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30 People Respond To “What Are Some Plot Holes So Big You Can Drive A Truck Through?”
All the way back in 2005, the late critic Roger Ebert wrote in his review for the French horror film High Tension: "Clever viewers will be able to see for themselves that the movie's plot has a hole that is not only large enough to drive a truck through, but in fact does have a truck driven right through it."
A week ago, reddit user Naweezy decided to tribute Ebert and his poetic phrase. So they posted a question to r/AskReddit, "What are some plot holes so big you can drive a truck through?" Immediately, screen detectives started revealing their insights. From Star Wars to The Simpsons, it's crazy to think producers didn't notice these humongous craters in their stories and let them through.
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#1
In the Mummy with Brendan Frasier, Imhotep steals body parts from the looters to put himself back together. At one point he takes the eyes from a person wearing glasses, so for the rest of the movie Imhotep should really be squinting at everyone.
Or did they? In Patrick McGilligan's book "Backstory 1: Interviews with Screenwriters of Hollywood's Golden Age," for example, screenwriter Richard Maibaum recalls working with Alfred Hitchcock on Foreign Correspondent (1940). "I was writer number thirty ... primarily I rewrote the ... part of the old statesman who was kidnapped. (Hitchcock) said to me, 'Did you read what we've got?' Which was half a screenplay. I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'What do you think about it?' I replied, 'It's not very logical.' He grimaced and said, 'Oh, dear boy, don't be dull. I'm not interested in logic, I'm interested in effect. If the audience ever thinks about logic, it's on their way home after the show, and by that time, you see, they've paid for their tickets.'"
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#2
Thanos killed half of all living things because he thought resources weren't sufficient for everyone.
With his godlike powers he could have just doubled those resources
Being a movie enthusiast, Naweezy said they asked the question simply out of curiosity. "I just love reading posts on movies and people's thoughts and opinions on them," they told Bored Panda, adding that even though they definitely are a fan of the late Roger Ebert, they haven't seen that review and came up with the angle for question themselves.
Clearly, a movie or TV show can have a plot hole and still be popular. But can it still be good? Naweezy said it depends. "Movies with plot holes can still be good but the plot holes need to be small and not affect the main storyline. It's not a good thing when a plot hole is the first thing you think of when remembering a movie or show."
#3
If all Cinderella’s magically transfigured stuff goes back to normal at midnight (carriage back into a pumpkin, dress back to being all dirty and old) then why the prince walking around with a glass slipper for weeks afterward? Shouldn’t it have changed back into a normal dirty old shoe?
Experts agree with that thought. They say that if a plot hole is so glaring that it takes the viewer out of the story, breaking the suspension of disbelief and causing harm to the enjoyment of the narrative, it matters. However, if it's just a minor discrepancy in the plot and doesn't break the experience, it's probably no big deal and can still be pleasant to the average audience member. So it's probably the size of the hole that determines whether or not it destroys the movie.
#4
The aliens in the movie Signs melted when exposed to water. Why would you try to take over a planet that is covered in 75% water and where it rains on land regularly?
Truth Monster 4 years ago
Yet we constantly scheme on how to colonize Mars, the Moon and space. None of them are atmospheres we can naturally live in unaided. The aliens can apparently survive for short periods in our atmosphere in Signs. Also you are applying human logic to a species that is not part of our evolutionary tree, which means its logic may not make sense to us at all.
#5
Madagascar. They give Alex the Lion hell for eating animals. In the end, they give him sashimi as a substitute.
What, in a world of talking animals, fish aren't considered animals too?
#6
Every musical ever when people start singing spontaneously, and everyone's cool with it.
Start singing in my face at 9am on my way to work and I'll call the police.
