Writing a motion picture is a tough and complicated process: not only do you have to create strong, believable characters, but you’ve got to craft a story that will keep a human person interested for up to two hours. In this day and age, that’s far harder than it sounds.
Sometimes, then, in the midst of putting together a screenplay, a writer might accidentally forget to, say, resolve one of their plot threads, presumably because he or she has been overwhelmed with the insanity of attempting such an impossibly arduous task. To celebrate the fact that not everyone is perfect, here’s 10 important movie plot threads that were never resolved.
10. What Happened To Claudette’s Cancer? – The Room (2003)
The Room is crammed full of so many plot threads that are never resolved that its inclusion on this list can be taken with a pinch of salt: the entire flick is an unresolved plot thread in itself. But since we’re inclined to mention Tommy Wiseau’s cult masterpiece at every opportunity, we’ll draw attention to what is arguably the most hilarious one. In one scene, Lisa, who is planning on duping her boyfriend, is having a conversation with her mother, who, for no particular reason, announces that she has breast cancer. Okay, that’s fine: a dash of drama, you say?
Well, it might’ve been dramatic had it ever been discussed again. Wiseau’s imagination got the better of him, apparently, given that there are at least two more unresolved plot threads worthy of making the list: at one point, all the major male characters get together to play catch whilst wearing tuxedos. Never explained. Nor is the time that another character gets caught up in a drug deal gone wrong, only for it to never be brought back into the plot. The Room is the only film on this list to be guilty of notoriously unresolved plot threads in a way that actually improves the experience. For that, we’re grateful.
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39 Comments
Spider-Man 3 was not panned by any means.
Thor’s return is explained by anyone who has ears and will probably be explained in Thor 2. It’s a continuing story.
Sean in Minority Report isn’t the point. It’s just background stuff for character motivation. It’s not the crux of the story.
Loki told us the Allfather used his magic to bring Thor back to Earth, Im pretty sure.
this is correct
well he asks how much magic it used but same thing =D
Thor’s return wasn’t explained. Loki wonders aloud for a couple of seconds, but that’s it
Oh, you should thank me. With the Bifrost gone, how much dark energy did the Allfather have to muster to conjure you here, your precious Earth? Loki does not wonder he asks a question.
Spider-man 3 wasn’t panned? What reviews did you read?
Spider-Man 3 was completely and utterly panned! What world do you live in?
How did Bane know about Applied Sciences?
Miranda Tate. She’s on the Board at Wayne Enterprises. And considering her true nature and skill and the fact that Reese found out about Applied Sciences’ true nature in the previous film, not at all hard to imagine how Bane found out.
And Rises isn’t the most plot holed film of 2012. A lot of the answers are pretty simple if you think about them.
This criticism is getting old when we talk about this film.
Fox says that Applied Sciences was off the books. Wayne only gave Miranda the reactor so no one could get at it, but it’s not part of Applied Sciences. And Bane has been under the Tumblers for months (“allow me to show you where I have made my home while preparing to bring justice to Gotham…”), before Wayne gave Tate control of the company.
Are you forgetting that in The Dark Knight Mr Reece finds out about Applied Sciences! I think that a group as resourceful as the League of Shadows would be able to find out about it as well!
I think it’s safe to say that, given only Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox knew about Applied Sciences, the person who told Bane was clearly Fox since Bruce is Batman and therefore a good guy, and Fox is a black guy and, therefore, a criminal.
Best comment ever.
“What happened to the money” can also be applied to Fargo. That and did Steve Buscemi really think he would be able to find the money he buried using only a puny little ice-scraper as a guide-post against the backdrop of Minnesota winter wilderness?
#1 is not an unresolved plot thread, it’s an unimportant plot thread. Marion was the only one who knew about the money, and had it hidden in her car. So, when Marion died and Bates sunk the car, the money plot thread was over. It’s just not important to the plot, because Norman Bates was not trying to stab it.
As with the ’98 remake, the money wasn’t hidden in the car, it was hidden within a newspaper in the room. After Norman’s frenzied attack, he cleans up, places the victim, shower curtain and all her possessions including the paper in the boot of her car…etc. End of mystery.
In regard to The Dark Knight Rises. I thought an even bigger plot hole was the fact that Batman and Gordon covered up Harvey Dent’s crimes in order to preserve the sanity and order of Gotham and as soon as Bane reads Gordon’s speech nothing happens and Dent is never mentioned again. We’ve been waiting four long years for the truth to come out about Dent and it’s just lapshaded by the writers.
Thor got back to earth by black or dark (I forget which one Loki says) magic used by Odin. When Thor and Loki meet he ask, “how much dark/black magic did the Odin Father have to summon up to get you here.” Something along those lines.
In ‘Reservoir Dogs’ it’s pretty clear that Mr. White shoots them both.
http://youtu.be/HzF_TbmDH5s
He doesn’t even move the direction of his gun. He didn’t shoot him.
Yes he does and yes he did. Watch the clip frame by frame.
agreed, mr white clearly does them both when you slow it down.
You don’t even need to watch the clip. In the picture they use in the article you can see the gun had been pointed at Nice Guy as White is going down.
Some serious ‘holes’ in this fun article. I like the concept but not the execution.
Reservoir Dogs is an old debate but on reading the screenplay it’s revealed as a double-shot from Mr White I think – haven’t got script to hand.
