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Today, we let you in on another explosive concept that will unlock your minds to new levels of movie criticism: the benchmark movie.

A benchmark movie stands right on the border between two different classes of movies. Consider the blended genre of “dark comedy.” Serial Mom might be a good example of a benchmark movie for dark comedy. Anything darker than Serial Mom is an outright dark movie; anything funnier than Serial Mom is a straight-up comedy. Serial Mom is the benchmark of dark comedy: the signpost on the border.

You can also use benchmark movies as a standard for movie quality. Anything worse than your benchmark is “bad”; anything better than your benchmark is “good.” The benchmark movie is the perfect median.

A benchmark movie is inherently personal, however. Everyone has different tastes. So the Overthinkers will each contribute some benchmarks of their own. Once you’ve read through ours, post your own in the comments!

GoldenEye (1995)
Role: Alec Trevelyan, British secret agent 006.
Betrayal: He becomes the leader of a terrorist organization trying to destroy Britain.

The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Role: Boromir, one of the nine companions assigned to protect Frodo from all who would take the ring.
Betrayal: He tries to take the ring.

Equilibrium (2002)
Role: Errol Partridge, a policeman in a dystopian future, charged with hunting down and killing those who refuse to take their emotion-suppressing medicine.
Betrayal: He stops taking the medicine.

(Many, many more after the jump.)