What is a 1 star rating?
Since 0 stars is not possible, 1 star it is the lowest rating. These are movies that are not only a waste of time and money but also an insult to your intelligence. A 1 star movie should not be viewed ever as premise, execution, story are exceptionally bad and deserve no attention.
What are 2 stars?
Similar to 1 as it is a complete mess, mostly incoherent or extremely stupid. But it could be partially amusing to at least watch it drunk or to look at it as a study of failure.
What are 3 stars?
A 3 could in parts be at least enjoyed in an ironic way, but it is still mostly a frustrating movie experience. There may be a few sparks of hope in movie crafting as there might be a bit or two that are decent. But it fails to deliver on its promise, e.g. unfunny comedy.
What are 4 stars?
A 4 is OK to watch if you have nothing better to do. A movie with a mediocre premise for example. It's not necessarily offending, but not very good either. There might be some good scenes or camera work, but that's not enough so that I would recommend it.
What are 5 stars?
Now we are in the middle. This 5 star movie has over all decent qualities, for instance, the photography could be quite good, even great at some points. But over all, it is not too outstanding. The story is probably quite OK, but not too original and maybe even forgettable. Some major flaws might still occur. I might recommend it only to fans.
What are 6 stars?
A quite good movie experience, that could be recommended. It might still lack some sort of depth or "bite" that lifts it to a "very good" experience. Almost all of the movie was very enjoyable but there were some flaws or one deal breaker that stops it from being a 7, e.g. annoying historical inaccuracies.
What are 7 stars?
A very good movie, maybe even despite a minor flaw, but definitely worth watching once. Could be a well executed, great story. It can contain a menacing acting performance that lifts the whole movie or something else that is considered "very good" work. A 7 does therefore not necessarily have to be groundbreaking yet but is not allowed to have a minor deal breaker (-> 6 stars then).
What are 8 stars?
A great movie that has no flaws. It has a captivating story, that will stick with you for some time. The British film critic Derek Malcolm's definition of a great movie: Any movie he could not bear the thought of never seeing again. Therefore, a very good movie might be lifted from 7 to 8 just by my personal enjoyment, but still the objective criteria apply. 8 has not not yet enough to be considered a "timeless masterpiece" (you have to draw a line somewhere and that's 9 stars for me).
What is a 9?
It's a masterpiece that is unforgettable. (9's are therefore limited in number to less than 10 I would say.) Directing is superb, this is movie making at its best.
A 9 has all of 8, but also these criteria apply:
At its release it had a big influence on the movie industry. Since then as a work of art it has stood the test of time. Often an indicator: It has reached cultural relevance and has become part of pop culture.
What are 10 stars?
A 10 star movie would have to be perfect in every aspect, so I'm not sure that is even possible. It cannot be matched by another movie and therefore a 10 star rating could only be given to one movie. I have several 9 star movies on my list but I'm not sure which one would deserve the 10 stars, so I didn't give the 10 stars yet.
