp that gets the vibrant, soulful gestalt of the original series. It also leaves its own mark in ways that sometimes improves upon the anime from creator Shinichirō Watanabe. It starts streaming Friday. 

Like the original, the live-action Cowboy Bebop sees a dysfunctional crew of bounty hunters riding a thin line between poverty and comfortable squalor in the distant future. Throughout the 10-episode season, the trio of bounty hunters -- Spike Spiegel (John Cho), Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda), and Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir) -- take on different jobs across the galaxy. These gigs entangle them with oddball criminals and unnerving villains, and tug at various threads connected to the tragic pasts of each character.

The backbone of the new series is the chemistry between the trio of bounty hunters. When they're not arguing over food and minor inconveniences, they get caught up in missions across different planets stuck in a culturally stagnated society gripped by late-stage capitalism. Cho's portrayal of the aloof but always cunning Spike is a fantastic turn for the actor. Cho manages to nail Spike's natural cool and swagger, along with his iconic fluffy hair. When Spike's murky past comes to light, Cho effectively shows his character's darker side.

Jet Black is the rock of the crew, serving as the unofficial captain of the Bebop -- the ship they use to travel across the galaxy. Shakir's take on the character is a dead ringer for his animated counterpart. He perfectly captures the deadpan nature of Jet while also showing his tenderness when bonding with his crew and loved ones.

But the clear standout is Pineda as femme fatale Faye Valentine. Pineda's take is not only true to the seductive and ruthless nature of Faye, but adds a far more playful and endearing spin. She's an absolute blast to watch on screen and elevates an already great cast, giving the trio of bounty hunters a charming sense of camaraderie.

Spike, Jet and Faye (plus Ein, the "Data Dog") make for a fun group of characters to hang with.

Netflix

Generally, characters mirror their anime counterparts, but a notable deviation concerns Vicious (Alex Hassell) and Julia (Elena Satine), Spike's primary antagonist and long-lost love, respectively. They have greater dimension in the Netflix series, and are given more to do within the plot -- which is an interesting if serviceable dive into the murkier side of the criminal underworld in the far future. The two characters have actual pathos and weight in the story. Hassell in particular looks like he relishes every scene he's in as Vicious, while Satine casts some ambiguity in Julia's presence, particularly during the later episodes.

While I generally liked what the live-action show does for Vicious and Julia, a part of me felt that their collective climax was underdeveloped, even though I liked the direction it sets for future seasons. With an ensemble cast, the show spends a lot of time juggling different storylines, and unfortunately, Vicious and Julia's arc suffers as a result.

The live-action show also updates some of the more unsavory aspects of the original series that's better left in the past. The anime featured several antiquated views of sexuality. The live-action show addresses this by revamping characters, such as Gren (Mason Alexander Park), who's now a recurring, nonbinary character with more relevance to the story. Some episodes from the anime series featured dated stereotypes of gay and transgender characters, so it's great to see the new show giving these characters a more enlightened and meaningful presence.

While the new series uses many familiar characters, storylines and iconic scenes as building blocks, its more serialized plot deviates from the anime in great ways that I won't spoil here. Instead of the largely episodic nature of the original, with many episodes isolated from the larger plot, the live-action show carries a more connected story thread throughout the season. This consistency helps lay out the framework of 2071's galactic civilization and the many unsavory and endearing characters within.

Daniella Pineda shines as Faye Valentine.

Netlix

It also dives deeper into the original series' lesser-seen and unknown aspects, which I found super enticing. Early episodes keep things simple, but the floodgates gradually open, explaining civilization "post-Earth" and how life has become complicated following humanity's forced expansion to the stars. The live-action show does well to illustrate the scope of Cowboy Bebop's universe, and despite keeping things low-key, the ambition and craft is still there.

There's plenty of action to see unfold throughout the season, which seamlessly blends together fierce martial-arts brawls and John Woo-style gun battles. While the show is stylized in its approach to action and set pieces, the actors can't contort and bend in the same impossible ways as their animated counterparts. This leaves some of the more heightened action scenes feeling subdued and scaled back, which can come at odds with the pacing of the story. Still, there are thrilling moments that switch between exciting and cool-looking fights and truly gruesome moments.

I did enjoy seeing this rearrangement of stories put together to tell a more connected plot, and it was nice seeing moments and characters foreshadowed. However, the Netflix series does sometimes struggle to keep its momentum going, especially after a strong set of opening episodes. This is especially felt in the back end of the season, with some characters and plot threads feeling undercooked. Still, the live action series managed to win me back over with its endearing sense of style and lovable characters, which closed the season out with a nice twist and a tease for what's to come.