TDKR – this is an actual plot hole rather than thread and I agree with above comment that Miranda Tate must’ve somehow found out. Her betrayal explains much of what has gone on earlier. Also disagree that it was lazy screenwriting. From someone who wrote MEMENTO I would say he would know exactly what he was doing. I think Christopher Nolan made the creative choice to hide the reveal of Tate’s real identity for a final act kicker. Perhaps, it was a little over-ambitious, but I congratulate him for trying to have some plot complexities in a comic book epic as well as the big explosions. The script is in no way perfect but it’s brilliant filmmaking as a whole and certainly not lazy. Perhaps, he tried to do too much and had to cut stuff for time but still great entertainment.
Not sure how you can question Thor’s entrance into AVENGERS – this made sense to me. He’s a God! He travelled through a portal in space/time! Plus, more importantly his entrance is meant to be dramatic and sudden. And it’s funny too with Loki’s reaction to the thunder. If the filmmakers showed him coming through a portal or whatever you lose all sense of impact and pace. And bloggers will accuse the filmmakers of lazy on-the-nose screenwriting.
And to include The Shining is just silly really. I mean, they don’t explain why Danny has The Shining and can communicate with someone 100s of miles away. Oh, hold on – you’re born with it. If you include the pantry door section you may as well ask why Jack’s in the photo at the end?! The whole hotel is haunted. And weird stuff happens in supernatural films. It’s cinematic and often better when stuff ISN’T explained.
Having said that I agree with the Minority Report one as I felt involved in the son’s backstory-disappearance and personally would have liked some closure on that. Surprising, as Spielberg’s films are generally are bulletproof in regard to narrative resolutions.
i swear thor was sent back to earth by odin, loki even suggests it in the film. am i wrong?
this article was a waste, first off, the dark knight rises doesnt really have any plotholes its just a movie made for ppl that dont need every little thing explained to them, league of shadows already had the scope on batman, knew he was bruce wayne, had all the intel on him including where he gets his tools, talia was put in place to keep a close eye on wayne enterprises and batman, of course theyd know where applied sciences is, as for the avengers, loki specifically asks thor ” how much dark magic did the all father (odin) use to send you to earth?” so theres your answer
Well that’s not a good answer, is it? How much dark magic isn’t an explanation, it’s an avoidance of the point, especially since there’s no reply. How did Loki get back?
And if Talia knew where it was, why didn’t she sabotage it? It is an ignored plot thread. And it is lazy.
Every little thing explained does not = nitpicky. Rises has a few real plot holes, one explained by the article writer. There’s nothing in the film to justify the idea that the league had all the intel on him. Why didn’t they steal the Bat, then, which Bane sees shortly after hitting the stock exchange and which is sitting on a rooftop for months while Bruce is in the prison? Why didn’t Bane know Bruce escaped the pit (“impossible” when he sees the bat sign on the bridge).
No you idiot. Because he didn’t know exactly where it was parked, do you yourself know where helicopters in the city actually get parked or a car or a plane. Unless you have that ability you must be a gifted fool. Nextly, obviously Bane wanted a more final showdown than just shooting him or some crap like that. Stop being an irritating critic.
OH MY GOD, AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS ACTUALLY WATCHED RESEVOIR DOGS???? There is no plot hole, no conspiracy, watch the damn movie….I have heard this argument so many freakin’ times that it blows my mind at how unobservant people are (or just stupid)….LOOK CLOSER, Mr White fires twice, he shoots Joe then points the gun at Nice Guy Eddie & shoots him at the same moment Eddie shoot Mr White….you can see the smoke from the damn gun, you can see it go off twice & you can see him adjust his aim…..I hope this gets rectified with a rewrite in the near future cause I am sick of explaining the scene to people….
Since Minority Report is in my top 5 favorites, I’m going to defend this one. The point is nobody knows what happened to the kid. Even with all that happened we don’t know. That’s what happens with kids who disappear. There was no conspiracy, he was kidnapped. That explains why Anderton got addicted to drugs, lost his wife, etc. Man, thinking about this flick is making me want to watch it again. If you haven’t seen it it’s so worth a watch.
Great explanation. I just rewatched the movie a few weeks ago and loved it even more so since my last viewing. Definitely one of Cruise’s best movies.
Thor returning is picked up on in The Avengers, bar that, They might address it in Thor 2
How the missing child in Minority Report a plot hole? The child went missing. We know as much as Tom Cruise did. He was there at the pool one second and gone the next. Most likely a kidnapping. That’s what they seemed to believe since they framed the one guy as the kidnapper. I’m sure they investigated it, didn’t find any leads, and it ended up as a cold case.
He didn’t say it was a plot hole he said it was an unresolved plot thread – can’t you read?
Hi There, WhatPopCulture.
The Dark Knight Rises was NOT plot hole ridden, you idiots. It’s obvious that Miranda told Bane about it since she was working there fools. Secondly it’s not significant as to how Bruce got back to Gotham, did you really want to watch ten minutes worth of footage of him on a phone somewhere in Morocco or wherever talking to his travel agent.
I think you should stop wanking to Anne Hathaway’s wonderful butt and actually pay attention to the film next time, methinks.
I thought the end of the Last Crusade was a bit open. With the grail lost forever in the collapsing temple floor, what happened to the knight? Is he there for eternity now, with no purpose to his life?
I’d just like to leave you this link when it comes to who let Jack out of the freezer in The Shining:
http://www.collativelearning.com/the%20shining.html
The bad guy in “Fantastic Voyage” and presumably the submarine, as well, were swallowed up by red corpuscles.
Actually if you look very closely and preferably in slo-mo, you can see Mr Pink shoot Nice Guy Eddie from the corner.