8 Ways Modern Blockbusters Trick You Into Ignoring Plot Holes

3. Charismatic Villainy

A great, smart villain that matches and does battle with the good guys is all well and good, but modern blockbuster villains have a tendency to be almost TOO smart. Skyfall's Raoul Silva, Star Trek Into Darkness' John Harrison (spoiler alert: it's actually really obviously Kahn), The Dark Knight's Joker and The Avengers' Loki all allow themselves to be caught and imprisoned by their various nemeses, with a despicable ulterior motive in mind. And it goes to plan for every one of them, spectacularly. Clearly, it's a ridiculous conceit - we either have to assume all four got supremely lucky, or that they're a group of amateur Nostradamuses €“ but when the villains are this much fun, it's hard to notice, or even care. In The Dark Knight, it's never explained what happens after The Joker throws Rachel Dawes out of the window at Bruce Wayne's fundraiser €“ maybe he got bored and just went home, to sleep? €“ but Heath Ledger is so charismatic in the role that you're just grateful he crashed the party. As for Loki, the villainous Marvel douchebag played with aplomb by Tom Hiddleston, his powers are used so inconsistently throughout his movie appearances that you have to wonder how smart he really is. In Thor: The Dark World, Loki first shows off his ability to 'shapeshift', a talent he could've used at crucial moments in both The Avengers and the original Thor, but never did. His choice of mind-controlled goons in The Avengers €“ Hawkeye and not Nick Fury? You could have stopped SHIELD right there, you space-Viking idiot €“ is similarly suspicious.