15. Godzilla (1998)
The movie: A towering beastie leaves a trail of destruction across half the planet while it looks for a place to nest, eventually settling on New York City as the perfect metropolis to raise a family. But little does 'Zilla know that the US military has other plans.
The plot hole: Following a bit of light destruction of property, Godzilla hunkers down in Madison Square Garden. The authorities have the arena surrounded with the baby 'zilla eggs inside. But then the monster disappears. Why does no-one barricade the floor so Godzilla can't escape?
Is there a reasonable explanation? The hole leads to the sewers. Maybe they think the little Godzillas are allergic to human effluence. An opportunity missed for one hell of an alternative ending.
14. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
The movie: The future looks bleak for the mutants as the Sentinels destroy the planet and wipe out every gifted being. Their only hope is for Wolverine to go back in time to prevent the damn machines from being created. Sort of. It's complicated.
The plot hole: When Wolvie arrives in 1973, Hank McCoy has created a mutant suppression serum to help Professor X. But in The Last Stand, which takes place in 2006, McCoy is just as flabbergasted as everyone else when a mutant "cure" is discovered... which is a little weird as he invented it thirty years earlier.
Is there a reasonable explanation? Seeing as this happens *before* Wolvie messes around with the timeline, we can't pin it on a spatial-temporal blunder. Perhaps all of Hank's changed into Beast have fried his inner circuits - or maybe he just got suuuuper baked in the '70s.
13. Thor (2011)
The movie: Marvel's first step into the otherworldly realms of the universe introduces Thor to the MCU, as he finds himself stranded on Earth when his father Odin kicks him out of Asgard. Well, he did start a war with a load of frost giants!
The plot hole: At the end of the film, the Bifrost is destroyed. With no way of getting out of Asgard, it makes it a trifle difficult for Thor to pop back to visit Jane. He's understandably distraught. Yet in The Avengers film he rejoins the gang like it's no big deal. WTF? If it's that simple to fix, why was Thor so forlorn?
Is there a reasonable explanation? Loki makes a casual reference to dark magics that Odin must have used to allow Thor to return to Earth. And that's about it.
12. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
The movie: Arguably the best entry in the Potter cinematic canon. The third outing for Harry, Ron and Hermione finds the pieces coming together as Sirius Black escapes the fabled stronghold and makes his way to Hogwarts...
The plot hole: Harry and Hermione make use of time turner to save a HP uses the time turner. Thing is, now that Harry knows of this magical artefact's existence, why doesn't he think about maybe using it to go back and stop Voldemort from murdering his parents?
Is there a reasonable explanation? According to Pottermore lore, Time-Turners can only be used to affect a five-hour period without causing dire consequences, and even then disruption must be kept to a minimum. If Harry went back YEARS and then killed such a figure as Voldemort, it'd likely cause severe damage to the timeline.
11. Back to the Future (1985)
The movie: Crackpot inventor Doc Brown not only possesses a wild head of hair, but also the coolest mode of time travel: a souped-up Delorean. Roping in his pal Marty to travel back in time to 1955, things don't go quite according to plan because time travel is notoriously difficult.
The plot hole: Things work out and Marty manages to ensure his mother ends up with his father and not him. So how come his parents, George and Lorraine, don't remember Calvin Klein? The kid who brought them together and inspired George's career as a sci-fi novelist, and who, more importantly, looks exactly like their son?
Is there a reasonable explanation? They know. Logically, Marty's childhood should have been much nicer under George and Lorraine 2.0 than it was originally. So, to avoid a paradox, Doc Brown has warned them to raise Marty so he'll turn out exactly like the Marty in the other timeline. And they're hardly going to tell Marty that.
10. The Dark Knight (2008)
The movie: The film that gave us the best onscreen Joker in the shape of Heath Ledger's deranged crook. The Dark Knight manages to outdo its predecessor by upping the thrills, making Batman moderately less brooding and including a scene with a 18-wheeler completely flips over in the middle of Gotham.
