My Universal Rating Scale

In the college course that got me into rating movies, we created a five-star rating scale for the films we watched.  At first, it went by half-star increments.  After a few films, some of us were torn and, as a group, we agreed to change it to quarter-star increments.

Over the years, I have changed my descriptions for each level of this rating system.  For the launch of LITKOG, I spent a long time thinking (and overthinking) descriptions.  What I have settled on are three words or phrases for each possible score.  If I feel that a film, album, or book hits any or all of these three words or phrases, it will receive that score, and I will be sure to justify in my review which of those descriptors fit the bill and why.

The purpose is to achieve a sense of consistency.  Descriptors may change over time, but I am pretty comfortable with what I have now:

THE GREATEST EVER:
5 STARS: Perfect; The greatest ____ ever made  
(in deference to my college course’s original rating system, this rating can only exist if they stop making movies/albums/books, so you will never see this awarded)

GREAT TIER:
4.75 STARS: Nearly perfect; A must-own; In contention for the best movie/album/book ever
4.5 STARS: Outstanding; High art; A masterclass in execution
4.25 STARS: Excellent; Moving; Powerful
4 STARS: Great; Has spark; Will seek it out again

GOOD TIER:
3.75 STARS: Very good; Admirable; Worth repeating
3.5 STARS: Good; Solid; Engaging
3.25 STARS: Pretty Good; Decent; Satisfactory
3 STARS: Adequate; Serviceable; Good enough

OKAY TIER:
2.75 STARS: Above average; Almost good; A guilty pleasure at best
2.5 STARS: Okay; Average; Neutral overall reaction
2.25 STARS: Below average; Noticeably flawed; Passable
2 STARS: Mediocre; Unsatisfying; Forgettable

POOR TIER:
1.75 STARS: Disappointing; Unpleasant; Weak
1.5 STARS: Frustrating; Low potential; A waste of time
1.25 STARS: Irritating; Aggravating; Tests your patience
1 STAR: Annoying; Pathetic; A chore to experience

BAD TIER:
0.75 STAR: Bad; Irredeemable; Baffling how this was ever created or released
0.5 STAR: Terrible; Awful; Like witnessing a slow-motion train wreck
0.25 STAR: Insufferable; So bad it hurts; In contention for the worst ever

THE WORST EVER:
0 STARS: As bad as it gets; Now available in Hell
(similarly to the 5-star rating, this rating only exists if they ever stop making movies/albums/books, so it will never be awarded)