The anime series was very much a show of its era, and the live-action show retains that late-'90s aesthetic, featuring retro technology like CRT monitors and analog computers. This gives the sense of the show's universe feeling uncomfortable and lived-in, with characters clinging to worn down and broken relics of the past -- both technological and philosophically. It's a visually pleasing and grounded look at life in space.

Several of the anime's iconic moments are re-created, with some twists, in the Netflix series.

Netflix

Just like the anime, there's an active element of social commentary in Netflix's show, casting a light on capitalism in space and how life has been devalued in the future. While it's largely in the periphery, there is a compelling anti-capitalist undercurrent throughout, with characters decrying the rise of corporations and how the police serve the ruling class. This in turns helps to elevate the original series' setting and premise, making it feel all the more poignant as a show in 2021.

The new series mostly succeeds at re-creating and expanding upon the original's signature style and soulful tone. One of the reasons for that is original composer Yoko Kanno's work on the live-action series. Classic songs like Rush, Green Bird and The Real Folk Blues return too. But because Kanno and her band The Seatbelts produced an entirely new soundtrack for the show, the music feels equally nostalgic and fresh. If you told me these songs were from a lost album from the original show, I'd believe it.

Netflix's Cowboy Bebop stays close to the spirit of the original series, but it truly is at its best when it does its own thing. It doesn't always stick the landing, and some aspects of the show might be better left for animation, yet those stumbles don't take away from the fact that I still had a blast binging through the season. It's one of the rare successful live-action adaptations, and Netflix's Cowboy Bebop is a fun and solid first outing that works as a nice companion to the original series. It may not hit every right note, but it's got a spark that'll keep the music going.

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23 great iPhone games you can download right now

23 great iPhone games you can download right now

PlayStation and Xbox consoles are harder to buy than ever right now, but who needs 'em? After all, you carry a gaming machine in your pocket with you everywhere you go. The iOS ecosystem is home to a dizzying array of fantastic games you can play, many of which are optimized for your iPhone. In fact, there are so many games out there that cutting through them all can be overwhelming. What should you skip and what should you play?

This is a list of 23 titles that are worth your time. There's a hugely diverse range of games to play on your iPhone or iPad (check out a list of games that work particularly well on iPad here), which means there's something for everyone. There are games that give you deep roleplaying experiences and there are games to pick up and play for two minutes at a time -- plus everything in between. 

Florence

Price: $3

Annapurna Interactive

Florence is a game so nice that it's been ported to other platforms -- namely Windows, MacOS and the Switch. That's something you can say about few other games that were designed for iOS. It's a game that follows 25-year-old Florence Yeoh as she falls in love with a cellist named Krish. The gameplay takes the form as minigames that progress the story and all up it'll take about 40 minutes to finish. But it's a 40 minutes you won't soon forget.

Call of Duty Mobile

Price: Free

Activision Blizzard

The latest Call of Duty to hit consoles is the World War 2-era Vanguard, but you don't need to shell out $60 to play Call of Duty. The free-to-play mobile title is obviously not as technically breathtaking as its console brethren, but it gets a lot out of your mobile's hardware. More importantly, it plays surprisingly well. It features popular maps from previous Call of Duty games, and has a control scheme that makes playing on your phone much less awkward than you'd expect. 

Tetris Beat

Price: Apple Arcade subscription ($5 a month)

Apple

You already know if you'll like Tetris Beat or not because it is, among other things, Tetris. As you can tell by the name, this take on the classic puzzle game integrates music, with three modes all designed around playing Tetris in tune with a beat. Tetris Beat is a fantastic addition to any home screen because it's easy to pick up and play -- and doesn't require you to return each and every day if you don't feel like it. 

Slayaway Camp

Price: $3

Blue Wizard Digital LP

In Slayaway Camp, you play the villain in a series of slasher movies and you need to hit all the teen counselors at a summer camp. The graphics are voxel-based, which keeps the gore-fest entertainingly cartoony and every detail has been lovingly thought about -- from the "rewind" option when you fall to the scattered bones you leave in your wake. Some levels have limits or special features (such as fires) to help you dispatch your victims (and provide hazards that you need to avoid yourself) and you can even earn coins to unlock special kills. For such a bloodthirsty premise, it's an utter joy.

