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 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:
Killer sequel to a movie I generally enjoyed. It's less of a halloween mystery and more of a time loop rom com thriller (but with murder). Enjoyed it all the same though! It took itself a little less seriously, which served it well.
Killer sequel to a movie I generally enjoyed. It's less of a halloween mystery and more of a time loop rom com thriller (but with murder). Enjoyed it all the same though! It took itself a little less seriously, which served it well.
It's one thing to make a great, high-concept thriller. But to do it again? With an identical premise?? Amazing.
Sets itself apart from the original while keeping close to what worked. I liked the ensemble and how much they explored the rules of everything. Leaned more funny than tense, but it was a great ride top to bottom.
It's one thing to make a great, high-concept thriller. But to do it again? With an identical premise?? Amazing.
Sets itself apart from the original while keeping close to what worked. I liked the ensemble and how much they explored the rules of everything. Leaned more funny than tense, but it was a great ride top to bottom.
Extraordinary in its chaos. Zucker is the perfect (sort of) straight man amongst the other acts. Though I didn't love every one of them, everything moved so quickly that there wasn't time to dwell on any individual bit. The camera moves really supported how frenetic everything felt. Decidedly earns its "nudity" warning, too.
Extraordinary in its chaos. Zucker is the perfect (sort of) straight man amongst the other acts. Though I didn't love every one of them, everything moved so quickly that there wasn't time to dwell on any individual bit. The camera moves really supported how frenetic everything felt. Decidedly earns its "nudity" warning, too.
: 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:
I enjoyed the heavily stylized action scenes and the plentiful practical effects. The overall concept was a little thin and the non-action parts had weak dialogue, but it was a fun ride overall.
I enjoyed the heavily stylized action scenes and the plentiful practical effects. The overall concept was a little thin and the non-action parts had weak dialogue, but it was a fun ride overall.
A fun premise bolstered by a truly unhinged Jim Carrey performance. The physicality, the facial expressions, the frenetic babbling. No one else can have such an impassioned conversation with a blue pen. He was such a force in his heyday.
A fun premise bolstered by a truly unhinged Jim Carrey performance. The physicality, the facial expressions, the frenetic babbling. No one else can have such an impassioned conversation with a blue pen. He was such a force in his heyday.
Loved the premise, enjoyed the execution. Fight scenes felt long and too beholden to the rhythm of attack-rebuttal-etc. But it moved along nicely and certainly kept the audience on their toes. First half was stronger than the second.
Loved the premise, enjoyed the execution. Fight scenes felt long and too beholden to the rhythm of attack-rebuttal-etc. But it moved along nicely and certainly kept the audience on their toes. First half was stronger than the second.
: 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:
Builds lot of tension without much resolution. Like, it has a sort of unsatisfying ending and then the credits roll, but there's never any explanation or closure. It just sort of stops.
Builds lot of tension without much resolution. Like, it has a sort of unsatisfying ending and then the credits roll, but there's never any explanation or closure. It just sort of stops.
A fun premise that actually seemed like it was written by someone who had played a videogame. Loved the idea of sentient NPCs. Lots of cute visual references and nods to existing games. But the story itself fell flat for me. They put so much energy into building that world only for the actual plot to be a forgettable series of chase scenes with a love story hamfistedly woven in. It's not a bad watch overall (especially if you love videogames) but it felt like a missed opporunity. Also the climax was underbaked.
A fun premise that actually seemed like it was written by someone who had played a videogame. Loved the idea of sentient NPCs. Lots of cute visual references and nods to existing games. But the story itself fell flat for me. They put so much energy into building that world only for the actual plot to be a forgettable series of chase scenes with a love story hamfistedly woven in. It's not a bad watch overall (especially if you love videogames) but it felt like a missed opporunity. Also the climax was underbaked.
A funny mishmash of genres. Bothered me less than movies like A Simple Favor, but it also made the film feel disjoint. There are a lot of moving pieces that acknowledge each other rather than building each other up. Main cast is great though, especially Kidman.
A funny mishmash of genres. Bothered me less than movies like A Simple Favor, but it also made the film feel disjoint. There are a lot of moving pieces that acknowledge each other rather than building each other up. Main cast is great though, especially Kidman.
: 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.