The numbers: what they mean

The little numbers at the end of reviews are pretty much a requirement in today's age of film criticism. Many people don’t actually care for the written, in depth analysis of a review to judge the quality of a film. Instead, they scroll to the bottom of the page, make a brief mental note on the number displayed, and base their choice off of this. While my opinion of the films I review will be almost solely in the writing, I also assign a number rating, to cater to those who don’t want to/have time to read the full review. As a result of this, I’ll break down these numerical values to show what they actually mean. The ratings are on a scale from 1 to 10.

1:  A score reserved for the worst of the worst. If a film scores a 1, it’s not worth your time in any way imaginable.

2:  This is the sign of a very bad film, poor in almost every regard. Only small redeeming features prevent it from getting a rating of 1. The majority of films in this score range should be avoided.

3:  Films that garner this rating often have many issues, but had an aspect that the film has done very well.

4:  This is signifies a below average film. 4’s are usually assigned to films that aren’t worth owning, and are better to rent or borrow.

5:  Middle of the road, average score, aptly summing up the quality of the film. These films are by no means bad, but significant flaws hold them back from greatness.

6:  Many see this rating as a negative, but this isn't the case. Films that garner a 6 are often good, but are flawed enough to hold them back from higher ratings. Fans of the genre/director should definitely give them a look.

7:  7’s are given to good films. While films with this rating should be seen, you shouldn’t go out of their way to view them.

8:  A film that gets an 8 is a sign of a great film. Fans of the genre/director/writer will want to view them as quickly as possible. This rating can be seen a mark of fine quality, as 8’s and higher are aren’t awarded that often.

9:  This score is used to represent brilliant films. The flaws that they have do little to detract from the quality of the overall product.

10:  A 10 does not indicate a perfect film in any case. There is simply no such thing. Instead, a 10 means the film is masterful.  Like previously mentioned, a film can never be perfect, but films assigned this rating are as close as they will ever come.