#7
One of my favourite movies but Interstellar. There's the one planet where the surface is water with huge waves and time moves much slower, so like 5 minutes on that planet is 2 years on earth (or something like that). Before going down, the scientists discuss how risky this is, as even if they go down to get the earlier astronaut and check the planet out for habitability, years will pass on earth while they're down there, and earth is running out of time. They are experts in this and they fully understand the time distortion on this planet caused by the black hole it orbits. HOWEVER, they decide to go anyways because the astronaut that went there to check it out has been sending positive signals about he environment and habitability of the planet for something like 12 years. So OMG we have to go if it's so good that she's been there that long and everything is good. Their only concern is about the amount of time that will pass on earth... After they land, they have this massive realization that it's just a bunch of shallow water with massive tidal waves every hour or so, and the astronaut they sent there 12 years ago actually just landed like 30 mins ago in her time because of the time distortion, and is dead. Then they are like "oh doh we've been getting positive signals for 12 years because for her it's only been 30 mins and she hadn't been hit by a wave and killed yet - this planet is bad". The entire rest of the plot is completely dependent on the fact that they get f**ked by this stop as the ship now has low fuel from orbiting the planet for like 15 years while the others were down there. So the entire movie rests on the idea that a group of the world's best physicists who had already identified and discussed the time distortion of the planet didn't connect that to the fact that the "12 years of good signals" actually means less than an hour of good signals because of that very time dilation.
Cat on a bike 4 years ago
Also the signals should be waaaay apart and also distorted, how come they received 12 years of signals instead of 30 minutes of signals spread over 12 years. The wave length would also be distorted.
#8
In every war movie a shell goes off 10 feet away from a soldier, he ducks and keeps running. In reality he'd be dead from the blast and shrapnel.
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
We know, just as we know about the handguns with 100 000 bullets and about the guy who got fatally wounded but yet manages to recite all of Shakespeare's sonnets and poems before drawing his last breath.
#9
Obi Wan wants to hide Luke Skywalker from his father... so he gives him to his uncle and aunt, in their home planet, without changing his name, and he himself lives near the kid while not changing his own surname.
#10
In Liar, Liar, Jennifer Tilly's character gets her way in the divorce despite cheating because she lied about her age, therefore making the prenup null and void. However, this would also nullify the entire marriage, entitling her to nothing.
Laura Pantazis 4 years ago
Legal Eagle talked about this and why in the real world the prenup and marriage may not have been invalidated. https://youtu.be/2Pt51e3U7IY?t=1030
#11
That track would have been absolutely [screwed] with no maintenance in minus degrees. The rail companies in England can't even manage to run a full service when there's a wet leaf somewhere on the track.
#12
[Any film where someone dresses up in a work uniform to go undercover in a place of work.]
Does nobody notice a totally new guy wandering around doing things they shouldn't be doing? Do you not recognise the people who you work with every single day?
And does nobody think "hey, wasn't bob supposed to be in today? He's 2 hours late and nobody has let us know if his shift is being covered"
Truth Monster 4 years ago
You could totally go undercover at big box stores. I've seen some big screen tvs get stolen that way. No one blinked an eye
#13
Peter takes a small sample of the symbiote to one of his college professors so he can get a better idea of what it is. The professor looks at it under a microscope and says "It's definitely alien. I wouldn't let any of this stuff touch you.". That's it? Proof of alien life brought to you by one of your students and your only takeaway is "Don't touch it"? That's f***ing insane.
Julius Martin 4 years ago
hm proof of alien life that should probably go to the government, you know what, ill give it to this random college student
#14
Every Christmas movie where no one believes in Santa but then it turns out Santa does exist. Like, who did they think was putting presents under the Christmas tree? If Santa is real then it wasn’t them.
#15
Jurassic World
They see scratches on the wall and heat detection cameras don't pick it up so they just jump to the conclusion it escaped and enter the paddock before exploring all other avenues to check if it has escaped
Are we really supposed to believe 1 minimum wage security guard is responsible for keeping watch on the paddock? A multi million dollar genetically engineered dinosaur and all they have they have is 1 security guard........cmon
Let's say it has escaped, its bigger than a T-Rex, your telling me that thing jumped off a 60ft wall and there was literally not one single person in the area to notice
#16
Shrek 2 - How does a donkey [make love to] a dragon?
#17
In Black Panther, when he falls into the water, he gets pulled out by a fisherman from the northern tribe, later on the movie, the leader of the tribe says that they are all vegetarians. They are also completely isolated, and don't trade. Why do they have a fisherman?
#18
I dont understand the science behind zombies.
