How do you use star ratings for books, movies, etc.? (1 Viewer)

[centen]

I don't do anything tricksy. I generally default to how GoodReads labels stars:
1 - I didn't like it
2 - It was okay
3 - I liked it
4 - I loved it
5 - It was amazing

But I saw a friend's book in review post that included a couple of words over each book with a screenshot of their rating on their shelf, and was reminded that, for some people, the default rating is 5 stars, and 3 stars can still mean "racist garbage." No wonder ratings are useless.

 

[eclipsoul]

i don't read books but for movies it's something like that:
1/2 - piece of shit but not only in a way that is painful to watch but also has genuinely harmful things to say
1 - nothing impressive, production or plot-wise
1 1/2 - painfully bad but at least someone tried i guess
2 - i actually don't give this rating out that often, but it would probably mean that there were some saving graces but i would likely not choose to watch it again had i known it was such low quality
2 1/2 - quite literally mid
3 - more good things to it than bad, overall i enjoyed but many things could have been improved
3 1/2 - unlikely to watch it again but consider it a good movie
4 - not perfect but liked it :)
4 1/2 - great movie, will probably rewatch
5 - on its way to become an all-time favourite of mine <3

 

[Ahsoka]

I feel like that’s rating in general. For some, 5 stars can mean that you like it and have no complaints, even if not fantastic, while 4 stars or lower means you had an issue. It can of course cause issues because it’s subjective, and because others may rate differently. Also it can cause issues because people like this exist (though not book related)

 

[centen]

I feel like that’s rating in general. For some, 5 stars can mean that you like it and have no complaints, even if not fantastic, while 4 stars or lower means you had an issue. It can of course cause issues because it’s subjective, and because others may rate differently. Also it can cause issues because people like this exist (though not book related)

It kills me when the top rated recipe review is like "I changed key ingredients and it sucked, garbage recipe."

 

[Ahsoka]

For real. A close second worst is recipe ratings that give a one star and say “It was amazing!”