PUBG

Price: Free

PUBG Mobile

You can't go very far in gaming without finding a battle royale right now and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, better known as PUBG, was the game that kicked off the trend. It's since been eclipsed in popularity by Fortnite -- which is notoriously unavailable on iOS and Android -- but remains a reliably good time. One hundred people are dropped into an area, the last one standing is the winner. Enjoy your chicken dinner!

Fantasian

Price: Apple Arcade subscription ($5 a month)

After three long years, Fantasian is finally on the way.

Apple

Fantasian hit Apple Arcade with a huge amount of hype, thanks in large part to it being written by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. Released over two parts -- the first in April, the second in August -- this is a fully featured JRPG. It'll take you over 40 hours to finish, during which time you'll slay many a beast and see several beautifully crafted environments. Really, the art style is something special: The team created over 100 dioramas and scanned them to create pre-rendered backgrounds. It's worth downloading just to look at, if nothing else. 

Clusterduck

Price: Free

PikPok

Between this, Untitled Goose Game and The Falconeer, our avian friends are really enjoying some time in the sun. Clusterduck is a weird game: It's all about hatching duck eggs. The more eggs are hatched, the more mutations occur, the more chaos ensues. It's quirky, silly fun. 

Hyper Light Drifter

Price: $5

Heart Machine

There's one thing you'll ask yourself as you play through Hyper Light Drifter: What the hell is going on? It's a game that seems to take pleasure in giving you almost nothing to work with, in forcing you to figure everything out on your own. That means story and gameplay too. But those who manage to hang in there will be rewarded with a beautifully atmospheric adventure, one animated by pixelated '80s anime art style. 

Rolling Sky 2

Price: Free

Cheetah Technology

Published in 2019, Rolling Sky 2 is a throwback to mobile games developed a decade ago. It's a runner game, meaning the character on screen is forever running forward and it's your job to guide them past dangerous obstacles and traps. The mechanics are simply -- simply move your finger from side to side -- but the onscreen flourishes are not. Rolling Sky 2 integrates music and a beautiful art style to make this simple experience a satisfying one too. 

Out There

Price: $1

Mi-Cos Studio

Out There is a game about survival and strategy, carefully managing your resources as you travel the stars. It's also a tale of ultimate, lonely isolation. It tells the tale of an astronaut who wakes from cryosleep to find that he's no longer in orbit around Jovian moon Ganymede -- in fact, he's not even in the solar system. He has no idea where he is and has only unreliable alien technology as a guide home. You have to carefully manoeuvre through dangerous situations and manage resources as you navigate the stars -- because when your astronaut dies, it's game over. And all the while, you have no way of knowing if what you seek is truly the way home.

Mini Motorways

Price: Apple Arcade subscription ($5 a month)

Dinosaur Polo Club Twitter

Finally, a game for all the kids who dreamed of growing up to be a traffic engineer. Mini Motorways is a strategy puzzle game that's all about building the best road layout for growing cities. If building houses that connect houses to buildings doesn't sound like your idea of fun, Mini Motorways' charming visuals and score will absolutely win you over. 

Her Story

Price: $4

Sam Barlow

Her Story is a game about a video search engine. Well, that and a murder. A woman's husband was killed and she's a suspect. Your job is to sift through video footage of police interviewing said woman. You do this by typing words into a search engine and watching the videos that pop up -- which will give you more clues and in turn lead to more searches. Basic gameplay, but incredibly creative storytelling: Her Story was won many accolades, including being named GameSpot's Game of the Month in June of 2015.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Price: Free

Nintendo

Animal Crossing was always big, but last year's New Horizons boosted the franchise into a new stratosphere of popularity. If you've wanted to play Animal Crossing but don't have a Switch, note that Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is still very much viable, despite being released in 2017. It's a smaller scale experience than New Horizons, as you'll be building a campsite rather than an entire island, but it's full of the same charm that's made Animal Crossing a titan.

Alto's Odyssey

Price: $5

Snowman

Alto's Odyssey is a followup game to Alto's Adventure. Both are very similar: They're endless runners, except instead of running it's downhill boarding. Odyssey takes place in the desert, so you're sandboarding, while Adventure has Alto snowboarding. Most importantly, both have a striking, mesmorizing visual style. This is a great game to download for easy pick-up-and-play sessions.

