Even the best films have their flaws.
Here’s Nick’s list of 50 movie holes and unexplainable paradoxes…
The suspension of disbelief is crucial to a films success.
Without it, wed just spend the entire time going, That couldnt happen!
which would make watching movies one of the more irritating pastimes we could do.
like NOTE: There are spoilers here.
Check the name of the film, and if you havent seen it, dont ready the entry!
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Yes, it does seem obvious.
Yes, it would have solved their problem of getting into Mordor quite easily.
But here are a few issues with this.
Secondly, the Eagles are doing their own thing.
Its not their war, theyre just helping out their mate Gandalf.
So, this is most likely one of the first plot holes many of you would ever have noticed.
Marty arrives back in 1885 in a DeLorean.
Timey-wimey, wibbly wobbly stuff, I guess.
More BTTF paradoxes can be foundhere.
Who put the poster back in place after the daring escape inThe Shawshank Redemption?
Andy spent months on that tunnel, and covered his tracks thanks to a poster.
The hole is only discovered through an unlucky throw of a chess piece.
But how did he attach it in place from inside the tunnel?
There you go, not just showing you plot holes, but solving them, too!
Youd think Skynet would want to see to it the job was done.
Its not as if theres a shortage of Terminators lying around.
Skynet is damaged at the end ofSalvation, almost beaten in fact.
I really wish theyd put this on-screen.
Theyve also spent millions researching and actually building a cage for his alter-ego.
They know exactly what Hulk can do.
Guess they thought Banner was a really cool guy once they met him in person.
Nero arrives in theStar Trekpast all-guns blazing.
Nero has the technology and the motive to wreak havoc across the galaxy.
So what does he do?
Apparently sits around in his mining ship for 25 years waiting for Spock to arrive.
So he then spends a good couple of decades in a prison.
However, with it out of the film, it does make you wonder.
Im choosing to ignore some of the other plot holes inStar Trek its like shooting fish in a barrel.
Meanwhile, the SWAT team are actually Oceans crew who then sneak the real money out.
Theres literally no time for it to happen and no way it could.
So how did Whiplash know he was going to do that?
Tony Stark didnt even know he was going to do that until moments before.
(seeSkyfallentry later on).
Well, actually, I think not.
Whiplash knew Tony was likely to be at the Grand Prix its a lavish event after all.
He just got lucky with Tony deciding to drive.
Just one small detail though, where did he get the ice from?
So as a warning to you reading this, discussing plot holes can ruin friendships.
Indiana Jones, hero of the Nazi Third Reich.
Which is where Hitler would have opened it and had his face melted by the Angels of Death.
So maybe Indy isnt a friend of the Third Reich after all.
Its a famous one the geography ofJurassic Parkmakes absolutely no sense.
But the truth is that it doesnt matter.
Its why we let plot holes go in the majority of cases because the film works.
Spielberg created such an impressive sequence that it doesnt need to make sense in the real world.
So really I guess what this list is about is defining good filmmaking.
You should be able to acknowledge, but still enjoy.
Theres a whole world built vaguely along human lines, but inhabited by cars.
Why do they need towns?
Leaving us with a mockery of our own world.
They get made in factories.
However, the very best solution to this plot hole can be found in the Pixar Theory.
Does this make Optimus Prime and his Autobots some sort of weird hippy peace living cult then?
This is not the Transformers I was brought up on.
The originalKarate Kidfilm tells the terrible tale of how cheating will win you competitions and should be condoned.
Keep this movie away from impressionable youngsters, who may decide this is the lifestyle to aspire to.
Why such scorn for what is to many a treasured film from their youth?
How does Daniel-san defeat his nemesis Jonny in the final?
By a crane kick to the face.
They rush to his rescue and find a very sunburnt but basically okay groom-to-be.
The wedding is saved!
Now, I dont know about you, but I remain very sceptical about his survival up there.
Its an average of 41 degrees Celsius in July over in Vegas, with highs of 49 being recorded.
Not so funny now, is it?
They have travelled across space to get to harvest our planet of its natural resources.
The best and brightest of humanity are no match for their initial onslaught, and our cities are destroyed.
Its our darkest day.
Now anyone who uses Mac products will know that nothing is compatible with Macs that isnt Apple produced.
Which begs the question is that what Steve Jobs was really doing back in the 90s?
Sub-contracting firms to build vast star ships under the Apple banner?
And honestly, thats what really matters.
Go back home to your dying planet you humans!
After all, that was the subtle message James Cameron was trying to teach us.
Because thats what I would do.
In which case, ignore this.
Screw you Harry Potter.
Honestly, does creating lizard men make any sense to anyone?
Why is he doing it?
Does he even know?
Is he simply a lackey of the unseen Norman Osborn?
And its a classic for a reason.
The film notes their escape pod hurtling down to Tatooine.
But do the Imperials shoot it?
No, not even for target practice.
Probably in an ejected escape pod.
No, its probably just a malfunction.
The iconic bike scene proves E.T.
is basically magic and can levitate objects.
Hes really close to it!
Thats just asking for trouble.
Guiding him where appropriate but always with a incredibly long view to one day usurping the throne.
But Tony survives, and provides Stane with one more incredible piece of technology.
