Every time I rate a movie under my “The Verdict” blog entries I talk about the way I rate movies. So, today I figured with two more movies to add to the list I should probably just write a post that explains the way I rate movies in a bit more detail.
The first thing you should know about my rating systems is that I don’t believe in “stars” or “out of 10” for ratings. I think they’re so subjective, and what one person gives 4/5 or 9/10 and says is fantastic another person may give 5/5 or 10/10 with the same comments. So, how do you know if it’s truly great then? How do you know what to think of a movie if a “good” movie is 3/5, but an “average” movie is also 3/5? Plus, I think there’s so many things that affect movie ratings like that that it’s just not possible to really give a movie a “score”. What do you compare it to? As much as I love Jim Carrey in “The Mask”, how do you say that is a 10/10 film, and say that The Shawshank Redemption is also a 10/10 film? If you’re giving Shawshank 10/10 then any other film must become 9/10 at most, perhaps even 8/10, right?
This is why I absolutely don’t believe in ratings like that. Therefore, my ratings are split into two different categories. This will tell you the two most important things about the film: what I think of the film, split into five very easy to interpret categories, and just as impossibly how much I think you, as a viewer, should pay to see this film.
The second ranking is because I can only think of one film that I would say is definitely NOT worth watching. It was so bad I switched it off half an hour in and just thought “nope, my life is too short to finish this”. Every other film, even if I didn’t like it, I’d say is something YOU should watch for yourself and make up your own mind over. That said, if I genuinely don’t like a film then I’m not going to suggest that you spend your hard-earned money watching it at the cinema if I don’t think it’s worth that kind of money, so instead I’ll suggest that you watch it for “free” on a subscription service like Amazon Prime, Netflix of Sky Movies (for my UK based friends with that option). However, if I think it’s an absolutely great film that’s totally worth your money then I’ll suggest you should rush on down to your local cinema and pay the money to sit and enjoy.
This is the two ways I think about films, so let’s give you the details.
Film Quality
Great
This is a film that I really can’t pick holes in. Any holes I can pick in it feel wrong to do so. It’s a film that I’ve enjoyed from beginning to end and I feel like the actors involved, the director, the writers and everyone else that worked on the film deserve credit for their contributions. It’s the kind of film I hope makes good money in the box office, and more often than not the kind of film I’m dying for a sequel to the moment that it’s finished (if it’s possible to have a sequel to it, of course). There aren’t going to be many films that fall into this category, so when they come along I highly recommend you check them out.
Very Good
This is a film that I can’t pick many holes in, but that there was something about it that I think stops it being a great film. It’s normally something small, for example I thought one of the actors in a smaller role was miscast and I had that problem with it, or there was a slight hiccup in the plot that, while not ruining the film, still made it so that I can’t rant and rave about the film as being one of the best I’ve seen. This is still the kind of film I’d recommend you seeing, but I’ll normally tell you why I had this small problem with it before I recommend you spend big money on it. That said, it’s still the kind of film I’d hope for a sequel to, because who doesn’t like a film that’s very good and that holds you in terms of entertainment value?
Good
This is a film that I watched and enjoyed, but I left the cinema talking about a few problems with. These problems are normally pretty minor, but they’ll normally be miscast actors, actors who I felt phoned in their performances, or silly problems with the plot that took me out of the movie for a short time. This can include movies where there’s a subplot to the film that I thought was completely unnecessary or that was never resolved properly, or a part of the film that I thought was added that could have been removed completely. That said, if it’s a good film I’d still recommend you see it, but I’ll likely recommend it more as a rental than as something to spend big money on at the cinema, because while good this is definitely the kind of film that could have been made better in some way.
Average
This is a film that I sat through, that for the most part I thought was watchable, but that I had some kind of problem with that, after the film, I’m as much focused on that issue than on the good parts of the film. This normally includes unnecessary subplots, films that just drag out way too long in places that I’m checking my watch to see how much longer they have to go, actors who I just thought were terrible and took me out of the film whenever they were on screen, or writing that’s corny and completely overdone. The difference between a good film and an average film will normally be that the strengths of a film that has problems but is still overall a good film are lacking in an average film. If I think there’s as much to dislike about it as I think there is to like about it then I’ll probably just consider it an average film.
Poor
This is a film that I didn’t enjoy. There aren’t too many of them about, if I’m honest, but when they come along they’re the kind of film you know straight away. This is the kind of film which is ruined my inconsistent or incoherent storytelling, massive gaping plot holes, terrible writing, terrible acting or terrible directing. If I watch a film and afterwards all I can think about is that me and my friends could have taken the concept and made a much better film then I’ll consider it a poor film. That said, poor films aren’t always work avoiding completely, because even in a poor film there’s normally something redeeming about it. Plus, I highly encourage you to make up your own mind, and just because I think the film is poor doesn’t necessarily mean you will as well.
What Should You Pay?
Go See It In The Cinema
This is my top rating. This is a film that I really enjoyed, and that I think anyone who’s in any way likeminded will enjoy as well. I think this is the kind of film that you should go see in an evening or on a weekend that I think absolutely is worth the price of a ticket, and given that the tickets aren’t at all cheap that’s an indication that I think this is a quality film. This will normally be films that are either “Great” or “Very Good” rated films, but it’s not exclusively films that are in those two categories, and not every film from those two categories I’ll think you should rush down to the cinema to see, because honestly, we all have busy lives and sometimes there just isn’t the time.
Buy It On Blu-Ray/DVD
This is my second highest rating, because this is a film that I think is worth your investment. This will normally be a film that I either think is good to watch with friends, but not so good that you should suggest going to see it with friends at the cinema, or a film that’s so watchable that you’ll want to watch it two or three times and therefore it’s absolutely worth the investment in owning it forever. This will normally be Very Good or Good films, perhaps sometimes also Great films (especially if they’re great films I want to watch over and over). This level of rating for a film means that I want to see the people involved profit from the film, and therefore I think that it’s worth you giving the studios money to support it.
Watch It On Rental
If you read my Verdicts on films often, this is likely one you’ll see a lot. This is the kind of film that I think you should definitely watch, that’s definitely worth paying for, but that you’ll likely only want to watch one time. It’s the kind of movie that you’ll happily spend two hours of your life enjoying, and possibly talking about, but the kind of movie that lacks that massive amount of watchability that you’ll be dying to watch it again with friends a few days later. Also, due to the low price of rentals, this can often be an indication that I think a film is quality but that I’m not raving about it, so often these will be “Good” films where there was something that stopped me from liking the film more, but that I still enjoyed enough to recommend you paying money for.
Watch It On Netflix
This is my lowest kind of Verdict. This is the kind of film that’s normally average or poor but that, if you’ve got some time you’ve got a subscription to Netflix, Amazon Prime or even something like Sky Movies then it’s something that, if it’s on, you should probably check out. This is the kind of film that I think isn’t really worth you going out of your way to support in any way, but the kind of movie I think you should watch while you’re looking for something to do. It’s probably still worth your time more than watching repeats of The Big Bang Theory (or whatever show you watch when it’s on and you have nothing else to do), but that’s just not worth your time investing your hard earned money in.
The Verdict
So, those are my rating systems. You’ll see them at the end of all my “The Verdict” posts from this point forward. If there are any more you think I should add, or any clarification you want on the ratings, then let me know and I’ll try and edit it to improve my system. Also, this system will be reviewed regularly, so older posts may not follow the same guidelines and may differ a little. If that’s the case, I’m sure you can figure out the differences.
Thanks for reading guys, check out “The Verdict”, and feel free to talk to me about movies I’ve seen, or recommend movies for me to watch, any time.