Helix Jump

Price: Free

Voodoo

Helix Jump by Voodoo is a tactile puzzle game that's incredibly deceptive in its simplicity. The goal is to bounce a ball down a labyrinth by falling strategically through the cracks on each level without falling on a red zone. Sounds easy, right? Not so fast. With the fun frustration that came with tap and drag games like Flappy Bird and many others since, Helix Jump will have you screaming at the screen, then coming back for "just one more." The haptic response when the ball bounces is also a nice touch.

Oxenfree

Price: Free

Night School Studio

A group of friends hanging out on a beach take a turn for the worse when the teens accidentally open a ghostly rift. Soon the group is fighting for survival, struggling through time loops and doubting if everyone is truly who they say they are. Oxenfree calls itself a "supernatural teen thriller," but deftly avoids tropes and cliches, providing characters with depth and a fascinating, eerie plot. It's a quick game you could play in one sitting, but there's multiple endings so you can always go back.

A Normally Lost Phone

Plug In Digital

Price: $2

Like many games on this list, A Normally Lost Phone is all about narrative. Moreso than other entries here though, this really is a case of "the less you know the better". There are two things you need to know: first, that it's a game about discovering a phone and piecing together information about its owner. Second, it's absolutely worth a download.

What Remains of Edith Finch

Price: $5

Gamespot

What Remains of Edith Finch rules. Through a series of minigames, it recounts the history of the Finch family and the alleged curse that led to its downfall. It'll take you about two hours to beat What Remains of Edith Finch and the game takes you on a remarkable emotional journey during that time. Sadness, laughter, horror and hope; you'll feel it all. 

Framed

Loveshack

Price: $4

Words can't do Framed justice: It really is one of the more unusual concepts we have seen in some time. The entire game takes place without words, as it's laid out as a completely wordless noir comic, with our protagonists avoiding being spotted by law while double-crossing each other. Gameplay is not action-based, but context-based. You have to examine each page, shifting the panels around to make sure that events occur in the order that sees our hero escape clean, getting the jump on police or sneaking past. Although it may sound good, that's nothing compared to how satisfying it is to experience.

And if you dig it, a sequel, Framed 2, was released in 2017.

League of Legends: Wild Rift

Riot Games

Price: Free

There's not much to say about League of Legends: Wild Rift outside of the fact that it's a modified version of the insanely popular League of Legends PC game. Do you like League of Legends? Have you ever wanted to try it? If the answer to either question is a yes, Wild Rift is for you. 

Hearthstone

Price: Free

Activision Blizzard

Hearthstone is a spinoff of the Warcraft franchise, a card game building on the lore of Blizzard's wildly popular MMO series. It's unusual for a mobile game in that it's become an esports staple, with the player count reaching 100 million in 2018. Yes, it's a bit overwhelming to start Hearthstone in 2021, but Blizzard has updates planned up through 2023, so it's worth the time investment. 

Monument Valley 2

Price: $5

ustwo games

Monument Valley was a smash hit when it came out in 2014, combining clever puzzles with simple-but-striking visuals. Its sequel, 2017's Monument Valley 2, adds to it with even more visual flair and, perhaps more significantly, a more pronounced story. Monument Valley is about solving puzzles and it's also a game about mothers and daughters, and the ties between on generation and the next. 

Pokemon Go

Price: Free

Niantic

OK, I know what you're thinking. You already know about Pokemon Go -- like approximately everyone on planet Earth, you probably gave it a go in 2016. But Pokemon Go was far more than a temporary phenom, and in fact had its most profitable year in 2020. Developer Niantic has drastically improved the game over the years, adding new Pokemon, integrated Pokemon battles with human and AI trainers, community events, raids and more. Give Go another chance.

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Netflix Review: Still the Best Streaming Service

Netflix Review: Still the Best Streaming Service

When you think of streaming TV shows and movies, there's a good chance that Netflix is comes to mind first. Though competition from rivals like HBO Max and Disney Plus is fierce, it's still the best choice for streaming entertainment, period. 

Netflix includes a wide variety of familiar network shows and more original series, films, documentaries and specials than any of its myriad competitors. Despite challenges with retaining subscribers and a price bump, the world's first major streaming service remains our favorite choice thanks to its huge library of constantly refreshed content and its easy accessibility across different devices. In 2021, Netflix won 44 Emmys, making history and racking up more than the next two media companies combined. If you're looking for something new to watch, Netflix should be your top choice.  

