@fribbledom
What I've generally found more useful is not even a star or score rating, but review length. The longer it is, the more confidence I have that the product left a profound impression on the customer, enough to inspire him to take the time to write an in depth review.

As for the ratings themselves...

I've found that 1 star reviews are also gonna include the most frustrated users, that had severe issues with the product. It's where I usually start. I look for any review that is at least a few sentences long. If it's too short, I just consider it a hater and ignore it. There's not gonna be a lot of good reviews, but when you find them, they are worth the effort of wading through the "this sucks!" reviews.

For 2 and 3 stars I probably pay the most attention to, even to very short reviews. Whenever there's a dogpile hater review bomb an a product, they ALWAYS go for 1 star. But giving 2 and 3 stars is ignored as an option for most people, so I have a good degree of confidence most of these are honest.

At 4 stars is where I look for honest positive reviews. Nothing in the world is perfect. Anything has flaws, and it takes an upstanding person to admit to the flaws of something he still likes. While I tend to be risk adverse, and put more weight on reasons why I shouldn't buy something, if you're looking for positive feedback to give you confidence in your purchase, this is the place to look at.

5 stars reviews are probably the worst. The most frustrating ones are when someone makes a long review, states plenty of positives, but also some negatives, and then gives it 5 star, when it's clear that the user's experience is of a 4 star. I hate these reviews the most, and even prefer the 1 star ones over these, as a source of information.