By Ken Miyamoto from ScreenCraft · November 22, 2023
Ah, plot holes. Every movie nerd’s favorite treasure to find while watching a flick. Sometimes they’re harmless inconsistencies that give us a chuckle. Sometimes they’re complete plot bombs that break the movie (and our brains). To get a better understanding of what they look like in the wild, let’s go over 20 of the biggest plot holes in cinema.
An oldie but a goodie. With a catch to keep you on your toes. So, in the Orson Welles classic Citizen Kane, the film opens with Kane whispering the name Rosebud the moment before he dies. This pushes the plot as people try to figure out who — or what — the name refers to. There’s only one problem. Nobody was in the room to hear him say that, so how could they know what his last word was?
However, there’s a catch. The butler says that he was in the room and heard Kane utter the name in his last breath. While it is explained, it’s still a plot hole because we never see the butler. Had they had a shot with the butler in the room, we wouldn’t be talking about this.
In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and Sallah realized that the Nazis were digging in the wrong spot for the Ark of the Covenant. If they had just taken the medallion, left, and told the Americans where the actual burial site was, the Nazis would never have found the Ark and the Americans could have taken steps to monitor the site.
The Shawshank Redemption showcases Andy’s escape via a tunnel he dug with a small rock hammer over many years. While we can forgive the lengthy process, one question remains: how did Andy reattach the poster to his cell wall after crawling through the tunnel to freedom? It’s a small inconsistency for sure. But remains to be one of the biggest plot hole questions in cinematic history.
In the final chapter of Indiana Jones’s story, we witness a time-traveling adventure. When Indy refuses to go back to his proper timeline from the era of Archimedes, Helena knocks Indy out with a swift punch. Indy then wakes up in his apartment, seemingly back in his present time. The question is, how did Helena manage this without Indy ever waking up?
Despite being told that face kicks are illegal during the tournament, Daniel manages to win with, wait for it, a kick to the face. It’s a puzzling inconsistency in the plot. But one that is ignored by most fans. Decades later, this very plot hole was given a tongue-in-cheek wink to the audience within the sequel series Cobra Kai.
In A Quiet Place, a family lives silently in a world plagued by noise-sensitive aliens. However, they visit a noisy waterfall area where they can talk freely. Why didn’t they move closer to the waterfall? And if there was a good reason not to, why not explain this move with a simple line of dialogue? Lastly, perhaps they should have considered a temporary move near the waterfall for the birth of their child and its surefire crying spells.
Buzz Lightyear’s behavior raises questions in Toy Story. As all of Andy’s toys do, Buzz freezes in Andy’s presence, even though he initially doesn’t believe he’s a toy. Why is he freezing? Is he merely adapting to the behavior of the surrounding “aliens” in the bedroom? Do all toys have an immediate freeze habit in the presence of humans? Well, the answer to that last one is no because the toys are often moving around people throughout the story. Woody even talks to Sid. So what gives, Buzz?
Frodo’s epic journey in The Lord of the Rings culminates with a rescue by giant eagles summoned by Gandalf. The plot hole here is why they didn’t use these eagles from the beginning to save countless lives by flying Frodo directly into Mordor to deliver the ring. Fans can easily debunk this plot hole by saying that Sauron was an all-seeing eye that would have spotted them coming. However, the Fellowship could have gone to great lengths to distract Sauron. Regardless, it’s one of the biggest examples of Dea Ex Machina plot holes.
One of the significant plot holes in The Dark Knight Rises (there are many) involves Bane trapping over a thousand police officers underground for months. The mystery is how they survived, and when they eventually escape, why do they emerge clean-shaven with neatly pressed uniforms? But even before all of that, why would Commissioner Gordon send all of the police underground in the first place?
In a heartwarming moment, Steve Rogers appears as an old man in Avengers: Endgame, having chosen to be with Peggy in the past. However, it raises questions about him being in the same timeline as the Avengers who fought Thanos and his minions for years. How does it all fit together?
Perhaps it’s more about irony than being a plot hole, but it’s pretty significant when you think that Dorothy had the power to return home any time with the click of her ruby-slippered heels. Why didn’t the Good Witch tell her from the get-go? Well, here’s why — because there would be no movie. But still…
In the end climax of M. Night Shyamalan’s otherwise excellent Signs, the aliens are revealed to be allergic to water. In fact, it kills them. Then why the heck are they invading a planet that is over 70% water?
