Making Sense of the Rating Scale

The rating scale I use for movies was developed in the Fall of 2002 for my Freshman Year Seminar course (an alternative composition & speech class). All we did was watch movies and wrote papers about them. As a class we devised a 5-star rating scale in order to rate the films we saw. Over the years, I have refined my standards for each level little by little and feel pretty confident with where they are now. Click below for a more detailed description of each level of the scale.

As my professor explained in class, this rating cannot possibly exist while they are still making films. Unless a piece of cinema is literally handed down from Heaven, you will never see a 5-star rating on this site.

4.75 Stars: The few and the proud, these are the films that (in my opinion) deserve to be considered as some of the greatest films ever made. Everything about them defines greatness in cinema. These are the films that change lives, minds and ways of thinking. Watching these films is almost comparable to having a religious experience.

4.5 Stars: These films stand out as the pinnacle of their respective genre. Be it a gritty drama or a gut-busting comedy, there is something magical about these films that make them classics. They are worth nothing short of a standing ovation.

4.25 Stars: This rating is actually one of the most enigmatic on my scale. These films make you want to jump out of your seat like a 4-star film but they go a step further. Something about these films touches you on an emotional level that a 4-star cannot, yet that magical feeling isn't as permanent as a 4.5-star film might induce. These tend to be either sentimental marvels or special event watches.

4 Stars: After seeing one of these films, you just want to jump up from your seat and shout out in triumph. A 4-star film isn't the rarest of creatures but when one does befall your eyes, it reinvigorates your love for the movies all over again.

3.75 Stars: Be they charming, hilarious or thrilling, these films are your crowd-pleasing favorites. As wonderful as these films can be, there is just something holding them on the cusp of greatness. Usually this boils down to the devotion to the craft of filmmaking on display. Many people will say these films are great because they entertain but a truly great film hits you on a deeper level.

3.5 Stars: These are solidly good films. Just about everything clicks and fits the way it should and will impress you on more than just the level of entertainment. A 3.5-star film gets the job done and does it well.

3.25 Stars: These films are solid entertainers and are almost always watchable. They usually don't try anything risky or noteworthy with the filmmaking craft but they are always worth another viewing at almost any time.

3 Stars: All the hard work pays off but perhaps not as well as the filmmakers were hoping for. These films have enough merit and substance to rise above the level of 'guilty pleasure.'

2.75 Stars: Films fall into this category for a number of reasons. All of them are enjoyable on one level or another. Some are close to being good but not well enough put together to deserve a 3-star rating. Others are straight-up guilty pleasures- those films you shouldn't like as much as you do but do anyway. While 2.75 may not be a rating to shoot for, it at least means a film has something going for it.

2.5 Stars: If someone asks you what you think of a movie and your gut reaction is to say that it's 'alright,' this is where you'll likely find it on the scale. Some of these films may have been made for a specific audience that doesn't include me. Others are merely not good enough to be considered anything more than average. Whatever the reason, they fail to grip the casual viewer and leave you shrugging your shoulders in indifference.

2.25 Stars: This rating goes to films which, while possibly entertaining, are officially passable. They might be worth watching if there is nothing else on but you would likely be hard pressed to recommend anyone to spend money to see it.

2 Stars: While they may contain some form of cinematic merit somewhere between reels, these films don't really faze you all that much. At their worst, they are a minor disappointment but not one that you get too worked up over.

1.75 Stars: While these films are always going to be considered disappointments, this rating signifies that there is potential somewhere amidst all the muck holding it down. A few bright ideas get lost in a sea of faults which may include poor writing, acting, effects or directing.

1.5 Stars: Films like these either got royally screwed up in the execution or only had a marginal amount of potential in the first place. These films will fail to hold up your suspension of disbelief and leave you feeling cheated.

1.25 Stars: These films fly in the face of common sense and rational thought. Suspension of disbelief isn't even an option here. You will either be annoyed with yourself for having wasted your time (and possibly money) or you will have a good time by laughing at the absurdity of it all.

1 Star: The only excuse for films at this level and below to exist is monetary gain. Somewhere along the line, someone hatched a plot to make a few quick bucks off of poor, unsuspecting moviegoers. Chances are you will be angry at the filmmakers for making this film and equally angry at yourself for watching it.

0.75 Stars: You only watch a film of this low quality for one of two reasons. Someone either lied to you about the film's quality or you are actively seeking out stinkers like these to make fun of while you watch. This is the point of no return for potential. If there is any, drawing it out through re-writes and better casting would prove too costly to be worth it.

0.5 Stars: At this point, you better just be seeking a good time from mocking a bad movie. Otherwise you may be too naïve for your own good. Anyone with a lick of common sense can smell the badness from a mile away.

0.25 Stars: These films will test your endurance and tolerance for bad movies. They make no sense whatsoever and are of the lowest cinematic quality imaginable. If you force a friend to watch a film like this, you may soon find yourself short one friend.

Just like the Perfect Film, this rating does not exist on my site. As long as they keep making movies, the chance exists that someone will create something even worse than all the garbage that has come before it.