overall

• 5 stars = instant favorite - OBNOXIOUSLY TALKING ABOUT IT
• 4 stars = great - RECOMMEND TO EVERYONE
• 3 stars = fine - CONDITIONAL RECOMMENDATION
• 2 stars = would not watch again
• 1 star = horrible

stars awarded

• quality of film: out of 2 stars
  • is the film well-made technically? is it well written?
• plot: out of 1 star
  • is there a plot? does the plot make sense?
• characters: out of 1 star
  • are the performances good? are the characters fleshed out, and do their actions make sense?
• affinity: out of 1 star
  • did i like the film? would i rewatch it? would i recommend it?

obviously, there is some leniency in this rating system, particularly for movies that are personal favorites of mine.

this is how two vastly different films (IRON MAN 2 and DUNKIRK, for the purposes of this post) can end up having the same rating.

IRON MAN 2: 1 star for quality + 0.5 star for plot + 1 star for characters + 0.5 stars for affinity = 3/5 stars

DUNKIRK: 2 stars for quality + 0.5 star for plot + 0.5 star for characters = 3/5 stars