Like

• Strong recommendation engine
• Easy to use across different devices
• Offline downloads available
• Extensive list of movies and shows
• Massive selection of original programs
• No commercials

Don't Like

• Cost for premium plans is on the higher end
• Can't watch shows as they air on other networks

Depending on the plan you choose, Netflix costs between $10 and $20 per month, which is at the higher end for a streaming service, as you can see in the chart below. Its recent price increase shook up the streaming world and moved Netflix closer to HBO Max in terms of cost. However, the pricier package lets you watch up to four screens at once, and create different user profiles, so in theory, you could split it among friends to lower the price. Thanks to its sheer variety and number of new things to watch, Netflix also gives you the most bang for your buck.

Streaming Services Compared

	Netflix	Peacock	HBO Max	Disney Plus	Apple TV Plus	Amazon Prime Video	Hulu
Monthly price	Starts at $9.99	Basic free with ads, ad-free for $5	$9.99 for basic with ads, $14.99 for ad-free	$7.99	$4.99	$8.99 (or included with $140/year Prime membership)	Basic $6.99 with ads, ad-free Premium for $12.99, Live TV for $70
Ads	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes
Top titles	Stranger Things, Squid Game, Bridgerton, Ozark, Money Heist	The Office, 30 Rock, Bel-Air, early access to Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon	Game of Thrones, Dune, Euphoria, DC titles	The Mandalorian, Loki, Encanto, Obi-Wan Kenobi	Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, CODA, Severance	Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Boys, Reacher, The Wheel of Time	Handmaid's Tale, Pen15, The Great, Bob's Burgers
Mobile downloads	Yes	Yes (Premium Plus plan)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
4K HDR available	Yes (on Premium plan)	No	Yes (limited titles)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Number of streams:	1 (2 for Standard, 4 on Premium)	3	3	4	6	2	2 (Unlimited with Live TV $9.99 add-on)

How Netflix started vs. how it's going

Between 2012-2013, Netflix premiered its first original TV shows, including Lilyhammer, House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black. Today, it has a catalog of more than 1,500 original TV shows and movies, including global hits like Stranger Things, Emmy winners such as Bridgerton, The Queen's Gambit and The Crown, as well as Oscar-nominated movies such as The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick… Boom! and The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Though the company's been known for its commercial-free streaming experience since its inception, there are plans to introduce an ad-supported tier before 2022 ends. Additionally, Netflix aims to crackdown on password sharing by charging a fee for extra users on an account. The program is still in the pilot phase, but the days of crowdfunding your Netflix subscription may soon be over. 

As of 2022, Netflix has more than 220 million paid subscribers across 190 countries, after seeing a major spike in users during the pandemic. A dent in its subscriber base caused numbers to drop by 200,000, but there are still reasons to keep the service, with the main draw being its content.  

What shows and movies does Netflix have?

Netflix may have had the first-to-market advantage in the world of streaming services, but it's kept its momentum with its increasing number of original shows and movies -- many of which have won critical acclaim and major awards and nominations.   

Compared to other streaming platforms, you can't beat Netflix's slate of original TV shows that are now considered among the best of the modern era of television, including those mentioned above plus many more, such as Squid Game, Ozark, Never Have I Ever, Money Heist and Cobra Kai.

Read more:  Netflix: The 49 Absolute Best TV Shows to Watch

Outside of TV shows, Netflix's original programs include a wide range of comedies, dramas, foreign films and shows, documentary series, anime, stand-up comedy specials and reality dating and competition shows. Not all of them are runaway hits, but many of them are, and there's enough to explore interesting shows that may not have found a home on traditional network TV. And at a time when going to the movies is more fraught than it once was, Netflix offers a place to find new films: In 2022 alone, Netflix is set to release over 100 new movies, at least one per week. The selection spans across genres and geography, and includes K-dramas, animated features, and fantasy book adaptations.

Stranger Things is one of Netflix's powerhouse originals. 

Netflix

Netflix typically adds shows a full season at a time, though not while a show is airing on network TV -- so if you don't have cable or another platform like Hulu, you'll have to wait to watch for a few months to watch seasons in full. 

One complaint: Netflix content sometimes can come and go without warning. The only way to tell if something is leaving the service in the next 30 days is if you happen to tap on the details page for the given show or movie -- or search online for everything coming and going in a given month.

Another potential content issue to flag: In recent years Netflix has lost some of its most popular content (such as The Office, which moved to NBC's Peacock, Daredevil, which moved to Disney Plus and Friends, which moved to HBO Max) as other networks created their own streaming services. While it started as an online video store that was trying to offer every movie and TV series online, it may be slowly becoming more akin to the old HBO -- mostly featuring its own original programming, complemented with some things it licenses from other companies.

