How scoring works
Every title gets one number: dumb scenes per hour. Lower is better.
The short version
- People flag scenes and rate each one from 1 to 10. Higher means dumber.
- Scenes that qualify are added up, then divided by the title’s runtime in hours.
- The result is the title’s score. A low score means few dumb scenes for the time you spend watching.
Scene rating
A scene’s rating is the average of every rating it has received, shown to one decimal place. Ratings run from 1 to 10. Anyone with an account can rate once per scene.
Which scenes count
A scene adds to its title’s score only when all four of these are true:
- It has at least one scored category, such as idiot ball or plot hole.
- It is not outvoted by “explained”: explained votes do not outnumber dumb votes. Ties count, so a brand-new scene with no votes is not excluded.
- It has at least one rating.
- It is published.
Scenes that do not count are still shown on the title page. They just do not change the score.
Title score
Sum of counted scene ratings ÷ runtime in hours
Lower is better. A long film with a few mild scenes can score lower than a short one with a single terrible scene. For TV seasons and series, runtime is the title’s runtime when it has one, otherwise the sum of its episode runtimes.
A title shows Not enough ratings until its scenes have at least 10 ratings between them. The minimum may change before launch.
A worked example
Prometheus (2012)
Movie · 124 minutes · 7 flagged scenes
- 8.1
Why did Holloway take his helmet off on an alien planet?
Counts toward the score.
- 8.4
Why did Millburn try to pet the snake-like alien?
Counts toward the score.
- 7.9
How did the geologist get lost in a structure he had mapped?
Counts toward the score.
- 8.4
Why did Vickers and Shaw run in a straight line from the falling ring?
Counts toward the score.
- 7.2
How could Shaw run around after an emergency surgery?
Counts toward the score.
- 4.1
Why did David put the black liquid in Holloway's drink?
Left out: Explained votes outnumber dumb votes.
- 6.2
Why was Weyland hidden aboard the ship?
Counts toward the score.
6 counted scenes add up to 46.2. The runtime is 124 minutes, or 2.07 hours.
46.2 ÷ 2.07 gives:
Lower is better.
Score bands
Each score falls into one of five bands, so you can read a title at a glance. The thresholds below are placeholders. Final band names and cut-offs are still being decided.
- No Yelling RequiredUnder 2 per hour
- Eye Roll2 to under 5 per hour
- Facepalm5 to under 10 per hour
- Pause to Rant10 to under 20 per hour
- Throw the Remote20 and above per hour
Categories that are not scored
28 of the 34 scene categories count toward the score. These 6 do not. They describe how something was made, or that it was meant to be silly, rather than a lapse in the story. They appear with a dashed outline.
A scene tagged only with these still shows its rating and verdict, with a “Not scored” label. If it also has a scored category, it counts.
Verdicts
Separately from the 1 to 10 rating, everyone who rates a scene also votes dumb or explained. That split gives each scene a verdict.
- GuiltyAt least 60% of the dumb and explained votes say the scene is dumb.
- ContestedExplained votes do not outnumber dumb votes, but dumb is under 60% of the total. A tie is Contested.
- ExplainedMore people say the scene is explained than say it is dumb. It is struck through in lists and left out of the title score.
The Guilty cut-off is a placeholder.
Every rating counts equally
One person, one rating, the same weight. It does not depend on reputation, level, badges or tier. Paid tiers change what you can see and how your profile looks, never how much your vote is worth. See the tiers.