Sure i can go along with the dead waking up eating others for sustenance.
But why don't they dry out? Why don't the characters move to the artic where the dead would freeze or the desert where they would dry out.
Why can't they out run them ? Why do they always twist their ankle while running away ?
The zombies at the very least should dry out and reanimate when it rains and surely due to evolution the only people left would have really robust ankles that don't easily sprain as they would be more likely to survive ?
Truth Monster 4 years ago
i think this question is too general. What kind of zombies? What caused their undeadness?
#19
Thanos destroying the stones in Endgame makes ZERO sense, because his logic was that "he did it so that his 50/50 snap can't be undone by anyone", but the universe's population will normalize to the previous amount in just a century or so (which is NOTHING to Thanos, considering he is over 1500 years old).
Fun fact: Earth's population in 1920 was 1.9bil. Today (100 years later), it's over 7bil. So snapping earth's population to 50% would normalize back to over 7bil in less than 50years.
#20
Lily and James could have been their own secret keepers. Thus removing the need to use Wormtail and give away their position to Voldemort Most likely saving the potters lives.
Peter Pettigrew was also around for a few years while the Weasley twins had the Marauder's map. He should have been visible. Ron was sleeping with a man every night and Fred and George were silent about it.
Veritas Serum exists. Should have been extremely useful in discovering who the death eaters were after the first fall of Voldemort.
Unbreakable vows and time turners are also universe breaking magics.
Jenifer Riggs 4 years ago
Only question the first two statements: Firstly, want to point out that if Lily and James were the only secret keepers they'd have been totally isolated from their friends and unable to leave their home for anything. They were being hunted by Voldemort and couldn't exactly go out and about their daily lives. Secondly, the twins had been using the map in the years before Ron came to Hogwarts. So isn't it possible that they just memorized their favorite secret routes and didn't need the map too much? Also, they probably weren't too focused on their younger brother and they definitely would not have known who Peter Pettigrew was. For all they knew it was some clingy student in Ron's dormitory.
#21
R2-D2. This droid is like 50 years old by the time we get to the end of the Skywalker saga, and yet at no point has he become obsolete or incompatible with anything he runs into.
We can see the development of technology throughout the series and across several vastly different civilizations and cultures. Doesn't matter, R2 and his Magic Hacker Wand can get through any locked door or security protocol.
#22
The parents deciding to each take one twin to raise on different continents and never talk to each other again.
Neva Nevičica 4 years ago
Well, it's actually a children's book written in 1940ies. In the book they weren't on different continents, but i guess, at that times, you could more or less do with your kids as you pleased :D
#23
If Buzz-Lightyear thinks he's real and not a toy, then why is he motionless and pretending to not be alive, like all the other toys, when Andy plays with him? Wouldn't he think Andy is some sort of giant alien monster? Woody might have explained to him they they need to remain still or something, but we never get an explanation
#24
That in a galaxy, far far away, a long time ago, various spacefaring, technologically advanced races can't secure anything.
You pretty much stroll into an enemy base, your droid just plugs in to any port and can download anything. No access control, no alarms, CCTV only when it's useful to the plot. Once you've got what you want, stroll out and take an enemy ship. Again, no access control, locking doors, anything.
Olivia Agave 4 years ago
The major issue this seems to be pointing out is that the empire are using older tech that is standardised, which is unsurprising given that 20 years isn't enough time to R&D such let alone replace everything. What if they did manage though, to make it so everything wasn't so standardised so no R2 break ins or hiding as a stormtrooper? Defectors were hiding throughout the empire so just use one of them for access unquestioned, or t obtain and reprogram an updaed or new droid.
#25
House elves are insanely powerful magical beings... when they join the Battle of Hogwarts they use knives.
Dalton Dickerhoof 4 years ago
Better question, could a house elf do laundry? Really want to know.
#26
Daenerys Targaryen forgetting about the Iron Fleet. I’ll never understand the rush to finish that season.
Vincent Philippart 4 years ago (edited)
Also, the world's largest fleet being built in a few months, made up of delicately carved vessels, all on a small chain of sparsely populated underdeveloped islands with no visible trees.