What's it like to use Netflix? 

I first subscribed to Netflix back in the first streaming days of 2007, so using the platform feels like second nature at this point. Even if you're new to it, it's pretty user-friendly: Open the app and tap on your profile (if you have one set up), and you'll see a homepage. You'll see Popular on Netflix, Continue Watching, Trending Now, Top Picks for you and a number of (sometimes oddly specific) other categories based on shows you've watched before. Mine include Critically-acclaimed Witty TV Comedies and Suburban-dysfunction TV Comedies, for example. 

Netflix's design encourages scrolling -- there are so many different categories to look through, and then shows and movies within those categories to continue scrolling into. You can create a watch list to help you cut down on this, but the vast, colorful library makes it easy to spend more time looking through options than actually watching a show, so be careful.

The Netflix app operates similarly across various devices. My home page on the web browser is nearly identical to that on my Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV Stick, both in content and layout. It's more condensed on the smaller iPhone and Android phone screens, but still follows the same format, and has a clear "Downloads" tab to find content to save to watch offline on your device. 

Rows and rows of content on Netflix can keep you busy.

James Martin/CNET

One difference between devices is voice commands: You might find it more or less difficult to fire up a Netflix show from your device's home screen depending on which voice-capable device you're using.

For example, when you say, "Watch Stranger Things" on the Apple TV and the iOS app on iPhone, it will first have you click which specific show (Stranger Things or Beyond Stranger Things), and then will take you to an Apple TV page for the show, and there it will give you the option to open Netflix and start episode 1. On Amazon Fire TV Stick, you can say, "Watch Stranger Things," and it will open Netflix automatically if you're logged into the app. On the Roku 4K stick, if you say, "Watch Stranger Things," it will take you right to the first episode in the app. Those are more hardware-side concerns, but interesting to note. 

Once you're in the Netflix app, though, voice commands work the same across devices: Go to the Search tab, hold the microphone button to dictate, and say the name of the show you're looking for. 

When you select a show or movie to watch, you have the option to fast-forward, rewind, add subtitles and change your audio settings. If you have a Premium account and a big enough 4K TV, watching in Ultra HD makes for a very cinematic experience. The show or movie you choose will also show up in your "Continue watching" section at the top of your homepage for easier access. 

How much does Netflix cost? 

Netflix offers three pricing plans: Basic, Standard and Premium. Here is how the costs and features break down:

Netflix plans

	Basic	Standard	Premium
Monthly price	$10	$15.50	$20
Number of screens you can watch on at the same time	1	2	4
Number of phones or tablets you can have downloads on	1	2	4
HD available	No	Yes	Yes
Ultra HD available	No	No	Yes

All plans include the ability to watch on any device, and the full, unlimited collection of movies and TV shows. All allow cancellation at any time. Netflix also offers a one-month free trial. 

Netflix's Basic plan costs more than Prime Video ($9 per month), more than Hulu's ad-based plan ($7 per month) but less than its more comparable no-ads plan ($13 per month). If you're on a shared Netflix account with family, chances are it's a Premium one ($20 per month) -- if you're actually splitting it between four people, that's only $5 per month each, and a strong value for all of the original content available, including some in 4K Ultra HD. Plus: No commercials on any plan. 

What features do you get on Netflix? 

Outside of general streaming, if you have the Standard or Premium plan, you can create different profiles for different users, and find your own list of personalized recommendations. 

Netflix's recommendation game is strong, from "Because you watched" carousels that have been improved by the new "two thumbs up" feature, to the option to remove content from your home page, to its "Play Something" shuffle feature for when you're unsure what to stream.

The platform also has a particularly appealing kid's section, with a solid catalog of content including CoComelon, Pokemon: Master Journeys and Trolls: The Beat Goes On! and a much more kid-friendly user interface – including the mystery box feature added earlier this year.

If you subscribe to the Premium plan, you can watch certain shows and movies in 4K Ultra HD on 4K TVs. You'll need a steady internet connection speed of at least 25 megabits per second, and streaming quality set to Auto or High. 

Netflix has more 4K content than just about any other streaming service, and a lot of its 4K shows and movies are also available in HDR. High dynamic range provides an even bigger improvement in image quality than 4K according to CNET's tests, with better contrast and color, and the difference is especially apparent on large, higher-end televisions. Netflix supports the two major HDR formats, generic HDR (aka HDR-10) as well as Dolby Vision. If you have a device that handles Dolby Vision, Netflix will play content (if available) in that format by default.

