The Echelons of Judgment

SINephile reviews use a playful 10-tier system called the SINemeter—an upgrade to the tired old star rating.

It measures both quality and impact—because a ★★★★½ film can still be something you never want to watch again. (Hey there, Man with a Movie Camera!) While, a ★½ disaster might be objectively indefensible… but also weirdly comforting.

That’s the critcal nuance all other movie review systems miss.

So here’s a breakdown of how each SINemeter rank loosely maps—pre-impact—to the classic 5-star scale, one heavenly ascension (or eternal damnation) at a time.

This is my measuring stick.

Ascended (10/10)

★★★★★ = Top 50 of 130 years of cinema. The pantheon. The summit. Rarefied air.

Canonized (9/10)

★★★★½ = Practically perfect. Instant vault film. Best of the year.

Testament (8/10)

★★★★ = A must-see. Top 10 of the year type stuff.

Revelation (7/10)

★★★½ = Unexpectedly great. Instant rewatch. Deserves evangelizing.

Worthy (6/10)

★★★ = A solid watch. You won’t be mad at it. Perhaps even revisit.

Purgatory (5/10)

★★½ = Has its fans. Maybe you’re one of ‘em. Or just basic.

Damn Shame (4/10)

★★ = The regret tier. Should’ve worked. Somehow didn’t.

Fallen (3/10)

★½ = The mess that keeps on giving. Can’t look away.

Heretic (2/10)

★ = Worthless. Someone saw Exorcist II and said, “Hold my beer.”

The Ninth Circle (1/10)

☆ = Reserved for the 50 worst offenses in the history of cinema.

And those random "+ 3" and "- 2" points you’ll spot at the bottom of reviews? Totally unserious.

They're just a little nod to the things movies hilariously get right—or wrong—a bonus reel for anyone who sticks around through the end credits.

In short, Judgments are dead serious. Points are just for fun.

(And DEFCON scores are a little of both.)