#27
In Supernatural, it’s mentioned that demons react negatively to the word Christo, but the word is never mentioned again after that episode.
#28
So in The Ring (original or remake) you sort of subvert the curse by making a copy of the tape. What happens when VHS tapes are no longer viable? Does Sadako make the jump to digital at some point and start sending out DVDs? Even then not everyone has a DVD burner so that doesn’t seem very smart. Did the curse migrate to Limewire downloads in the early 2000s and now you get freed from it by adding a new torrent seed? Was there an awkward period sometime in the early 90s where there were cursed laser discs floating around?
#29
Voldemort went through so much trouble to get Harry into the Wizarding World Cup or whatever. Helped him win. Killed other students. All so Harry could touch a port key at the end of the final event.
Why didn’t he just like, turn his pillow into a port key?
Truth Monster 4 years ago
Portkeys don't usually work at Hogwarts, I think. Any Potterheads know for sure?
#30
How in Harry Potter, the wizards are so clueless about the Muggle world when they literally lived in it.
Also, how this is a magical world where there must be thousands if not millions of spells, yet in the Battle for Hogwarts, the students only knew how to use Expelliarmus... When this is one of the first spells that they learned, revealing that Hogwarts does not prepare the students well.
Magic can only be done with a wand...
What do you think ?
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
BULLETS TO SHOULDERS. OK? I am tired of TV and books and movies all saying this is a walk-it-off back-to-work in two weeks injury. A bullet to the shoulder can: 1. kill (there's arteries!) 2. cause permanent disability (nerves). In real life, if you are shot in the shoulder, you are not getting up, you are not fighting back, you are in hospital, you are in PT, and then you are lucky to use your arm fully again. Assuming you don't die.
Ben Smith 4 years ago
Say it with me everyone: suspension of disbelief. Movies need to be dramatic or funny or scary or make time move unnaturally to be entertaining. Stop being “that person” and enjoy the damn film.
Julie 4 years ago
Has everyone on Earth seen only Star Wars, Harry Potter, Avengers and GOT? Sometimes I wonder.
CuttlefishRule 4 years ago
another harry potter wonky thing that doesn't make sense: why do wizards ever need to shop for clothes? cant they just enlarge/repair/change color with magic?
Caroline Driver 4 years ago
Also, people walking through burning buildings. Have you ever stood next to a garden bonfire? Just that is enough to make your skin feel crispy and your eyes close.
Bunny Wood 4 years ago
Personally the indestructible car in the car chases always leaves me cold.
Rick 4 years ago
In the Friends episode where Monica and Rachel bet their apartment against Joey and Chandler, they lose, because Rachel incorrectly guesses Chandler’s job as a Transponster. Instead of Ross immediately confirming the answer as wrong and moving to the next question (as he had done twice already in the game) he lets Monica and Rachel bicker amongst themselves and trying to come up with the correct answer until the time runs out. It bugs me every time I see it.
hobbitly 4 years ago
Clearly Harry Potter was full of plot holes, seeing they are mentioned quite a lot here. Still entertaining though :)
Duke Ferris 3 years ago
Million Dollar Baby. Hitting a boxer after the bell and nearly killing her would not make you the winner of the bout. You would instead be arrested for assault at the very least, and possibly attempted murder.
Marnie 4 years ago
I've never heard anyone mention that HUGE plot hole in the finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Picard is in three different times goes to the same location where some anomaly is happening. At all 3 different times, they fire lasers at the spot. The thing starts at the furthest point in the future and moves back in time, getting bigger and bigger. So, they oldest Picard sees nothing after they fire and everyone thinks he's crazy. But then they go back a little while later, and then the thing is there - further in the future. He's been vindicated. Except the thing moves BACK in time, so they would never have seen it later.
fuggnuggins 4 years ago
So, people now watch so much video that they no longer appreciate the format of fiction as being fictional and intended for entertainment and often relaying morals and concepts. Seems like a hole, alright.