You can search for a selection of 4K TV shows and movies on the service with the Premium plan.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Data usage varies by format, ranging from about 1GB per hour for the standard-definition video to up to 7GB per hour for the highest-quality 4K streams. Downloading and streaming take up a similar amount of data, according to Netflix. If you want to avoid having Netflix eat up all of your data, you can take certain steps laid out on Netflix's website to adjust your data usage settings. 

All subscribers can download TV shows and movies on the Netflix app on mobile devices for offline viewing, though certain titles aren't available to download. 

Read more: 9 Handy Netflix Tricks That Can Help Make Streaming Better

Should you get it? 

Netflix remains my favorite streaming platform of the increasingly large bunch. It has a huge selection of movies and TV shows old and new, tons of high-quality original programs, and an easy-to-navigate interface. 

Even though it no longer offers a free trial, it's worth trying Netflix for a month if you want something new to watch.

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Hollywood's Next Hit Could Be Based on an NFT -- And You'd Never Know It

Hollywood's Next Hit Could Be Based on an NFT -- And You'd Never Know It

In 1994, True Lies was a massive hit, raking in almost $400 million at the box office. That makes sense: It starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood history, and was helmed by James Cameron, fresh off directing Terminator 2.

But how many people watched La Totale, the French movie it was based on?

That's the question on John Wick creator Derek Kolstad's mind. In between writing Netflix's upcoming Splinter Cell show, Kolstad is penning an eight-episode anime show, based on Forgotten Runes Wizard's Cult.

If you've never heard of Forgotten Runes, that's probably because you don't spend your nights surfing NFT marketplace OpenSea. It's an NFT collection that launched last July and consists of just under 10,000 fantasy characters. The question is simple: Is it possible for a show based on NFTs to cross over to a mainstream audience that may not even know what those three letters stand for?

"There's real life and there's what Web3 is doing, and there's a divide between the two," Kolstad said in a recent Zoom interview. "You [need] to bridge the divide by just making a good thing, a good thing that makes people say, 'What is this? It's based on something? What's that?'"

NFT collections, like the Bored Ape Yacht Club, typically feature thousands of different characters, as well as a loose story that ties them together. But NFTs are polarizing. They've been enthusiastically adopted by some, but are despised by many. Those working in the industry are aware that interest is too limited to market NFT adaptations, like a TV show, based on its crypto credentials alone.

But that doesn't mean NFT characters, stories and franchises can't be fodder for an adaptation that goes mainstream. Forgotten Runes is one of many NFT brands hoping to jump from the blockchain to the big screen.

"The number of [NFT owners] in a single collection is usually around 5,000," said Bryce Anderson, production executive at Clubhouse Pictures, which helped produce I, Tonya and Birds of Prey. "If that's your audience, it's not enough to make a global brand. We talk about our TV shows, and it's 500,000 people per week or you get canceled. That's what you need."

It won't be easy. Much of the hype around NFTs was generated by the speculative bubble that enveloped the crypto market in 2021. The crash of crypto prices in recent months has sedated that speculative mania, dampening enthusiasm for NFTs. Despite the cold winds of "crypto winter," many creators are trying to prove that NFTs are here to stay.

Similar to how some developers and engineers left the Silicon Valley giants to join the crypto industry, renowned creatives are exploring NFTs. Most notable are the celebrities. Seth Green is working on a show that will star his Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT. Reese Witherspoon's production house is working on a film and TV universe for the World of Women NFT collection. Equally important are the artists and scriptwriters, who've come from companies like Pixar and Marvel.

"You never know what something's going to become," said Bearsnake, one of Forgotten Runes' founders. Bearsnake declined to give his real name but verified to CNET that he ran creative at an entertainment startup acquired by Disney. "Hello Kitty started as a vinyl coin purse. Did they know it was going to turn into... one of the biggest media franchises in the world? No, but it found an organic way to where it is now."

28 of the NFTs in Forgotten Runes Wizard's Cult, a collection of 9,995 pixelated NFTs. 

Forgotten Runes/OpenSea

Fund a show, own a character

For some, the goal is for a universe created from an NFT collection to break through the cryptographic ceiling and go mainstream. Others see NFTs more practically: as a way to help fund productions.

"The biggest barrier for any young filmmaker has been finance," said Spike Lee during a talk at the NFT.NYC conference in June. "Where are you gonna get the money?"

