Frequently asked questions

Questions about how TheReviewMonk works, how scores are calculated, and how to get involved.

What is TheReviewMonk?

TheReviewMonk aggregates critic reviews for Indian cinema — Bollywood, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and more — into a single normalised score. Our goal is to make Indian film criticism legible: instead of hunting across a dozen publications, you get one honest number and a clear verdict, built from the critics who cover Indian films most seriously.

How does the rating system work?

Reviews come in on different scales — 3/5, 4/5, 5/5, 10/10 — and we normalise them all onto a 0–100 scale (shown as 0–10 on the site). A 3/5 becomes 60, a 2.5/4 becomes 62.5, and so on. Once we have enough reviews, we calculate a Bayesian weighted average rather than a simple mean. This matters: a film with two glowing reviews shouldn't rank as highly as one with twenty. The Bayesian approach pulls thinly-reviewed films toward the site-wide average and lets scores earn their position as more critics weigh in. A film needs at least 3 critic reviews before it receives a Monk Verdict. Scores are shown on a 0–10 scale. The equivalent 0–100 internal values are what the verdict thresholds below are calculated against.

What are the Monk Verdict tiers?

The Monk Verdict is the label that appears alongside the score once a film has enough reviews. There are four tiers: Critic scores (out of 10): • Exceptional — 7.5 and above • Recommended — 6.5 to 7.4 • Mixed — 5.0 to 6.4 • Unfavorable — below 5.0 User scores run higher on average, so the user thresholds are calibrated separately: • Exceptional — 8.0 and above • Recommended — 7.0 to 7.9 • Mixed — 5.5 to 6.9 • Unfavorable — below 5.5 Verdicts require a minimum of 3 critic reviews (or 5 user ratings). Films below the threshold show a score but no verdict label.

Why does a film's score change over time?

Because the Bayesian average updates as new reviews come in. Early on — with just two or three reviews — the score is held back toward the site average as a confidence adjustment. As more critics weigh in, the score moves toward the actual critical consensus. This means the score for a just-released film reflects genuine uncertainty, not manufactured precision.

Why isn't the movie archive complete?

We're actively backfilling — adding films and reviews from recent years alongside new releases. The archive covers releases going back several decades, but gaps exist, especially for older regional titles and limited-release films. If you notice a film is missing, write to us at thereviewmonk@gmail.com and we'll prioritise it.

Why aren't all regional language films available?

Our current coverage is strongest for Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films, with growing coverage of Kannada, Marathi, and Bengali. The constraint is critic availability: we only include reviews from publications we can reliably parse and normalise. We're adding publications and languages as we go — if your favourite regional outlet is missing, let us know.

Where can I see where to watch a film?

On every film's page, below the poster, there's a 'Where to Watch' section showing streaming availability in India. This covers major OTT platforms. Availability changes, so treat it as a starting point rather than a definitive list.

How do I get started?

Browsing and reading scores doesn't require an account — everything is public. Sign in with Google or a magic link to rate films, add films to lists, and build your watchlist. We don't store passwords.

I'm a film reviewer. How can I get featured on TheReviewMonk?

We're always looking to expand our critic roster, especially for regional publications and independent critics with a serious body of work. Write to us at thereviewmonk@gmail.com with links to your reviews and the publication you write for.