If you find yourself criticizing movies and TV shows constantly, you might need to work on your “suspension of disbelief” – the willingness to avoid overthinking about every little detail and just enjoying what you’re watching.
Okay, we admit that plot holes can be very annoying, to the point where they can even ruin an entire film. But these specific plot holes or “unexplained” things, actually have very reasonable explanations – and here they are.
Why didn’t Katniss let Prim take tesserae, and just volunteer to replace her?
In The Hunger Games, it’s explained that if one takes tesserae, they get more food rationed to their family – in exchange for their name having a much higher chance to get picked for the games. People have wondered why Katniss didn’t let Prim take tesserae, since she volunteered for her anyway.
But A – she didn’t plan on volunteering for her, but made a spur-of-the-moment decision. And B – she could get picked after Katniss turns 18 and could no longer volunteer for her.
How did Marty’s parents not realize their son looks exactly like ‘Calvin’?
Many viewers complained about this one – how can Marty’s parents not remember meeting a guy of the same name they were teenagers, who looked exactly like him? Well, the answer really is simple. They’ve only known him for a week, back when they were teenagers.
They watched their kid grow up for years, so it’s not far fetched that it never dawned on them they’ve met someone similar in their past. And if he wasn’t in any pictures, how could they remember exactly what he looked like based on those few days?
If Buzz believed he was real, why did he freeze up like the rest of the toys?
The whole point of Toy Story is that Buzz Lightyear doesn’t believe he’s a toy, but thinks he really is a man from space who’s on a special mission. So it’s only logical to wonder why he freezes up when a human approaches, just like the other toys do.
Well, this could be because he believes it’s what’s customary on the strange planet he’s on, or it could be instinct that all toys have, in order to protect themselves from being discovered. Both explanations make sense, in this case.
Why would an alien ship be affected by a simple virus?
Independence Day is one of those ’90s action movies that are far fetched in many ways, but something that’s always bothered people was the computer virus. Don’t the aliens have anti-virus that can fend off whatever they program?
Well, the answer is no. It could be that these aliens have never encountered something like it, and even if they did have “anti-virus”, it would most likely be unfamiliar with a human engineered virus, and thus won’t be efficient.
How could Monica afford her gorgeous two-bedroom NYC apartment?
How many times have you heard someone ask how Monica can afford her huge NYC apartment? We just wish we had a Nickel for each time.
However, in the show, she specifically says the apartment she lives in belonged to her grandmother, and it’s rent controlled. It even comes up when Joey almost gets them all kicked out by Mr. Treeger. And as for Chandler and Joey – they’re apartment is much smaller, and without Chandler Joey really can’t afford it.
Why couldn’t the eagles fly the ring to Mordor in the first place?
Let’s settle this eagle thing once and for all. No, the fellowship couldn’t use eagles to carry the ring to Mordor, and there are a few reasons for this. First off, Sauron had his eye watching at all times, and they would’ve been discovered.
Other than that, they are sentient beings, which means they would probably refuse – or try to take the rings for themselves. Is that good enough reason, besides the entirety of the series not taking place if that had happened?
When Andy escaped, how did he put the poster back so no one will notice?
The Shawshank Redemption is one of the most famous prison escape movies, and one of the reasons for that is the clever way in which Andy escaped. He dug a hole in his cell wall, which turned into a tunnel leading outside.
He hid it behind a giant poster of Rita Hayworth, as the warden discovered when he was gone from his cell. And while people questioned how he could put the poster back in its place so perfectly – the answer is “practice makes perfect.”
Wouldn’t it be simpler to teach astronauts how to drill?
We’ve actually even wondered this ourselves – why train drillers to be astronauts and not train astronauts to drill? Apparently, even the experts are saying it’s easier this way.
It takes years to study how to specialize in geological work, and you could potentially train men in a relatively short period of time how to survive in space. So the choice was pretty smart after all. Ben Affleck tried pointing it out once, but it seems that nobody listened.
