On-Screen Advent Adventure: Day Sixteen

YOUR GUIDE TO ON-SCREEN'S NEW RATINGS SYSTEM

With the New Year just around the corner, here at On-Screen, as ever we see this as a prime opportunity to freshen up our approach to entertainment coverage for the foreseeable future. Case in point, our method of film, TV and video game reviewing and scoring will alter slightly as of today.

There's nothing to be concerned about at this stage, though- in essence, the alteration will mean that decimal ratings such as 1.5*, 2.5*, 7.5/10 etc. will not exist in our review scoring system of future releases. For example, whereas our verdict today on The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug might once have housed a 3.5* score for the film, from now on the score will be rounded appropriately to the nearest whole number (generally rounded down, since the .5 score would indicate an element restricting the title in question from reaching the next category), and thus Desolation received a 3* ranking instead.

Two additional points remain on the agenda, then. Firstly, a clarification of what each of the five possible scores available to films and TV episodes should mean to you, dear reader:
5*- One of the year's best releases, a title of this calibre will feature only neglible shortcomings and as such is an essential purchase for any entertainment fan.
4*- A potent experience which often comes within reach of greatness, albeit with one or two minor gripes that distinguish it from a 5* product.
3*- What we define as an 'average' title, this category houses products with more notable flaws, although they will usually provide fine entertainment for franchise fans.
2*- Depending on the level of anticipation for the title, this score tends to imply a substantial level of dissatisfaction with the final results in hindsight, and/or a disappointing overall quality which should ultimately leave most of us to give it a miss. Some potential and charm exists, though, to perhaps warrant a rental at most.
1*- Lying visibly at the bottom of the pile, the unlucky titles which fall into this category have failed to enterain the reviewer in virtually every respect. Short of the viewer/player being offered the product out of charity, this experience is one which they can wholeheartedly afford to avoid without fail.

Next up, of greater importance still, in light of today's amendment to our scoring system, we'll now display how the renewed system reevaluates our scores for each of the films which we have reviewed/have been released in 2013 (so far)...
5*- Les Miserables; Gravity; The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
4*- Django Unchained; Lincoln; Zero Dark Thirty; Warm Bodies; Iron Man 3; Star Trek Into Darkness; The Great Gatsby; This Is The End; Now You See Me; Monsters' University; The Wolverine; Kick-Ass 2; Rush; Captain Philips; Saving Mr Banks
3*- Pitch Perfect; Oz: The Great and Powerful; Scary Movie V; The Hangover: Part III; Man of Steel; Despicable Me 2; Fast & Furious 6; The World's End; R.E.D. 2; About Time; Thor: The Dark World; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
2*- Oblivion; The Internship; Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
1*- Movie 43; Grown Ups 2

If you have any queries on how the new scoring system will affect past review scores or future entertainment coverage, then please feel free to contact me at the usual social network links. Otherwise, have a fantastic Christmas break, and enjoy the ongoing reviews, previews, features and news on everything hot in the industry right now!

The Ed