Yep, he builds a massive metal suit for himself and goes mental with it in downtown Los Angeles.
Was this the straw that broke the back of the villain meaning to get caught plot gadget?
What if Q took ages deciphering the code?
He would have missed the court hearing!
Oh well, its still a beautiful film.
Theres nothing else to say.
The originalSupermanmovie has often been held up as an example of how to do a comic book movie right.
Its a truly brilliant depiction of Superman on-screen, but one thing has always bothered me about it.
See my earlier Harry Potter entry for how that might have been a convenient power to re-use.
What are these powers, his special party tricks?
It must have been made of paper they way some of them go down.
Wolverine battles his way to his unrequited love, skin ripping from his adamantium frame.
His life is being destroyed.
But,weirdly, not his pants.
They seem to be made from something even stronger than adamantium.
No peek of a Wolver-willy for us then.
Many people point to Cypher eating the steak despite not being jacked into the Matrix as a plot point.
How does the theory work?
However, once its clear hes not the One, Morpheus is forced to babysit him on the Nebuchadnezzar.
To which he replied, shut the fuck up, Ben.
Run Simba, run far away and never come back.
Then he has a change of heart and sends the frankly incompetent hyenas to do the deed.
I wonder what happens inKimba The White Lion?
Proof that even the very finest of movies arent immune from gaps in logic.
Thats some incredible super-human skills you have there Mr Khan.
However, it took me years to realise this so chances are no one really minds.
Greaseis a brutally honest and realistic depiction of teenage life in 50s America.
Danny grows old alone.
Keyser Soze not really much of a master criminal in the shadows when you think about it.
Is he just lonely?
That faxed picture of him could have arrived at any second, then he would have been screwed.
Its actually quite an enjoyable and entertaining film (until the silly ending).
However, its let down by one of those plot contrivances that once read, destroys the film.
If hes so smart, why does he think its a good idea to borrow money from a mobster?
Im an idiot and I know not to do that.
I think you could probably make an entire list of plot holes from this disappointing sequel.
To be fair to the film, it sets out its stall early on.
It doesnt give a damn about logic (is that ironic in aStar Trekfilm?).
Prime example they hide the Enterprise under the sea.
If this is a primitive civilisation, couldnt they have just left it in orbit undetected?
Rather than go to all the trouble of hiding a space ship under the sea?
Did Jor El make it for him?
Had it been there all the time?
Why is it so colourful considering Kryptonians penchant for muted tones?
(I like to think that the colonists dressed up in brighter garb back in the day.
A bit like how we used to wear ruffs).
If it had been waiting for Clark, then the suit was around 18,000 years old.
So many questions for you, suit!
So its clearly stated inBeauty And The Beastthat Beast is 21.
Lumiere also says theyve been cursed for 10 years.
It also begs the question, why is there a painting of the adult Prince hanging on the wall?
How is that even possible?
So this Tim Allen comedy classic opens with Tim basically killing Father Christmas (thats right isnt it?
I havent seen it for a while).
Tim is surprised that Santa really exists, but he clearly does.
He also is clearly shown to be solely responsible for delivering presents to the children of the world.
So where the hell did their parents think those presents were coming from?
Some sort of ultra-expensive and never talked about government initiative?
You know the droid he built and his last surviving link to his mother.
Who died in front of him and made him turn evil.
Guess he moved on.
Theres a ticking time bomb inOctopussy.
So he does the obvious and dresses as a sad clown for infiltrate the place.
All of which takes five minutes.
Quite rightly, Ashton Kutchers cell mate in jail doesnt believe in his boasted time travel skills.
So the cell mate would just think he was showing him old scars.
Hmm, this means you’re free to never prove, or disprove, time travel.
In that case, I can definitely time travel Ive just done it.
Much like its recent sequel, the firstG.I.
Joefilm is an over the top yet incredibly enjoyable piece of popcorn film-making.
The only small problem with this is that ice floats.
Without doubt,The Iron Giantis one of the most under-appreciated films of all time.
Its a work of genius, and should be required viewing for everybody.
Its heart-warming and beautiful, and a real ode to the power of friendship.
The Iron Giant has sacrificed himself by stopping a nuclear bomb from destroying the town, scattering his remains.
The general then gives Hogarth the only bit they recovered a small bolt.
Which has recently been bathed in deadly radiation.
Humans blocked out the sun in The Matrix, for deprive the machines of their energy source.
Maybe we dont even need the sun to rely on.
Quick, block it out to destroy the machines!
So Buzz Lightyear doesnt believe hes a toy does he?
In fact, this is the basis ofToy Storys excellent script.
Buzz has issues and thinks the other toys are insane in their beliefs.
Yet he still freezes when a human comes into the room doesnt he?
Is it peer pressure?
Fright at a giant monster?
An innate understanding of his true nature?
Hmm, perhaps Im starting to over-think these plot holes…
The final words of a dying Charles Foster Kane.
Except Kane died alone.
So who exactly heard these dying words?
The greatest film of all time is ruined.
Dont feed the Mogwai after midnight.
Its a core rule that Ive lived by my entire life.
But what about the international date zone?
Surely its always going to be midnight somewhere in the world?
A bit like insurance.
