How I Rate Movies
The main goal of this site is to inform you, the reader, about media that I think is worth your time. While most reviews come with a short description of what I did and didn't
like, I also make sure to include a star rating to help you quickly
understand how I felt about a movie.
My rating is a grade between 4 and 1
stars. A high score indicates a strong recommendation, the middle two are
"yes but" and "no but" respectively, and the lowest is reserved for
movies I absolutely couldn't stand.
Rating movies with this method can be tricky. There are plenty of
popular movies that don't do it for me, or widely panned movies
that I love. It's important to remember that my rating is not a
measure of something's objective goodness; it's whether I thought it was
worthwhile and think people with similar tastes will as well.
It's also worth noting that my ratings skew high: I get to choose what I watch and I tend to choose things I think I'll enjoy. Keep that in mind when you
see how many things earn a 4. It's a very different grade than a perfect 10
on something like IGN's rating system.
With that out of the way, let's go through what exactly each score means and
provide some concrete examples!
: Yes!
A 4 star rating is both my highest and my most common score. Movies in this bracket can be recommended emphatically. They may not be perfect, but I never felt bored while watching them. A 4 usually means that a movie excelled in multiple areas and the result is more than the sum of its parts. Another way to earn a 4 is to succeed so highly in a specific area (such as performances or direction) that any concerns are dropped by the wayside; they didn't stop my enjoyment.
If you want to see the absolute cream of the movie
crop, you can check my list of movies that were been the best
thing I
watched that year
Here are some recent movies that earned 4 stars:
It's sort of wild how this movie mixes a spectacularly raunchy comedy with a truly touching story about family and friendship. I'm not convinced it wouldn't be improved by focusing in on one or the other, but both of its disparate halves are excellent. There's just a bit of whiplash swapping between them.
It's sort of wild how this movie mixes a spectacularly raunchy comedy with a truly touching story about family and friendship. I'm not convinced it wouldn't be improved by focusing in on one or the other, but both of its disparate halves are excellent. There's just a bit of whiplash swapping between them.
Adored it. It's saccharine, but it's heartfelt and consistently cute and funny. Great soundtrack, too!
Adored it. It's saccharine, but it's heartfelt and consistently cute and funny. Great soundtrack, too!
Great familial ensemble comedy (with a killer cast). Leans hard into familial disfunction as a part of the holidays. Some usual decisions by the characters that they sort of gloss over, but it's both hysterical and touching which makes for a great time
Great familial ensemble comedy (with a killer cast). Leans hard into familial disfunction as a part of the holidays. Some usual decisions by the characters that they sort of gloss over, but it's both hysterical and touching which makes for a great time
: Yes, but...
Most movies that earn a 3 could have been a 4, but something held them back. Maybe it was a plot that didn't quite line up, poor pacing, or too many jokes that didn't land. Whatever it was I was annoyed enough about its shortcomings that I have to qualify this recommendation with a "I liked it, but wish they hadn't done XYZ".
Here are some recent movies that earned 3 stars:
Leans heavy on the cheese and is a little crowded, character wise, but felt more coherent than the last movie. Definitely sticks with the theme of "makes sense until you think about it too much" but I enjoyed it for what it was. The little heists were fun and everything was beautiful and smooth in motion.
Leans heavy on the cheese and is a little crowded, character wise, but felt more coherent than the last movie. Definitely sticks with the theme of "makes sense until you think about it too much" but I enjoyed it for what it was. The little heists were fun and everything was beautiful and smooth in motion.
Doofy premise, but honestly a cute time. Performances are great for a budget this size. Not especially Christmas-y though
Doofy premise, but honestly a cute time. Performances are great for a budget this size. Not especially Christmas-y though
Has pleasant farce elements, pretty good actors, and a fun Christmas message. Funny concept, too. Pleasant all around!
Has pleasant farce elements, pretty good actors, and a fun Christmas message. Funny concept, too. Pleasant all around!
: No, but...
Welcome to the bottom half! Movies that earn a 2 have more hits than misses, but there are redeeming qualities. It can also mean I would have scored it higher, but I was so put off by something (such as plot holes or distracting performances) that I couldn't rate it higher. If you're a fan of this genre you might still find the movie worthwhile, but I'd start elsewhere.
Here are some recent movies that earned 2 stars:
Murderers row of a cast, but the storylines were underbaked to fit everyone. I like Garry Marshall schlock, but even this was a little heavy handed.
Murderers row of a cast, but the storylines were underbaked to fit everyone. I like Garry Marshall schlock, but even this was a little heavy handed.
Not terrible, but is a little too cheesy for its action movie positioning. Huge budget well spent though. Doesn't forget what it's there for and has some decent jokes. Fairly forgettable overall, but a good time.
Not terrible, but is a little too cheesy for its action movie positioning. Huge budget well spent though. Doesn't forget what it's there for and has some decent jokes. Fairly forgettable overall, but a good time.
A lackluster outing overall, but amazing performances out of both kids. Plot was exactly what you'd expect and doesn't end up being all that fun.
A lackluster outing overall, but amazing performances out of both kids. Plot was exactly what you'd expect and doesn't end up being all that fun.
: No!
The lowly 1 is my rarest rating. Because I mostly watch things I (hope to) enjoy, for something to earn a 1 it's got to really fail across multiple areas. As long as a movie has reasonable plot, cast, or artistic direction, I'll usually find enough to like about it that it earns a 2. Earning a 1 means I feel bad for having spent time on this movie at all.
Here are some recent movies that earned 1 stars:
Mackie does a decent job trying to drive the emotional core of the movie, but it feels scattered and emotionally unfocused. Carl Lumbly turns in the only noteworthy performance and he's hardly in the dang thing. There are 3x the characters they need and none of them have enough depth. And basically everything going wrong being explained by magic mind control makes for an unsatisfying plot. There are 5 credited screenwriters and it shows. The fight scenes are neat, but it spends the whole time trying to cash in on a series of emotional payoffs it hasn't come close to earning.
Mackie does a decent job trying to drive the emotional core of the movie, but it feels scattered and emotionally unfocused. Carl Lumbly turns in the only noteworthy performance and he's hardly in the dang thing. There are 3x the characters they need and none of them have enough depth. And basically everything going wrong being explained by magic mind control makes for an unsatisfying plot. There are 5 credited screenwriters and it shows. The fight scenes are neat, but it spends the whole time trying to cash in on a series of emotional payoffs it hasn't come close to earning.
It's a fun premise and a decent cast, but the lack of chemistry and an odd but not-fun performance out of Milligan left us out in the cold.
It's a fun premise and a decent cast, but the lack of chemistry and an odd but not-fun performance out of Milligan left us out in the cold.
The most remarkable thing this movie did was star both John Cena and Alison Brie yet be so boring and un-funny. The dictator was sort of the emotional core of the whole thing, which leads to some complicated messaging.
The most remarkable thing this movie did was star both John Cena and Alison Brie yet be so boring and un-funny. The dictator was sort of the emotional core of the whole thing, which leads to some complicated messaging.