Why would Ariel throw her life away for a guy she just met?
Ariel just wanted to be part of our world, and we’ve been giving her so much shade for it. People have commented how wrong of a message it is that Ariel throws her life away for Eric, whom she’s barely met once. But that’s not the reason she left.
It was actually what her father did – destroying her collection – that drove her to sign Ursula’s proposal. She just wanted to get away from her dad (hello, she’s a teenager!). And besides, did she really “throw her life away”, or did she go out and build a life of her own?
Did the Death Star really need to have such an obvious flaw?
The Death Star was pretty impressive, but fans have been wondering for years why it would have such a flaw as an exhaust vent. This flaw meant you could easily destroy it, which is precisely what ends up happening. So what’s with the poor planning?
In reality, it’s actually impressive that they could make an exhaust vent so small, as something that size would need several. What Galen Erso did (as explained in Rogue One) was making sure that when the reactor is hit, there would be a devastative chain reaction.
How did Tony Stark know Peter Parker was Spider-Man?
Are people really wondering how Tony Stark knew Peter Parker was Spider-Man? We mean, he’s Iron Man! He had access to the most advanced technology, which means he had tons of intel that other people don’t.
It’s also possible that S.H.I.E.L.D knew about Peter, which meant Tony knew. It’s not like one of his high school teachers mysteriously knew. And either way, just because the explanation is not shown to us, doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
“Jack and Rose could both fit on the door”
Ah, the decades old argument of whether Jack could fit on the door with Rose. People have been trying to wrap their heads around his devastating death, since it seems like the door was big enough for the two of them.
However, not only did James Cameron build it so Jack doesn’t fit on it – but you can clearly see him trying to get on it and it not being able to stay afloat. So Jack chose to save Rose’s life, instead of his own.
You can’t turn back time by making the Earth spin backwards
1978’s Superman was a huge success, but there’s one controversial scene that viewers could never get over. After Lois dies, Superman gets angry, defies his father, and circles around the Earth to turn back time a few minutes to save her.
People commented that it’s just not how time travel works, and you can’t “turn the Earth backwards.” However, an explanation was offered for this. Superman wasn’t actually turning the Earth backwards, but he was flying faster than the speed of light to travel backwards in time. The reason we see Earth turning the other way is supposed to be indication of time reversing.
How could Cypher go into the Matrix by himself?
Matrix has always been one of our favorites, but we’ve been wondering one thing about Cypher ever since Switch said “Not like this”. How could he betray everyone and go alone into the Matrix, when it’s specified that you could only go into the Matrix with someone plugging you in and watching you in there?
Well, the movie offers an answer to this question. Neo actually walks in on Cypher while he’s writing a program that allows him to go into the Matrix and get out without help.
Handmaid Padme
Padmé Amidala is always prepared, which is why all of her handmaids look like her, just in case she needs one of them to be her decoy. However, it turns out the director messed up on the names.
Instead of giving Padmé a new name when she switched into the handmaid’s outfit, the queen (now a decoy) simply referred to her by name—and we can’t imagine the others were able to ignore the fact that it was the same as the queen’s.
Couldn’t Voldemort just shoot Harry?
In case you’ve been living under a rock, Voldemort is the baddy whose life mission is to kill Harry Potter in the Harry Potter book series and movies.
And some people have questioned why the villain hadn’t tried to just use a weapon to kill Harry, instead of coming up with elaborate plans like getting his name into the Goblet of Fire and using a port key to get him to come to him. But that is explained in the books – wizards have a very vague idea what of a ‘gun’ actually is, because it’s a muggle weapon that they never use. Besides, the Avada Kedavra curse was never meant to fail.
Curse affects Jack Sparrow immediately
When Jack Sparrow removed a gold piece in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, he immediately experiences the symptoms of the curse. However, this directly contradicts what Barbossa had said earlier.
When the pirates experienced the curse, it affected them more gradually, and they clearly did not have the same rapid onset that Sparrow did. They even got a chance to spend a lot of the treasure before they realized they were cursed when the sun went down.
