Movie Plot Holes | Hollywood Slip Ups

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

November 17, 2015 by Graham Pellegrino

E.T. is a movie we all probably grew up watching. Steven Spielberg mashes usually scary aliens, with a cute kids going on adventures, to create one of the best family movies of all time. E.T. was so captivating for kids of our generation that we still make “phone home” references and pretend to have a light on the end of our fingers and touch our friends heart. E.T. is a classic movie that while released in the 1980’s, still gets me excited to find on TV today. While kids acting is usually not that good, something about Elliot, Gertie, and all the friends seemed just so honest and believable, and reminds all of us of our carefree days of our youth. Little did we know that Elliot (Henry Thomas) was the same kid from the 1981 Coca-Cola Super Bowl ad with Joe Green, commonly remembered for iconic line “Hey Kid, Catch!”. Becoming even more famous than Elliot was Gertie, played by Drew Barrymore who would become a star in movies like Donnie Darko, Scream, and Charlie’s Angels. For as good as E.T. is there is one gaping plot hole that as children we were too young to see and now usually are just so focused in watching a movie that reminds us of our childhood, we do not notice either.

So in the end of E.T. we learn that the alien can levitate, as while running from the authorities on bicycles the kids are all picked up into the sky and fly away to escape. So why does the alien not levitate to his ship as it flies away, or does this in the beginning of the movie just to escape the authorities? Using the levitating power when it is convenient in the story and supplies a swell of emotion in viewers does not always make sense logically. If the alien used this power more logically he could have gone back to his ship, tapped on its window, let on board the ship, and flown away. Now this would not make for much of a movie, but it would have at least made some logical sense of use of this levitating power. One explanation is that he was adjusting to Earth’s gravity, and did not know how to levitate here yet.

So while there is this one plot hole it does not take away from the quality of the movie. Providing one of the most iconic images in film history, the bike flying in front of the moon, the movie is entertaining for all ages. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is one of the greatest movie made by Disney and Steven Spielberg, and if you have not seen this movie already over Thanksgiving break watching it should definitely be on your list of things to do!

Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 1 Comment
The Matrix

November 3, 2015 by Graham Pellegrino

In 1999 the movie goers were introduced to the futuristic world of The Matrix. The science fiction thriller captured the attention of audiences everywhere, and was successful enough to convince people to go and see two low quality sequels. The idea for those who have not seen this fantastic movie, is that machines have taken over the earth, but after humans blocked out the machines power source, the sun, machines learned to survive on human bio-electricity. The machines harvest humanity and allow them to live in a dream world, called the Matrix. A team of human rebels who are fighting the machines in the real world, are able to manipulate physics in the Matrix so fight the machines control. If a rebel dies in the Matrix they die in the real world as well. Rebels need to be called in and out of the Matrix by an operator in the real world through a phone, in typical 90’s fashion usually a payphone. So when rebel traitor Cypher has secret meetings with the machine powers who run the Matrix, who is calling him in and out of the Matrix world? This is the plot hole I’m going to focus on in this post.

To enter and exit the Matrix, an operator must dial a person in and out of the Matrix. Essentially a minimum of two people are required to complete a mission for the rebels inside the Matrix, an operator and the rebel going inside the Matrix to complete a mission. When Cypher enters the Matrix to plan on betraying the rebels, who is calling him in and out? A person cannot call themselves in or out of the Matrix, so how does he keep getting into the Matrix to plan his betrayal of the rebel team. The complicated science behind all of the Matrix world may have confused even the writers and directors, the Wachowski brothers. As everything in The Matrix seems to take a deep focus to wrap your mind around, it was probably just looked over as how Cypher got in and out of the Matrix.

The Matrix is a great stand alone movie, and the sequels are really not necessary to watch. The Matrix world is a complicated one, that with everything going on one detail of how Cypher got in and out of the Matrix was just overlooked. Still it is annoying to viewers to find such an obvious plot hole that is never addressed. If Cypher was just given a partner of a second rebel to betray everyone with, the plot hole is solved. But there is no explained way for Cypher to get in and out of the Matrix on his own. Still The Matrix is a great and entertaining science fiction movie. If in the complicated world of the Matrix or one of the movies sequels I missed something, and it was explained how Cypher got in and out of the Matrix without help I would love to hear; or if you have an idea for a different movie plot hole let me know!