The plot hole: Why does the Joker's suuuuuper convoluted plan involve him getting thrown in jail? Because, see, once in behind bars, he can mastermind a distraction whereby Batman and Commissioner Gordon race around time trying to save Dent and Rachel to save them...while he breaks out to kill the Chinese mobster who's been mucking up his plans. There's gotta be an easier way, surely?
Is there a reasonable explanation? "Do I look like a man with a plan?" The sheer lack of sense behind this scheme certainly fools the authorities, who are lulled into such false security they leave the Joker sitting in the interrogation room, guarded by a single inept cop.
9. The Matrix (1999)
The movie: The Wachowskis riff on the idea of what is real and what is artifice in a techno-actioner that finds Keanu Reeves' computer hacker Neo in the midst of an existential dilemma. The world isn't real! It's a simulation!
The plot hole: People in the real world entering the Matrix require an operator on hand to jack them in, keep an eye on them, and more importantly, allow them to find an exit. So how did Cypher get in and out to meet with the Agent on his own?
Is there a reasonable explanation? Aside from Cypher just having reaaaally long arms and some sort of cloning device, the Wachowskis say that there's a moment when Neo walks in at the start of a scene to find Cypher setting up an automated system that would allow him to enter the Matrix alone. Still, it's not massively clear to anyone watching the movie.
8. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
The movie: The webhead's triumphant return to the big screen follows on from his MCU introduction in Captain America: Civil War. Months after that first showdown, Peter Parker is chomping at the bit to kick butt again with The Avengers yet ends up discovering a new villain in town that needs taking out.
The plot hole: After the intro sequence where we first meet Adrian Toomes, the film jumps to eight years later. We know that first scene takes place following the events of The Avengers because Toomes' work deal is to salvage and clear scrap from the Battle of New York. That was 2012, which means Homecoming takes place in 2020. Marvel head Kevin Feige says Avengers: Infinity War takes place in 2018. So, Homecoming happens *after* the events of Infinity War?
Is there a reasonable explanation? While some fans have gone to great lengths to prove Homecoming doesn't screw with the timeline, those theories don't pan out. Especially when you take Feige's comments on how Iron Man 3 takes place six months after The Avengers into consideration.
7. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
The movie: Ever wondered what happens right before the events of the first Star Wars movie? Wonder no more! Gareth Edwards' standalone prequel follows a bunch of rebels who nab plans for the Death Star.
The plot hole: Towards the end of the movie R2D2 and C-3PO are spotted bantering away inside the Rebel hangar on Yavin IV, while the Rebel fleet departs. This is a very interesting development in the Star Wars canon. In A New Hope - which takes place about 20 minutes later - the pair are onboard Leia's ship the Tantive IV which is part of the Rebel fleet. Uhhh... what gives?
Is there a reasonable explanation? Gareth Edwards revealed that it's not a plot hole, and pins it all on timing: "If you listen carefully to the dialogue... they say, 'We need to contact [fleet commander] Admiral Raddus', or something," he told us. "And someone says, 'He's planning to fight' or 'he's about to leave', so he hasn't left yet. The idea is that [the droids and Leia] would be stopped, saying, 'You've got to help us', so that includes Captain Antilles and all that stuff. So it's technically OK."
6. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
The movie: Indiana Jones, both an academic and world-weary explorer, accepts a mission to track down the elusive Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do. They believe the sacred relic makes armies invincible. He believes in wearing a stetson at all times.
The plot hole: Indy and his excavator pal Sallah reach the Nazi dig site to find they're not even remotely close to uncovering the Ark of the Covenant. Instead of scampering away to chortle about the Nazis' misfortune, the whip-totin' archaeologist chooses to, uhh, dig it up for them. Why doesn't he simply go home?
Is there a reasonable explanation? It must be hard to shake the habit of a lifetime. Indy has to see the Ark for archeology bragging rights, even if it means the end of democracy and civilisation as we know it. Kind of makes him come across as an arrogant jerk, don't cha think?