Lee says technology has helped decentralize filmmaking, as amateurs can now shoot and edit video on their phones and laptops. Funding, however, continues to bedevil up-and-coming artists. Lee hopes NFTs can change that. He's piloting a program at New York University, where he teaches filmmaking, that will allow his students to fund projects by issuing NFTs.

"Films are still going to be made by the studios, and I think that NFTs will fit in the independent cinema," Lee said.

At the center of the premise is intellectual property. Punters can invest in up-and-coming filmmakers and the characters they create, just like they can invest in startup companies. The more popular those characters become, in theory, the bigger the returns.

IP bleeds into the second proposed benefit of media creation via the blockchain. Buying an NFT often means buying the IP for the depicted character -- and the right to build on top of that IP by creating a backstory. Many hope this can change the way films and TV are written and created.

Take Forgotten Runes. Wizard's Cult is a collection of 9,995, each depicting a different fantasy character: mages, warriors, alchemists, clairvoyants and more. Those who own an NFT get access to the Book of Lore, wherein they can write an official backstory for their character. Once it's written, it can't be changed -- even if the NFT is sold to another person.

It sounds like a recipe for chaos -- the internet is undefeated at loading unsuspecting platforms with offensive content -- but the idea is that self-interest will prevail. Worthwhile characters can be chosen to appear in Forgotten Runes' upcoming anime. If it becomes a hit, the characters within, and their attached NFT, become more valuable.

Writing fan fiction is technically illegal, points out Bearsnake, as it violates copyright law. The proposition, made by many NFT collections, is that franchises can be built quicker by embracing the passion of fans rather than merely tolerating it.

"Some of my favorite pieces of literature of the last 10 years, like actual literature, is stuff people wrote on the internet, and released on the internet, for free," said Clubhouse Picture's Anderson. "That was their creative impulse, and I think [NFTs help find] a way to let that live in a more public way."

Anderson is cocreator of Runner, an upcoming NFT collection. Runner takes place on a planet called Omega and focuses on The Omega Race, a contest that determines who rules the whole planet. It's being penned by Blaise Hemingway who, through the Disney Animation Story Trust, helped write Frozen and Big Hero 6.

Runner is an upcoming NFT collection. It's founded by Bryce Anderson and Bryan Unkeless, both of Clubhouse Pictures. Between them, they've worked on films like The Hunger Games and I, Tonya.

Runner

To Hemingway, the idea of NFT holders being able to create official backstories for their characters reminded him of being a kid and creating storylines for his Star Wars figurines.

"There could be a character that appears on screen for two seconds in a cantina scene, but what's that character's story?" he said. "We're following the story of about 12 central characters, but there's an entire world that has parallel stories going on that intersect with this."

Hemingway and Anderson have plans to adapt Runner to other mediums, though none are concrete yet. A film or TV expression seems inevitable given the team's credentials: Working with Hemingway and Anderson are Bryan Unkeless, producer of the Hunger Games, and Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, director of Snow White and the Huntsman.

NFTs going pop

The business models of NFT collections -- the ones that have business models in the first place -- often rely on the ability to break out into mainstream culture. But breaking out requires quality products, and quality products take a lot of time and effort to make.

Forgotten Runes is among the more ambitious NFT groups. Beyond the anime show, there's a comic book series that had its first issue in June, plans for a tabletop game and, curiously, even a cookbook. A Forgotten Runes massively multiplayer online role-playing game, or MMORPG, is in development and is due for release early next year.

The idea of creating a franchise and expanding it into different mediums is as old as Disney, said Bearsnake. What's new with NFTs is a set of tools that allows fans to play a more crucial role in that process. Those tools, however, create problems as well as solutions. Creators need to make products with mainstream appeal but also placate NFT investors who are mostly speculators, more interested in short-term hype than long-term vision.

"The majority of people in the space are really in it for financial gain, and that's OK," said Bearsnake. "I think there's a lot of unrealistic expectations from a lot of the community to the founders, because not everybody understands what goes into just even making a comic book. Like, that was hard."

It's a difficult time to be branching out. The past few months have been tough on all things crypto. Ether, the currency behind most NFTs, is down over 50% since the year began. That's tanked not only NFT valuations -- Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs are at about a third of their all-time-high -- but also mainstream interest in the arcane technology.

The circumstances for a blockchain blockbuster aren't the most auspicious, but NFT creators don't need to make the next True Lies. They just need to make the next La Totale.

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