How do you rate/review the movies you watch?

Luminous · 05-12-2015, 04:19 PM

Everyone has their own way of rating and reviewing the movies they watch. I've seen a few different types of scales used in the 'Rate the last move you watched' thread. Some score out of 10, others out of 5, and others include decimals. Obviously there are other ways to go about doing this, but those three seem to be the most popular. What I am curious about is whether or not the people posting their ratings hold all of the movies they watch to the same standards. What type of ratings are people posting?

What I mean is; if you rate movie A a 7/10, do you hold movie B (a movie in a different genre and possibly released 10 - 20 years apart) to the same rating standards as movie A? Do you have different parameters? Does it matter if they are in different genres or are released in different decades? I ask because I often see scores that are a bit puzzling. Not because I disagree with the score, but because I often find it difficult to determine what it is some individuals are saying about the movies they watch.

This is a purely made up example, but I'll see someone rate a movie like Jaws a 6 or 7 out of 10 and then that same person will rate The Transporter a 7 to 8 out of 10. Let's say they rated both films a 7. Does one interpret that to mean that that particular person thinks both films are of similar quality or is it simply that they enjoyed both films equally? One would guess that particular example has been rated more on personal enjoyment, but that was more of an extreme comparison and the distinction isn't always so clear. I guess the simple question to ask is; do you rate movies based on objective critical comparisons of quality or more on a comparative level of personal enjoyment? I know a bit of both can always attribute to ones final score, but one of the two options will usually have bigger sway over the other.

You can choose one of the options in the poll or simply share your thought process on how you review your movies.

PureInvasion · 05-12-2015, 04:33 PM

For me its all personal ratings on how much I enjoyed the film.

I never try to actively compare to another film and if I do, it usually doesn't detract from the score I've already determined. Genre and release date matters little to me, a turd will always be a turd and vice versa.

I'm big on pacing in movies and many seemingly dismiss my ratings for that. I'm very critical of the older 'favourites', especially when I watch them for the first time as I find the majority of them had junk pacing throughout and were only praised initially for what they contributed to cinema at the time. I feel that many older favourites are just blind nostalgia for many and if they watched it with a fresh set of eyes in this modern era, those films would be quite underwhelming (see Godfather)

My ratings basically end up:
0/5 ~ don't rate movies on this level as I'll turn it off before it gets to that point
1/5 ~ I stuck it out...it was junk, but figured I'd at least see the ending
2/5 ~ watchable film (likely not a 2nd viewing ever though), but plagued by whatever issues
3/5 ~ solid fun. Few issues here and there, but something I could always watch again
4 & 5/5 ~ movies I really enjoy/would be proud to own. if they have any issues, they're easily dismissed based on all the other positives

Luminous · 05-12-2015, 04:56 PM

Interesting breakdown of your scoring system.

PureInvasion · 05-12-2015, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luminous

Interesting breakdown of your scoring system.

I'm fairly simple. Don't have time to put intricate detail into a scoring system

it works for me

Luminous · 05-12-2015, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PureInvasion

I'm fairly simple. Don't have time to put intricate detail into a scoring system

it works for me

I'm glad you posted it. It helps put things in perspective. It's not what I first imagined your scoring system might be like.

Marvelito · 05-12-2015, 05:44 PM

Personally, I hate the notion of rating films on a scale, be it 1-10 or 1-5. I do it here from time to time, but more often than not I abstain from doing so. The main reason is that there tend to be many factors that I use in determining a score, and I would actually find myself with scores not unlike the example you gave of Jaws vs. The Transporter. I'd find myself thinking "wait a minute this film and that film got the same rating???"

When I do rate them I use the 1-10 scale, but find myself rating most movies between 6-10. SF member Prime used to rate films on a 1-5 scale and he would tell me that he would do so because most people don't rate on the lower end of the scale, even if they didn't really like the film, so there is really no sense in using so many numbers to rate a film. Makes sense, yet I still use the 1-10.

Bottom line all ratings, reviews etc. are subjective. I don't really go by most people's ratings, because depending on where I'm seeing those ratings posted and by whom, I can't always rely on those for an accurate reading as to whether or not I'll enjoy the film.

It's a great question you pose, surprised no one had ever looked into this before.

ParisDean · 05-12-2015, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvelito

SF member Prime used to rate films on a 1-5 scale and he would tell me that he would do so because most people don't rate on the lower end of the scale, even if they didn't really like the film, so there is really no sense in using so many numbers to rate a film.

Haha, I rate all Transformers movies below 5/10. And all Gregg Araki films other than Mysterious Skin I rate 1/10. Those are the worst movies I've ever seen.

ParisDean · 05-12-2015, 05:56 PM

If I give two films the same rating then I enjoyed them equally no matter what the genre, animated, documentary, etc.

Marvelito · 05-12-2015, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ParisDean

If I give two films the same rating then I enjoyed them equally no matter what the genre, animated, documentary, etc.

I agree. I think the disconnect is more due to external influence, but it also goes to show why rating films on a scale is flawed. I can rate Jaws and The Transporter the same, but to most people Jaws is a film classic and held in high esteem, while Transporter is not.

**Bullseye** · 05-12-2015, 08:21 PM

Generally along these lines with one or two alternates.
1. Script
2. Acting leads
3. Supporting acting
4, Direction
5. Cinematography
6. Editing
7. Music/Score
8. Visual/EFX/SFX
9. Story
10. Sets/costume