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Do you agree that rating something out of 4 is stupid?


It's always bothered me seeing a movie rated out of 4. I wrote this because I was just on Rotten Tomatoes which counts a 60% as a positive which means a 2/4 would make it a 50% and a 3/4 would make it 75%. Even if we're not on Rotten Tomatoes it's still stupid to do it. We wouldn't rate things out of 8, so why do they stop at 4?

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5, 10 or a percentage makes more sense.

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I'll even settle for a grading system (A+) if they don't want to get to specific.

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Yep, A-E is easy to understand.

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[deleted]

Let me enlighten you: percentages are handy if you have sufficient reviews to warrant using them. Like on Rottentomatoes. A single reviewer , however, can apply any rating system he or she wants because it is a personal opinion. And a 4 points is pretty useful: 1/4 crap 2/4 meh 3/4 ok 4/4 super
And did you know the base 8 system was used by native Californians?

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I wouldn't say a 3/4 is "ok" considering it's 75%. And because people may use an "8" system, that doesn't mean it was good. Although it does make more sense than out of 4.

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It's not about what you use but what the reviewer uses. And you don't think 75% is good?

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I think it is good. You said it was "ok".

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Ah, well don't forget that it's the opinion of the reviewer and there is probably a difference in their opinion and yours anyway.

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It's how they used to rate movies in the old printed TV Guide days.

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4 makes more sense than 10, there is no need to have such a wide span. Few people, myself included, have the technical expertise to use a 10 point or 100 point scale. The difference between 6.9 and 6.2, or even 6 and 7 is negligible for the average viewer. I rate movies 1-4 for personal use. 1-5 would be fine too but I like that 1-4 forces hard choices.

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5 or 10 is the real thing. I agree with your point

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Same here 👍

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i agree as well.
i like rating out of 5 or 10, because it gives a little more room for nuance.
when you compress those numbers, the ability to give detail or shading degrades.

it's not the least bit important, but it bothers me a bit every time i see a critic rating on that scale.

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As one other has mentioned, it's a carryover from the old 4 "star" approach. And it is still used in on-screen cable guides today (although they've now incorporated metacritic scores as well). I think it's just about simplicity, and I don't think anyone would've dreamed that movie rating would take on such weight as it does now.

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Good point. I rate this post a $ out of &.

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I'd give it 3/4 for stupidity.

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