The Rating System

by Julien Faddoul

Before we get started I guess I should explain the format of my rating system. I should preface this by saying that I believe in general that all rating systems are silly. Whether it’s 1 to 4 stars, 1 to 5 stars, a mark out of 10, an A+ to F grade or any other concoction that might work well for evaluating sport but hardly complies with the miracle of artistic creation.

But comply, I have. The reason for this was my youthful idolisation of my favourite film critics, most of whom adopted the rating system, which in turn I adopted. So now I guess I’m stuck. My system is actually that of one of the greatest critics of all time, Leslie Halliwell, whose encyclopaedic Halliwell’s Film & Video Guide is the greatest of its kind. It works like this:

Star Rating:

No stars – Unnecessary viewing

*  1 star – Average viewing

** 2 stars – Above Average viewing

*** 3 stars – Exceptional viewing

**** 4 stars – A very rare rating given only to films that will, or already do, stand the test time.

Italics:

Given to a cast or crew member that denotes a particularly high contribution to the overall excellence of the film.

There will under no circumstances be any deviation from these rules. There will be no fractionated ratings either; what you see is what you get. I have tried all different systems and this is the one that works best for me. I feel it is the cleanest and simplest. But again, all ratings are silly.