I long for the days of Siskel & Ebert and their super simple Two Thumbs Up or Two Thumbs Down movie rating system.  I always enjoyed their lively debate when their opinions were split.  The duo made it easy for my friends and I to decide if we should spend our hard earned cash on a movie back in high school.  Now, with meta critic and Rotten Tomatoes bizarre percentage points, I have no idea if a movie is actually good or not.  I hesitate to read many movie reviews because they, like so many previews, tell the entire plot without a #spoileralert warning.

Several weeks ago, my husband proof read my How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a Visual Delight! blog post and he asked why I awarded the movie 5 smilies instead of 6.  After I explained my strategy, he insisted I share my method with you.

So, for all of you who enjoy these reviews and find them helpful, my husband has your back.

Here is my simple movie rating system and how I keep the reviews consistent from one movie to the next.

Each movie is rated on a six smiley face system; the six smilies represent the six members of our family.

😀 😀 At the moment, I only review children’s movies.  Therefore, it is appropriate to award two of the smilies based on my kids’ opinions.  The two smilies may be split in whatever way is appropriate for the movie in question.  One smiley, for instance, might be for the girls and one for the boys.  Or, one smiley could be for the older kids and one for the younger kids.  At the very least, each kid has one-half smiley to rate however they choose.

😀 One smiley goes to the parents and whether we found the movie entertaining or a total time suck.

😀 One smiley is for holding our attention.  If I have to look at my watch during any point in the movie, one smiley is automatically lost.  If a kid states “I’m bored!” seven minutes into the movie, the smiley is lost.  Conversely, if we are entranced from beginning to end, this smiley is 110% earned.

😀 One smiley is for the script.  Was it a great story?  Did it flow?  Was the plot confusing and disjointed?  Was it intellectual or utterly absurd?  Did it make us better human beings?  

😀 The final smiley is delegated to the production value.  Acting, Directing, Visual Effects, Animation… they all play into the overall success of a movie.  I admit this is a lot to tie into one smiley; however, children do not necessarily pick up on the finer nuances of cinematography.  Since my primary focus is on whether or not the kids and parents will be entertained, one smiley will do just fine.

What do you think of this ranking system?  Share your opinions in the comments below.