Harry uses magic outside of Hogwarts
It’s common knowledge by just a few minutes into *Harry Potter *that Harry is the exception when it comes to following the rules of the Magic World. In the second movie, he almost gets expelled when Dobby levitates the chocolate pudding.
But then how is he able to use magic to light up his wand like a flashlight and get away with it? We can’t help but think that the adults in *Harry Potter *are not very consistent when it comes to dealing with Potter.
Kevin couldn’t call the police, but he could order a pizza?
People have had several things to say about Home Alone, but there’s actually a reasonable explanation for it all. Why didn’t he call the police? Some people will recall that, at one point, Kevin tries to call the police but the line is dead.
It was cut from the falling trees. But how is he still able to order pizza? Landlines worked in a way that, the main line could be cut, which means you couldn’t dial some places but you could dial places in close proximity.
No one investigated the broken elevator
The classic running bit throughout The Big Bang Theory is that the characters are constantly walking up and down the multiple flights of stairs, as Leonard explains how he miscalculated the formula for rocket fuel and ended up blowing up the elevator.
However, with Sheldon’s terrible job at keeping secrets and telling elaborate lies instead, how was he able to keep it a secret from all of the authorities? This is one plot hole we’re so confused by.
Why not just create more resources instead of wiping out half of all life on Earth?
Thanos was basically obsessed with wiping out half of the Earth’s population, which is what most of the MCU deals with. He claims it’s because there aren’t enough resources for everyone, so cutting half the people would mean the other half would live better. So why not just create more resources?
Well, let’s remember he was a bad guy. Since no one would listen to him, he wanted to wipe out these populations out of spite. And in Endgame, he even said he was going to just kill everyone on Earth, and make a new population instead – one that would be “grateful.”
Gandry called himself “Rivers” when it should’ve been “Waters”
Game of Thrones offered us an escape to an entire intricate world of Kings and Queens fighting over, well, a throne. Among the habits of that world that we’ve come to know, is how children are named when born our of wedlock.
People have wondered why Gendry refers to himself as Gendry Rivers, when in fact, we know that highborn bastards would call themselves Snow, Sand, Waters – according to where they were born. But the thing is, Gendry might not have known who his father was, and that he was highborn at all – which explains why he said Rivers and not Waters.
How did Thor get to Earth without the Bifrost?
MCU fans will remember that Thor destroyed the Bifrost, which allowed passageway between Asgard and Earth. It was a particularly sad moment, in fact, when he realized he could never go back to Earth, or to Jane Foster.
However, we later see him fighting alongside the other Avengers in New York, so what gives? Well, Loki clearly states that Odin may have used dark magic to send Thor to Earth, which means he didn’t need the Bifrost.
If you die in the Matrix, you die in real life
It’s said in the movie that if you die in the Matrix, you die in real life. But how is that possible, when one’s body isn’t really inside the Matrix, but out in the real world?
Well, The Matrix is built around the idea of belief. People’s minds are plugged into this reality, so if they get hurt, they believe they physically get hurt – and so they are physically hurt. Thus, if someone dies while plugged into the Matrix, it would cause them to be brain dead in real life.
Why did Sandy have to change for Danny?
People have been saying Grease hasn’t aged well because of this particular detail – why did Sandy have to change the way she looks in order to be with Danny? Couldn’t he had accepted her for who she was, instead of asking her to be something she wasn’t?
But the truth is, Danny also tried changing according to what he thought Sandy wanted him to be. They tried changing for each other, and while the movie does fail to acknowledge that it was misguided, they both seem perfectly happy at the end.
If it’s always “after midnight,” when can you actually feed the Mogwai?
Gremlins is an adorable movie, so why ruin it with petty questioning? Well, since people have decided to do that, we’ll give it a proper answer. It’s said that you can’t feed the Mogwai after midnight, or bad things will happen. However, isn’t any time “after midnight”?
