Reviewed 2022-06-26 l Last update on 2022-06-26
Justin Santos founded Joy Bear Pictures back in 2003, and since then, he and his site have won several industry awards. His movies have the tag line of ‘Very British. Very naughty’, and to that, they could add very high quality, person-centred, well-made and sensitive. This is a different kind of porn, with high-end production values, storylines, and atmosphere. There’s plenty of well-shot hardcore, streams and downloads in HD, images and a model index. Membership is not expensive.
Things have moved on since our last review of Joy Bear. There is more content now (from 19 featured collections or DVDs up to 51, for example), a neater page layout, more models and, currently, a cheaper membership offer. The quality of the productions remains high, though, and it’s that quality that has put this company where it is. Their movies have always been ethical, the men using condoms and the porn being made as much for women as it is for men, and those ethical facets remains. They have also always had high production values, another aspect which is still in place, and they have always offered variety.
There is a page outlining the various categories of movies you’ll find, and these give us an idea of the amount of variety in the settings, storylines and action itself. There are romantic scenes, ones where women are in control, and there are lesbian movies. You will find some behind-the-scenes features and movies that take place entirely outdoors. There are couples together and also threesomes, a little bondage, and some solo toy play. You can search by category now, or you can simply follow the index pages and look through all 305 scenes.
There is also the ‘Features’ page where you have the DVDs. The scenes are arranged according to their feature, you can watch them scene by scene, and it’s another way of getting to your content. The other way is to find them under ‘Chapters’, and there, you find large sample shots with the scene’s title. Click through, and you come to a simple viewing page with a large screen in which to stream. There, you also find your download options and a description to introduce the movie.
Movies can be streamed and downloaded in four choices of resolution. The highest is 1,920 x 1,080 @ 7,800 kbps, which gives you great quality playback. The mid-range resolutions are also fine, and the mobile one will suit smaller devices, its resolution being 720 x 404 @ 1,100 kbps. The files are all Mp4 format, and downloads happen smoothly.
There are galleries attached to some, but not all, of these scenes and they are on the viewing pages with the videos. You might miss them at first because they are beneath the comments section, but scroll down and you will see a set of softcore pics and one of hardcore. You may only see four or five images, but click one, and the online viewing opens to bring you more (one set has 400 + softcore pics alone). These are shown at screen-fitting sizes online, but when downloaded are at 3,200 x 4,800 px, and just like the videos, the quality is faultless. Full sets are also available in zip files for easy downloading.
There are no bonuses with a Joy Bear membership, but there are some behind-the-scenes videos to take you right into the wonderful world of top-class porn. The things that still stand out about this site and its content are the quality and the sensitive approach to the porn. It remains hardcore, so don’t worry about that, but it’s not gratuitous, pointless hardcore. It’s born out of storyline movies worthy of any cinema. Joy Bear gives us believable characters to follow and feel for, and it also brings us very desirable models.
Joy Bear Pictures gives us very stylish content and a stylish members’ area. When you sign in, you launch straight into the latest content, although you have to click to the viewing pages to find the upload dates. In the past, updates were a bit hit and miss, but recently they have been weekly. The top menu gives you the chapter (scenes), features (DVDs if you like), the categories and the performers in the model index. Where there was some info about models, there isn’t any more, just links straight to their videos. The viewing pages give you a search box, the stream screen, and a download button, which expands to offer the four resolution choices in Mp4 format.
There are also links here to each of the models, a description and you're able to give the scenes a like. The site encourages members to get interactive with comments boxes, and beneath these, you find the galleries. So, everything you need per scene is on the one page. The categories let you filter by headings, and there are ways to rearrange the content on the index pages. All the good and standard navigation tools are there, but they are presented with grace, making every page a joy to view and use. There are no technical issues, but there are links to support if you need them.
The join page offers you four options. There’s a trial for three days at $2.95, which recurs at $29.95 per month thereafter. The monthly membership, however, is currently at only $14.95 for the first month with no restrictions, and this comes back at $24.95. The 12-month membership recurs each year at $99.95, and there is a two-year membership at $299.95. Beware two cross sales already checked on the card details page and uncheck them if you don't want to sign up to two other sites at the same time. You can pay by card or with PayPal.
Joy Bear Pictures continues to present us with thoughtful, high-quality movies with excellent production values, an eye to sensitivity and yet movies that are packed with character, storylines and, of course, hardcore. This British company has been going from strength to strength over the years, and now holds over 305 individual scenes, including some BTS bonuses. It employs a variety of categories and models, movies are exclusive and 1080p HD, and now, it is even more stylish than ever.
