8 Ways Modern Blockbusters Trick You Into Ignoring Plot Holes

4. Action, Bro

Did Brad Pitt just blow up the plane he was a passenger on in World War Z? And did Indiana Jones really just survive a nuclear blast by hiding in a fridge? Two extreme examples there €“ 'nuking the fridge' and 'grenading the plane' have become our very own 21st century versions of 'jumping the shark' €“ but, upon initial viewing at least, when films go big in the action stakes, they can get away with narrative flaws for a simple reason: by making the action so in-your-face that you don't quite register the storyline's absurdity. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a fan of the action distraction method; Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is €“ ridiculous plot twist alert! €“ secretly on hero Katniss Everdeen's (Jennifer Lawrence) side throughout the entire film, which is why it makes complete sense that he, as Head Gamekeeper, ups the Hunger Games stakes and tries to kill her really, really hard. Hancock is another guilty party: after we discover Will Smith's super(anti)hero and fellow god-like immortal Mary (Charlize Theron) lose their powers when they're near one another, they inexplicably then use all their powers to have a destructive, citywide fight. Man of Steel is full of more gaping plot holes than most, but by going one up on Hancock by just reducing its city setting literally to rubble, all you can do is sit with your jaw agape and wonder how many people Superman has just killed. No one would be thinking about plot holes after that kind of carnage.