Yes, if you take things too literally. It obviously means that you can’t feed them at night, between midnight and sunrise. Maybe they would’ve made it clearer in the movie, if they knew the question will arise later on, but it was certainly implied.
How could Doc Brown built the DeLorean without Marty knowing?
In Back to the Future, Doc Brown was a genius who built many, many inventions. But none was quite as big and flashy as his time machine.
The DeLorean was hard to miss, so people have been wondering how Marty hadn’t seen it before Doc presented it to him that fateful day sending him to the past. Well, it turns out that Doc Brown had another lab somewhere – a secret one that no one knew about, not even Marty.
If the glass slipper was a perfect fit, how come it fell off in the first place?
In Cinderella, the titular character runs away from the prince before the stroke of midnight, and in the process loses her glass slipper. The prince then tried to find her by parading the glass slipper around town and trying to find it’s “perfect match”, which was of course – Cinderella.
But if it was so perfectly matched, how did it fall off? Obviously, whoever thought of that question never wore high heels. You could lose a heel at any point, especially if it’s made of glass. We would stick to questioning why he couldn’t just remember her face.
How could Batman go back to Gotham when it was under Bane’s control?
Many people questioned how Batman was able to get back into Gotham in The Dark Knight Rises, especially since Bane had every entrance and exit of the city “covered”. But come on, he’s Batman! And he’s Christopher Nolan’s Batman, not Zack Snyder’s Batman.
He knows how to be stealthy and could easily sneak past anyone to get into the city. About the other inquiries regarding the film – we can’t really answer those. But that’s at least one plot hole down!
Can’t stormtroopers aim?
In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Luke, Han, and Leia escape a bunch of Stormtroopers shooting at them through the corridors of the Death Star until they safely reach the Millennium Falcon. So how bad are they at aiming, really?
It’s specifically said in the movie that Vader wants Leia alive. He also plants a homing device on the Millennium Falcon, which is why he lets them get away. Even Leia figures out that they’re only alive because they let them go.
Indiana Jones didn’t really need to be there
Many people have commented that in Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Arc, his presence and actions in the movie weren’t actually necessary, as the villains would’ve opened the arc either way, and the result would have been the same. But that’s not entirely true – first off, they might’ve not even found it.
Other than that, they wanted to open it only out of spite for Indiana Jones in the first place. Otherwise, they either would’ve opened it somewhere safer, or taken it back to Germany and it wouldn’t have been opened like it was at all.
Why didn’t the Basilisk destory Harry if he’s a Horcrux?
There are two explanations for people who asked how come the basilisk venom didn’t “destroy” Harry if he was a Horcrux. Firstly, Harry wasn’t exactly a Horcrux. Secondly, if the basilisk would’ve killed Harry, it might have been destroyed.
But a Horcrux needs to be beyond repair for it to be properly destroyed, and Harry didn’t die. He was repaired by Fawkes, Dumbeldore’s phoenix. Since he survived, the part of soul that was in him survived as well.
Who has a baby in a world where monsters kill everyone who makes a sound?
A Quiet Place was one of the most talked-about horror movies in the past decade, but some people had a very hard time putting their suspension of disbelief aside and just go with it. People asked “why don’t they just build a house next to the waterfall?” (building a house is a noisy activity last we checked) and “why are they having another baby?”
If the baby was conceived after the monsters appeared, it might’ve been because they didn’t have proper contraceptives, you know, with it being the apocalypse and all.
Did they all just teleport from place to place on Game of Thrones?
This isn’t exactly a plot hole, but something that drove many fans crazy watching the last couple of Game of Thrones seasons. How could everyone travel so fast? How come in the first seasons it would take them several episodes getting to one place, and then suddenly it would only take half an episode and they were there?
Well, they didn’t teleport, that’s for sure. The narrative just speeded up in order to make sure everything the producers wanted to happen takes place. It wasn’t as good as the first seasons, but then again we have plenty of other complaints to overshadow that one.
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