10 Insane Movie Theories You Won't Believe

Where the heck are our hoverboards, anyway?

Plot holes are just a fact of life for the Hollywood blockbuster. Scripts go through so many different permutations €“ and, often, through so many different writers - that by the time you get to the shooting draft, somebody's going to have missed some glaringly obvious mistake or inconsistency. Most people don't even notice them, or else ignore them. Some take great glee in pointing them out and demanding praise for how much smarter they are than a Hollywood screenwriter. A select few, meanwhile, plaster over them with their own theories to explain away supposed plot holes. It's a fun practice that's since evolved into something even more creative and, arguably, insane.

Take the idea of explaining away plot holes and introduce the concept of critical readings from literature, and you have the modern day phenomenon of the insane movie theory. It's something nerds have been doing for years, but had blossomed into its own cottage industry thanks to the internet (there's a subreddit for it and everything), as film fanatics engage in a constant game of one-upmanship, each presenting their own alternate reading of what a movie "really" means, which characters represent which drug/psychotic disorder/member of the Illuminati, and try to unpack the complex symbolism of eighties action flicks.

None of those are us being glib, just so you know - all of those are topics covered by fan theories. People speculate as to the metaphors embedded in the most brain-dead blockbusters, pick apart silly comedies like they were David Lynch brainteasers, and provide elaborate backstories for popcorn fodder aimed at toddlers, all using the infallible in-universe logic initially used to explain away plotholes. All of that and more can be found throughout our ten insane movie theories you won't believe €“ but maybe you should?

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Contributor

Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/