The Sci-Fi Movie Night Ratings System
How Ratings Work
All movies are rated on a scale from 0 to 5 stars, but these ratings aren’t strictly numerical. A five-star movie isn’t necessarily 20% better than a four-star one. Instead, films are evaluated holistically, as standalone works.
Rather than assigning scores to individual elements like acting, direction, script, or special effects, each movie is judged on its intrinsic qualities—both as a piece of art and as a work of entertainment.
It’s also worth noting that these ratings reflect the perspective of one person with specific tastes. You may not always agree, and that’s okay. Such is humanity.
5 Stars ★★★★★
A timeless classic. These are the movies that leave a lasting imprint on your soul, shifting your perspective in ways that linger long after the credits roll. Whatever faults they may have are irrelevant—the emotions they evoke, whether joy, sorrow, or awe, are profound and unmistakable. Watching a film like this feels like stepping into another world, where storytelling, acting, and direction blend so seamlessly that disbelief fades without resistance. Runtime becomes meaningless; these films transcend time, drawing you in completely. They often carry a deeper message, delivered with such artistry that it resonates effortlessly.
4.5 Stars ★★★★½
An excellent film that is bound to satisfy. These are standouts in cinematic craftsmanship, showcasing filmmaking at its finest. They strike that rare, incredibly satisfying balance between intellectual engagement and pure comfort, making them endlessly re-watchable. Often, these movies hold a special place in people’s hearts—there’s a good chance your all-time favorite film falls into this category. Some aspects may feel dated, or certain elements might not hold up under a modern lens—nostalgia is a powerful thing—but none of that diminishes the sheer enjoyment of watching them.
4 Stars ★★★★☆
A rock-solid film that delivers exactly what it sets out to do. If it’s an action movie, the cinematography and choreography are top-notch. If it’s a comedy, then the jokes land deftly. If it’s a tragedy, your heart will be poked effectively. These films may not be the most groundbreaking—you’ll find plenty of quality sequels, remakes, reboots, and re-imaginings here—but originality isn’t always the goal. These are movies designed to entertain, and they succeed without question.
3.5 Stars ★★★½☆
This is a good movie. It really is. It’s the workhorse of the movie pantheon. These are the general crowd-pleasers; nothing in them is too isolating for anyone. They may feature high-level, fantastical concepts that are deliberately simplified for mass appeal—and that’s not a bad thing. There’s something magical about enjoying a film alongside a diverse crowd, and these are the movies that bring people together effortlessly. While deeper meanings may start to blur, their universal appeal is undeniable.
3 Stars ★★★☆☆
This movie is fine. Maybe even good—if you squint your eyes a bit and maintain a forceful suspension of disbelief. These films tend to be clumsy, albeit well-intentioned. While watching them, viewers are likely aware of their faults, but the good still outweighs the bad enough that enjoyment is not just possible but fairly likely. It could be somebody’s favorite film, but those cases are definitely niche at best. Neither definitively high nor low in quality, movies in this category usually make the most of what they have but still tend to fall just short of uniform goodness.
2.5 Stars ★★½☆☆
This movie is typically a missed opportunity. It has the bones of greatness but never truly grows beyond that skeletal phase. It could also be an almost-decent film weighed down by glaring, obvious, and mostly unforgivable flaws—the acting may be inconsistent, the script overcooked, the direction haphazard. Movies in this category are often frustrating because you can see their potential. They could be good—or they come close—but they never quite get there.
2 Stars ★★☆☆☆
This is a genuinely mediocre film where low effort is on full display. There may be enjoyable moments, but they are few and far between—think a comedy with only a handful of effective laughs or a plodding drama that drags endlessly, revealing only a few satisfying turns. This category is full of tonally inconsistent films, as well as hastily thrown-together, obviously incomplete-but-still-released projects. These movies tend to reek of contractual obligation.
1.5 Stars ★½☆☆☆
This is not a good movie. Actually, it’s probably bad, with maybe one or two fleeting bright spots. These films tend to be cynical cash grabs, designed to trick viewers into wasting their time. It’s difficult to gauge the filmmakers’ motivations, but these movies often feel like the work of try-hards or stagnant amateurs. At best, they might be worth a single hate-watch—but that’s really at best, you know?
1 Star ★☆☆☆☆
This is a bad movie whose badness is undeniable. It exudes poor quality, usually in multiple areas. It’s not fun, not thrilling, not thought-provoking. It’s probably boring—and if it isn’t, then it’s not boring for all the wrong reasons. These are the truly misguided efforts that never really had a chance in the first place. You might even find yourself feeling a little sorry for them.
0.5 Stars ½☆☆☆☆
This is an awful movie with no redeeming qualities. It’s likely poorly made and morally dubious. This is probably the rarest rating category—films this bad aren’t just failures of craftsmanship; there’s something mean-spirited at their core. These movies are intentionally terrible, made by unintentionally terrible filmmakers—the kind of hack who secured funding through shameless ladder-yanking or blatant, completely meritless nepotism.
0 Stars ☆☆☆☆☆
There is something about this film that sinks below the bounds of sheer awfulness. It doesn’t matter how it was made, who made it, or what it’s about—this is a highly problematic affront to humanity, and movies like this should be avoided at all costs. No human lifespan is long enough to justify wasting even a moment on a film like this.