Methodology
How the ratings work
Every review on this site scores out of 10. The number is the summary; the review is the argument. This page says exactly what each number means so the scale can be checked against the writing.
The scale
| Score | Verdict | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 9–10 | All-Timer | Genuinely great. The kind of thing worth going out of your way for. |
| 8–8.9 | Banger | Very good, with real strengths that outlast its problems. |
| 7–7.9 | Worth It | Solid. Recommended, with reservations noted in the review. |
| 5.5–6.9 | Mid | It works, barely. The floor of a recommendation. |
| 4–5.4 | Rough | Doesn’t come together. Specific failures, named in the review. |
| 0–3.9 | Dumpster Fire | A failure at what it set out to do. |
What a score is, and isn't
A score is a judgement of the finished thing on its own terms — not a prediction of box office, not a measure of how much other people liked it, and not an average of other critics. Where a piece discusses aggregate scores from elsewhere, that is reporting, and it never carries a score of its own.
Scores are given only after watching the whole thing. A film seen in part, or covered from trailers and reporting, does not get scored.
Half-points are used. 0 is available and would mean a total failure at everything attempted; it has not been handed out.
Do scores change?
No. A score reflects the verdict at the time of viewing and stays put — a rewatch that changes the opinion gets a new piece saying so, rather than a quiet edit to the old one. Corrections of fact are handled under the corrections policy.
Every score handed out so far is on the scoreboard, ranked. See also editorial standards and press information.