David finds a method to infiltrate an alien spacecraft’s computer with a computer virus. How could his computer interlink with alien technology? How could he design a virus that would work with alien software? This is another perfect example of a Deus Ex Machina Plot Hole.
As the story goes, young Michael Myers killed his sister when he was just ten years old. Since then, he’s been in a mental institution. He later escapes and drives all of the way back to his old hometown to torment the good citizens. How did he know how to drive a car without being detected if he had never had the chance to go through driving lessons?
Obi-Wan Kenobi is tasked with hiding the son of Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader) in a very strange place — Anakin Skywalker’s home world of Tatooine. To top it off, they decide to use Luke’s given surname Skywalker. At least change his last name.
Lorraine and George met a stranger when they were both in high school. Lorraine was obsessed with the stranger. She was majorly crushing. Meanwhile, George had a new best friend in him, offering him key life advice that would later change his life for the better. Once Lorraine and George are a couple, they even have a heartfelt conversation with this stranger they know as Calvin Klein. So, you would think that as the years go by and their youngest son begins to look more and more familiar, something would click. He was a pivotal figure in their union. But, again, nothing?
Hans Gruber and his cohorts devise a plan to make it appear as though they are terrorists, counting on law enforcement’s predictable response to cut the power. This move would deactivate the final security measure and grant them access to their objective. One might wonder if it wouldn’t have been simpler for them to dispatch a team to cut the power themselves.
In 2001’s Monsters Inc., we learn that Mike and Sully have been friends since elementary school. When the prequel Monsters University came around in 2013, the story was played in a way where they didn’t actually meet until college. Sure, we could easily explain that maybe sometime after the events of the prequel, they figured out that they were friends in elementary school. However, that’s a stretch.
Matt (George Clooney) sacrifices himself to ensure Ryan’s (Sandra Bullock) safety. It’s a valiant moment for him… that makes no sense. He’s hanging onto a tether with Ryan, acting as if he’s being pulled by some force. All that would have been required is a little tug by Ryan and the reaction of that force would have pulled him closer to her. Regardless, there’s no gravity pulling him away. They’re in space. There’s no reason he had to sacrifice himself for her at that moment. You could argue that Earth’s gravitational force is pulling him in and the straps holding her to the structure are giving, but it doesn’t add up.
We all know the story. It’s the biggest and most debated plot hole of all time. It’s apparently been debunked in creative ways. However, despite what science says, many believe Jack should have been able to climb up on that door with Rose in some way, shape, or form. When James Cameron was asked about Jack’s death in 2017, Cameron stated simply: “The answer is very simple because it says on page 147 [of the script] that Jack dies. Very simple.” This is to say that the rules set by the writer stated that for whatever reason, Jack understood that they both couldn’t fit on the door without one or both of them being at least somewhat submerged in the freezing waters. Regardless of what we believe or choose not to believe, the script says he has to die. And the reason he died was presented in the film. Still the biggest plot hole of all time.
This extended cut of the scene perhaps offers a little more explanation. But it will still ruffle the feathers of those who believe it could have held them both.
What constitutes a “plot hole” in a movie can vary widely. Generally speaking, plot holes are inconsistencies in the plot or storyline that go against the established logic of a narrative.
They can cause outrage — or they can just be annoying inconsistencies. What one person considers a plot hole could just as easily be construed by another as a minor inconsistency, or a creative choice on the part of the screenwriters and filmmakers.
There are generally five types of plot holes.
Inconsistencies regarding the plot device of MacGuffins, which are desired goals, objects, or any motivators that protagonists seek out for whatever reason.
When story points are not logical either in the context of the real world or the rules that the screenwriters and filmmakers set up.
Inconsistent character choices, random abilities presented out of the blue to solve a conflict, etc.
Gaps or inconsistencies in the storyline.
Where a seemingly unsolvable or unsurvivable conflict is solved by the intervention of some new character, ability, or object.
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Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.
He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, and Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries BLACKOUT, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner, the feature thriller HUNTER’S CREED, and many produced Lifetime thrillers. Follow Ken on Twitter @KenMovies and Instagram @KenMovies76.
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