Catherine Spencer-Mills 4 years ago
Writing a virus on an Apple II in order to mess up an alien computer. How do you know the alien computer has the same machine code? Or, how about runs on binary with 8 bit words? Come on, it takes custom interfaces to get an IBM mainframe using EBCDIC to converse with ASCII Apple, Mac or PC. And the alien computer runs ASCII 8 bit words and has identical machine language for doing things like, I don't know, opening a file or saving a value in memory or has a boot sector? Never saw the movie, never will.
Mark Nash 4 years ago
The one that gets me in all Space Sci-Fi movies is saying that someone is X years old. What is a year.. the time it takes your, presumably, home planet to revolve around the sun. So every single planet in every galaxy happens to have the same year length as our earth? A friend once suggested that since life evolves in the goldilocks zone that maybe this is true! Kinda blew my mind and all i can cling to.
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
BULLETS TO SHOULDERS. OK? I am tired of TV and books and movies all saying this is a walk-it-off back-to-work in two weeks injury. A bullet to the shoulder can: 1. kill (there's arteries!) 2. cause permanent disability (nerves). In real life, if you are shot in the shoulder, you are not getting up, you are not fighting back, you are in hospital, you are in PT, and then you are lucky to use your arm fully again. Assuming you don't die.
Ben Smith 4 years ago
Say it with me everyone: suspension of disbelief. Movies need to be dramatic or funny or scary or make time move unnaturally to be entertaining. Stop being “that person” and enjoy the damn film.
Julie 4 years ago
Has everyone on Earth seen only Star Wars, Harry Potter, Avengers and GOT? Sometimes I wonder.
CuttlefishRule 4 years ago
another harry potter wonky thing that doesn't make sense: why do wizards ever need to shop for clothes? cant they just enlarge/repair/change color with magic?
Caroline Driver 4 years ago
Also, people walking through burning buildings. Have you ever stood next to a garden bonfire? Just that is enough to make your skin feel crispy and your eyes close.
Bunny Wood 4 years ago
Personally the indestructible car in the car chases always leaves me cold.
Rick 4 years ago
In the Friends episode where Monica and Rachel bet their apartment against Joey and Chandler, they lose, because Rachel incorrectly guesses Chandler’s job as a Transponster. Instead of Ross immediately confirming the answer as wrong and moving to the next question (as he had done twice already in the game) he lets Monica and Rachel bicker amongst themselves and trying to come up with the correct answer until the time runs out. It bugs me every time I see it.
hobbitly 4 years ago
Clearly Harry Potter was full of plot holes, seeing they are mentioned quite a lot here. Still entertaining though :)
Duke Ferris 3 years ago
Million Dollar Baby. Hitting a boxer after the bell and nearly killing her would not make you the winner of the bout. You would instead be arrested for assault at the very least, and possibly attempted murder.
Marnie 4 years ago
I've never heard anyone mention that HUGE plot hole in the finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Picard is in three different times goes to the same location where some anomaly is happening. At all 3 different times, they fire lasers at the spot. The thing starts at the furthest point in the future and moves back in time, getting bigger and bigger. So, they oldest Picard sees nothing after they fire and everyone thinks he's crazy. But then they go back a little while later, and then the thing is there - further in the future. He's been vindicated. Except the thing moves BACK in time, so they would never have seen it later.
fuggnuggins 4 years ago
So, people now watch so much video that they no longer appreciate the format of fiction as being fictional and intended for entertainment and often relaying morals and concepts. Seems like a hole, alright.
Catherine Spencer-Mills 4 years ago
Writing a virus on an Apple II in order to mess up an alien computer. How do you know the alien computer has the same machine code? Or, how about runs on binary with 8 bit words? Come on, it takes custom interfaces to get an IBM mainframe using EBCDIC to converse with ASCII Apple, Mac or PC. And the alien computer runs ASCII 8 bit words and has identical machine language for doing things like, I don't know, opening a file or saving a value in memory or has a boot sector? Never saw the movie, never will.
Mark Nash 4 years ago
The one that gets me in all Space Sci-Fi movies is saying that someone is X years old. What is a year.. the time it takes your, presumably, home planet to revolve around the sun. So every single planet in every galaxy happens to have the same year length as our earth? A friend once suggested that since life evolves in the goldilocks zone that maybe this is true! Kinda blew my mind and all i can cling to.
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