Category Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments
The Karate Kid

October 28, 2015 by Graham Pellegrino

The Karate Kid is an iconic 80s American film. And yes this 80s version is what is important not that embarrassing new version with Jaden Smith. The classic movie is the ultimate tale of an underdog, as Danny LaRusso overcomes every obstacle he faces, concluding in victory over his arch nemesis. The Karate Kid is culturally symbolic too, as “Wax on wax off” has become a well-known saying from the movie. As great as the movie is, it does have a major plot hole at the end. This is what I want to explore today, the strikingly obvious plot hole that director John Avildsen must choose to ignore and hope audiences simply just do not notice.

As Daniel LaRusso enters the karate tournament it is made clear to the viewers the rules of the tournament. One of the rules is no kicks to the face or this is immediate disqualification. So when Daniel wins the tournament over bully Johnny with the famous crane position and kick to the face, why is he not disqualified? Granted in both the semi-finals and championship fight there were many illegal attacks, this winning move is a blatant rule violation. Daniel has been severely injured by multiple illegal kicks and attacks that the refs have punished opponents for, yet when the main character and hero of the story does it, no call by the refs. This feel good moment of the film as Daniel defeats his rival and wins the girl is great, but it should not happen. Daniel should be disqualified and Johnny crowned champion. Now director John Avildsen probably hopes the audience is swept up in the tears of joy as Mr. Miyagi, Daniel, Ms. LaRusso, and Daniel’s female friend Ali, all celebrate together and do not notice this rule violation. While I admit if Daniel had not won the movie would have had an empty feeling, but why make him win like this? Would a kick to the chest have not been just as satisfactory in winning the competition? It would not have been the famous image played over and over again as Johnny’s head whips back and falls with defeat, but it would have been a legal victory for Daniel.

As good as The Karate Kid is this sloppy plot hole could easily have been fixed. I still love every minute of this movie including the winning kick, but a legal kick would have worked just as well. The Karate Kid is a great movie with a lazy, fixable plot hole. If I missed something that made the kick legal I would love to hear, or if you know of a plot hole in this movie or a potential in any other let me know!

Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 3 Comments
The Santa Clause

October 20, 2015 by Graham Pellegrino

The Santa Clause with Tim Allen is a Christmas holiday classic. Released in 1994 the movie was a must during the Christmas break for my brother and I as we grew up. Tim Allen portrays a loving father who does not believe in Santa Clause. On Christmas Eve Tim Allen and his son hear something, go outside, and accidentally kill Santa Clause. Tim Allen is then forced to assume the role as Santa Clause himself. Running into problems of being a first year Santa ensue, and it takes a bit of Christmas magic for Tim Allen to successfully pull off his first year behind the reigns. This film is fun for the whole family, and is still entertaining as you age. But there is one plot hole behind the premise that if you think about does not make sense.

Tim Allen in the beginning of the movie claims he does not believe in Santa Clause. So naturally all the gifts under the tree for his son must be from Tim Allen himself, family, or friends. So when Tim Allen’s son each year gets gifts from Santa, why does Tim Allen not question where they are from? These gifts that Tim Allen did not buy appear beneath his tree each year for his son labeled from “Santa Clause”, yet Tim Allen continues to claim there is no Santa. How do parents all over the world not believe in Santa, and explain the mysterious gifts under the tree that they themselves, the parents, did not buy. This does not makes sense logically. Tim Allen gets mysterious gifts under his tree from a man named Santa, and yet he never believes in Santa Clause? This does not makes sense why parents do not believe in Santa.

This plot hole does not really ruin anything major in the movie, but does not really make sense with why parents do not believe in Santa with the mysterious presents from Santa. Overall it is still a great holiday film. If I missed some explanation of this whether its Tim Allen’s first Christmas with his son or simply Christmas magic I would appreciate an explanation!

Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 1 Comment
Oceans 11

October 13, 2015 by Graham Pellegrino

One of the great robbery movies of the early 2000’s was Oceans 11. Focusing on Danny Ocean and his quest for money and revenge on Terry Benedict the movie is compelling and action packed. The cast is on a whole other level as well. George Clooney is fresh out of prison, cunning, and looking to make some money. Brad Pitt and Matt Damon co-star as important henchmen to Ocean’s plan to rob Terry Benedict’s three Las Vegas casinos all in one night. Andy Garcia portrays Terry Benedict, the ruthless casino owner who stole Reuben’s (a friend of Danny Ocean) property and stole Ocean’s wife, Tess Ocean played by Julia Roberts. Whit an assortment of other characters Ocean and his gang attempt to steal over $150 million from Terry Benedict. But part of the robbery plan does not make sense. The viewer has a general idea of what is happening in the heist, but in order to keep the audience captivated, all the details are not revealed until after the heist is complete.

Once inside the vault where all the money is, the heist involves a clever way in getting the money out of the casino, back to the team. Ocean plans it so that Benedict’s team takes the bags of money left behind by the robbers to an airport away from the casino. These bags of money have been filled with pamphlets to a strip club, and not really money. This way when Ocean and his team come back disguised as a SWAT team, they take the real bags of money and walk away with it unsuspected. This might be a confusing description of events and it is confusing watching the movie as well. It took me a few times watching it and explanations by my friends to fulling grasp what had happened. How elaborate the plan is, is what makes the movie so fun to watch. The plot hole however, is how did Ocean and his team get the fake money, or strip club flyers into the vault? When Benedict’s men arrive in the vault and take the flyers the only people to have been in the vault were Yen, Linus (Matt Damon), and Danny Ocean. Yen slipped in hidden inside a food delivery cart, Danny and Linus were let in by Yen, and never were carrying bags. So how did the flyers get in the vault? Director Steven Soderbergh even admits in an interview after the movie was released that this is a plot hole in the logic of the film. It is generally overlooked because these details are released to the audience after the heist has happened and many people are wrapping their heads around just the basics of how the robbery was pulled off.

Oceans 11 is an incredibly interesting movie to watch, simply because of how difficult it is for the criminals to pull off the crime. While one little plot hole is made, the overall movie is fantastic and just intricate to watch. If anyone has any explanation on how the flyers got into the vault I would love to know, or if you just have an idea of another plot hole in Oceans 11 or an idea for a future movie plot hole jut let me know!

Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 3 Comments
Edward Scissorhands

October 7, 2015 by Graham Pellegrino

Recently I watch the Tim Burton film Edward Scissorhands, starring Johnny Depp. For anyone who does not know is a young man is created by an old inventor, who dies before he can put the finishing touches on his creation, his hands. As a result the young man is left with scissors for hands and is locked away in his creator’s mansion. One day a door to door saleswoman visits the mansion and finds the creation, Edward. She takes him into his home and he lives with her and her family. After time together Edward falls in love with the family daughter, but after an unfortunate series of events throughout the movie, Edward and the daughter do not end up together. However, as Edward retreats back to his secluded mansion he makes ice in memory of the family daughter he still loves. But wait, how did Edward get the ice? This is the plot hole at the end of the movie I want to focus on today.

So Edward makes grand ice sculptures of the daughter, Kim, who he used to love. But how does he get the ice, hold the ice, or prevent it from melting? As we have seen throughout the movie Edward cannot hold things so he did not call to order the ice. He cannot type on a computer to order the ice over the internet either. So how does the ice get to his house? He cannot have stored it up for years before his master died, which would not be logical as his master died unexpectedly. Even if somehow Edward does get the ice how does he move it? He has no grip so he cannot transport it around the house. Finally how does he keep it from melting? Edward lives in either Southern California or Florida (it is never made clear) both having extreme heat and it did not seem Edward had a giant air conditioner or freezer nearby. The idea that Edward’s love for Kim lives on in his ice sculptures is romantic, but impractical for the location and condition of Edward.

The movie is funny, romantic, and dramatic throughout and is very enjoyable to watch. However, the logistics of the closing scenes raise a few eyebrows. If anyone can give even a slight solution to how Edward manages the ice I would love to hear some answers to this plot hole!

Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 2 Comments
Toy Story

September 29, 2015 by Graham Pellegrino

Toy Story is one my favorite movies and is one I have been watching since I was a child. Disney Pixar is one of the best combinations of movie companies to ever work together to make movies. All of their movies have elements for both adults and children; resulting in the success that their movies have. But even their most classic and recognizable film, Toy Story has a plot hole involving Buzz Lightyear.

Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Tim Allen, enters as the new toy in Andy’s room and is greeted by the other toys. Buzz denies he is a toy and does not know what they are talking about. To Buzz he really is THE Buzz Lightyear. He thinks his light-up laser is real and can actually freeze and shoot the other toys. Buzz thinks when he takes off his helmet he would be choked by the foreign air. But none of these things are real. Buzz Lightyear thinks he really is a Star Commander, but he is just a toy. So if Buzz thinks he is real space warrior, why did he fall down when Andy walked in the room, like all the other toys? Did he fall to peer pressure? Did he seem the giant human and just collapse? Was it his innate sense of actually being a toy? This question of why does Buzz fall like the other toys, is a plot hole in the movie. If Buzz truly believes he is a space commander, then why does he act like a toy when his human Andy appears.

This is only a minor plot hole to the movie, but it is a short break in Buzz’s character. Toy Story is still one of the greatest animated movie by Disney-Pixar and of all time, but this minor plot hole is just a slip up by the writers.

Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 2 Comments
Fight Club

September 24, 2015 by Graham Pellegrino

My favorite movie of all time is Fight Club directed by David Fincher. The acting by Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter is excellent as they portray grimy, white collar Americans. The movie’s secretive character of Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), keeps the audience constantly captivated as he starts as a simple soap salesman but evolves into a much more elaborate character, setting up Fight Clubs and Project Mayhem chapters around the country. The strange Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter) actually acts as a point of sanity in the whole movie. Now I really have not given away too much but if you have not seen the movie and do not want it ruined for you, stop reading now as I am about to drop some serious spoilers, and plot holes.

While Fight Club is an excellent movie due to the nature of the twist ending there are some questions raised. The fight clubs that are set up have very strict rules. There really are not any loopholes to the rules, and all the members are pretty loyal followers of the rules. The main character and leader of the club Ed Norton is even attacked when he breaks one of the rules. So why then when Bob fights Ed Norton does he keep his shirt on? One of the rules of fight club is no shirts, belts or shoes. Is it simply because Bob is fat that he keeps his shirt on? For a movie that focuses a lot on following the strict rules of a cult they let this one slide. But that is probably because the actor playing Bob was not really fat, but wearing a fat suit for the movie. Still when rule following is a huge emphasis of the movie it would make more sense to at least explain why one of the rules of fight club is broken.

It is revealed that Ed Norton’s character has dissociated personalities, and that Tyler Durden is just a figment of his mind. While this explains many of the questions between Ed Norton’s character and Marla, why people keep mistaking him for Tyler Durden, and how it came to be that his apartment exploded; the revealing of the dissociative personalities also leaves some questions. In one scene where Tyler is driving the car and Ed Norton is in the passenger seat who is really driving the car? When Ed Norton gets beat up it can be explained that he simply hit himself, but when it was himself really driving the car he was also in the passenger seat too? Additionally when Ed Norton goes on long rants about Tyler, why does no one question who this Tyler is? Many of the situations are explained or if just thought back upon make sense, but the driving of the car scene and rants to other club members about Tyler seem to beckon a lack of thinking in some places. All together though, Fight Club is a fantastic movie, with the surprise twist ending of dissociative personality, that Tyler is really just a part of Ed Norton’s mind capping off an already incredibly mysterious, entertaining movie.

Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 1 Comment
The Mummy Returns

September 15, 2015 by Graham Pellegrino

The Mummy Returns is the sequel movie to the success and brilliant movie The Mummy. However, as with many sequels it does not live up to the quality of the first movie. The story and acting is excellent again. Brandon Frasier is the cool action hero, Rachel Weisz is the Egyptian expert, John Hannah the comic relief as the bumbling fool, Oded Fehr is the mystic warior, Arnold Vosloo the scary evil mummy, and Patricia Velasquez in the murderous henchman role. All part of the cast that made the first movie so good came back and did a fantastic job, but some obvious plot holes were brought up in the second movie that were unexplainably missed in the first one. The two most obvious plot holes in the movie revolve around the two main characters; Rick O’Connell (Brandon Frasier) and Evelyn O’Connell/Nefertiri (Rachel Weisz) and how characteristics about them are brought up in the second movie, but not the first.

In The Mummy Returns Rick O’Connell has a strange new tattoo on his forearm that was not in the first movie. The tattoo symbolizes warrior/fighter but is not existent in on his arm in the first movie of the series. The whole point of the tattoo is that it meant Rick had a destiny to bring peace to the people of the region over the mummy. If this is such an important part of Rick’s life and destiny why did he not have this important tattoo in the first movie? The whole idea of the tattoo and importance to his life seems to be an afterthought of the first movie, added in for the sequel movie.

A second large plot hole in The Mummy Returns is Evelyn’s past life as Nefertiri. Anck-Su-Namun recognizes Evelyn as Nefertiri in The Mummy Returns but she ran into her many times in the first movie and never referenced her as Nefertiri. The past life battle ragging between the two of them in the second movie is never addressed in the original movie. If Anck-Su-Namun recognizes Evelyn as her mortal enemy, Nefertiri, why do they not recognize each other in the first movie? This intense battle between the two does not make sense to start in the second movie if it was not present in the first movie.

Plot holes of The Mummy Returns aside the series of movies is very entertaining. The second movie does not have total consistency with the first book, but both are still excellent movies. The third and final movie of the series however is not worth your time, as it breaks away from the theme of the first two movies and is just laughable at some moments. Forgetting about the third installment The Mummy series is a great pair of action movies.

Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 3 Comments
Star Wars: A New Hope

September 9, 2015 by Graham Pellegrino

So for my first post I thought I would find the plot hole in the sci-fi classic Star Wars: A New Hope. Growing up I loved watching the Star Wars movies, even if the new trilogy of my generation is far inferior to the original trilogy of the 1970’s and 80’s. Lazy Sunday afternoons consisted of trying to convince my parents to let my brother and I watch just one more of the movies in the series after already spending hours on the couch, plastic lightsabers in hand. As much as I loved the movies as a child, as I got older I started to notice things that were not consistent in the movies. In the first movie alone I found a few scenes and ideas that do not make sense in the Star Wars universe and movie.

In the beginning of Star Wars: A New Hope Princess Leia’s rebel ship is captured by the Empire and Lord Vader. In a desperate effort to not lose the details of the rebel base, Leia stashes the plans in a droid R2-D2 and sends him and his protocol droid partner, C-3PO to the planet Tatooine in an escape pod. As the pod flies away from Leia’s ship the Empire has the opportunity to blast it with a laser cannon, but opts not to as there are no life forms on board. Empire protocol is to shoot all escape pods fleeing from captured vessels, but as the TV show Family Guy points out in their spoof of Star Wars, are the gunners being payed by the shot? Just because there are no life forms detected why the Imperial gunner does not take the shot is a mystery. The Empire would not lose any significant power or wealth from one more laser shot being fired. Due to the Empire not taking the shot R2-D2 and C-3PO escape from the Empire, land safely on Tatooine, and cause the events of Star Wars to carry out. If the Imperial gunner had just done his job the entire plot of the Star Wars series is wrecked as Luke Skywalker does not wander out in the dessert, meet Obi Wan Kenobi, and begin his Jedi training; which ultimately leads to the fall of the Empire. Director George Lucas allowing the pod to escape because no life forms are detected is a major plot point that without this slip up by the Empire, causes the entire plot of the Star Wars franchise to collapse.

So as much as I love Star Wars this plot hole by George Lucas is widely criticized and made fun of. However, if you can get over this fault by the Empire, Star Wars is an amazing series of movies that I would recommend to both the casual movie watcher and movie fanatics everywhere.

Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 3 Comments