14 Plot Holes, Continuity Errors, And Movie Mistakes That Have Had Fans Arguing For Years

If I was George McFly, I'd be 100% convinced that that baby was Calvin Klein's...

Films – especially ones dealing with magic or science – are often riddled with potential continuity errors or plot holes that we fans LOVE to debate. While these details don't have to ruin a movie per se, they do tend to generate a lot of discussion.

DreamWorks Pictures

So, here are 14 potential plot holes, continuity errors, and unexplainable mistakes that got fans debating...

1. Face/Off

Paramount Pictures

The epic John Travolta and Nic Cage movie revolves around FBI agent, Sean Archer (John Travolta), getting a doctor to surgically transfer his face onto terrorist Castor Troy's (Nicolas Cage) head (and vice versa). While face transplants are technically possible, one of the major plot points also involves the two characters having different blood types, which is used to identify them and prove Sean is actually Troy.

The plot hole? Two people with different blood types would be completely incompatible face-swap candidates. Generally speaking, the blood type of a donor must be compatible with the recipient. Buuuut who cares, it's a movie, right??!!

2. 17 Again

Warner Bros. Picures

Time-travelling movies are always going to have some problems. In the film, we see 37-year-old Mike O'Donnell turned back into his 17-year-old self. He then ends up going to school with his 16-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son. 

It's a fun movie, but here's the thing – wouldn't his kids recognise him? His wife Scarlett does mention that he looks very similar to her husband when he was younger, but surely the kids would have also seen photos of their father and would clock that looks identical to their "new friend". Tbf, this particular situation hasn't happened to me, so maybeeee it would be less easy to spot. 

3. Back to the Future

Universal Pictures

Sticking with recognising a friend who is actually a family member, let's talk about Marty. Many people have pointed out that, due to Marty's incredibly significant impact on George and Lorraine during their youth, they'd have probably recognised that something was up as their child grew up.

I mean, their son grew up to look identical to the kid they met who got them together, invented the 'new sound' of rock 'n' roll, and turned their lives around. He also even started hanging out with the same old scientist who was Calvin Klein's 'uncle'. That's not to mention the grandfather paradox which, tbh, makes my head hurt a bit.

Oh, and also, if I was George McFly, I'd be 100% convinced that that baby was Calvin Klein's...

4. The Shawshank Redemption

Columbia Pictures

This one definitely didn't go unnoticed, and it's actually very simple. How did Andy Dufresne restick the poster to the wall in order to cover up the tunnel? It doesn't even look like there would be space to turn around in there... He was a clever guy, but I'm not too sure he could defy physics. 

Have a look here:

youtube.com

5. A Quiet Place

Paramount Pictures

So, in this monster-infected land where their superior hearing means that everyone must live in complete silence, the noise of the waterfalls blocks out the sounds of speech meaning everyone can speak freely. This fact made viewers all over, me included, instantly think, "why don't they just live beside somewhere with running water?"

Here's the scene:

youtube.com

6. The Karate Kid

Columbia Pictures

There seems to be much debate over whether the final kick in Karate Kid constitutes a mistake. Some suggest that, as the kick is directed at the face, then it is an illegal move – something that was picked up by the spin-off series, Cobra Kai. 

Other viewers, however, point to similar kicks throughout the film being rewarded with a point, and thus suggest that in the world of the film, a kick to the face is a point-worthy move. Either way, it's certainly a scene that caused a fair degree of online debate. 

Here it is:

youtube.com

7. Armageddon

Beuna Vista Pictures Distribution

Many viewers, upon watching this film, had the same question that actor Ben Affleck asked director Michael Bay on set – "Why is it easier to train oil drillers to become astronauts than to train astronauts to become oil drillers?" It's actually a huge plot point that underpins most of the plot of the movie!

According to Ben, Michael's response was rather frank – "He told me to shut the f--- up. So that was the end of that talk. He was like, 'You know, Ben. Just shut up, okay? This is the real [NASA] plan, alright?' I was like, 'You mean it's a real plan at NASA to train oil drillers?' He was like, 'Just shut your mouth!'"

8. The Butterfly Effect

New Line Cinema

Back to time travel. As we know, there's a certain amount of leeway when it comes to the continuity of time travel films, but that doesn't prevent viewers from pointing out the odd inconsistency!

One particular scene in the film is where Evan goes back in time and stabs himself through the hand, to prove to his cellmate that he can time travel. It just seemed out of touch with the rest of the film, which is about how tiny actions can ripple into huge changes. The fact that something as big as getting stabbed through the hand as a kid wouldn't change literally anything about the future seems a bit ridiculous.

9. Cinderella

RKO Radio Pictures

It's a fairy tale where a Fairy Godmother creates a carriage out of a pumpkin and a perfectly fitting glass slipper, one that is able to be danced on all night without breaking. Not everything needs an explanation. However, that hasn't stopped fans from being puzzled by the fact that the glass slipper remains real after midnight, when everything else the fairy godmother created loses its magic. Also, surely in the whole kingdom, someone else has the same sized feet as her?

10. Monsters, Inc.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Fans were quick (as always) to point out a line in the original Monsters, Inc. film that pretty much ruins the entire premise of the prequel, Monsters University. The line is when Mike says to Sully, "you've been jealous of my looks since the fourth grade." 

But when we see the two of them in the prequel, they haven't met at all by the time they get to university. One explanation for it, is that the line 'since the fourth grade' is simply a phrase to represent a long amount of time. Also, they're monsters in a Disney world – so it's really not a major deal. 

11. Mean Girls

Paramount Pictures

This continuity error is certainly not unique, but it's just so blindingly obvious. It's in the scene where Cady crashes Janis and Damian's movie night, and they jump up, causing all of their popcorn to fly over the floor. Barely a second later, however, the popcorn is magically all back in the bowl.

12. The Dark Knight Rises

Warner Bros. Picures

This one became quite the headscratcher for fans of The Dark Knight Rises. How did Bruce get back to Gotham after being thrown in the pit? With no money to his name, and being one of the most recognisable people in Gotham, he quickly was able to get back to Gotham and past the incredibly tight security. Tbf, there are a number of unexplainable moments in the Batman trilogy, so let's just let this one slide.

Here's his nonchalant return:

youtube.com

13. Divergent

Lionsgate Films

It's less of a plot hole and more of a "societal mechanism hole". The entire basis of the society in the movie is that they're split into five different roles, with each person being tested to see which faction their personality/makeup most suits. When the main character takes the test, she finds out that she's split evenly amongst three factions. Then it turns out that she could choose the faction that she goes into anyway, so what was the entire point of the test???

14. Ant-Man

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

It just doesn't really make any sense (but that's okay because it's a superhero movie). The particles are supposed to decrease the distance between molecules, thus maintaining the mass of the person using them. This essentially means that he shouldn't be able to be carried by an ant and sit/stand on anything or anyone that wouldn't be able to take the weight of his regular-sized form.

But, as I said, it's a superhero film, so the science really doesn't matter too much (to me anyway). 

Know any more plot holes, continuity errors, or just plain old movie mistakes? Let us know in the comments below!