New 5-Star Rating Scale

From now on, and effective immediately, movies will be rated using a five-star scale instead of four. The change has been simmering for a while. Though I've always used a four-star scale (since I was 10), I find myself increasingly hampered by having to classify films in the 2 to 3.5 star range when the scale is only four. Perhaps the change has to do with all the movies I've had to rate on Netflix (which uses the five-star scale) or perhaps not. I think this is ultimately going to lead to a more effective rating system. It may be pretty self-explanatory, but here's how the new scale breaks down:

***** = A new classic; a masterpiece; brilliant

****1/2 = A personal favorite; I loved it

**** = Awesome; see it now

***1/2 = Great; worth the money; check it out at your leisure

*** = Decent; have some reservations about it, but good overall

**1/2 = Ho Hum, but there's some cool stuff in there

** = Ho Hum; a waste of time and money

*1/2 = I didn't like it, but a lot of other people did

* = Bad; avoid at all costs

1/2 = Wretched; an abomination

No stars = I walked out

-John