The 'but why would they do that, it makes no sense' thread

The 'but why would they do that, it makes no sense' thread

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Pommygranite

Original Poster:

14,229 posts

215 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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Following on from this post in the bad films thread it made me think how many times in films there are not only plot holes but plot stupidity:

FourWheelDrift said:
Pacific rim - why did they build giant robots and a giant wall thousands of miles away when they knew where the alien monsters were going to appear, it's like Nelson's fleet being stationed in Alaska in case Boney comes via the North pole. They know where they come through so put a plug in it.
Any others of just sheer 'that makes NO sense' in TV & films?


HD Adam

5,144 posts

183 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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More to the point, why build giant robots to punch monsters in the face when you could just nuke them in the middle of the sea when they appeared?


Fugazi

564 posts

120 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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King Kong... All that effort to make a giant wall to keep a huge ape inside but then they go and make a huge ape sized door, which the ape uses to escape. Why not make a human sized door? Baffling scratchchin

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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Fugazi said:
King Kong... All that effort to make a giant wall to keep a huge ape inside but then they go and make a huge ape sized door, which the ape uses to escape. Why not make a human sized door? Baffling scratchchin
And how d'you get the ape in there in the first place?

Bullett

10,873 posts

183 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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Good thread idea.

A bit of a general one this. In a car chase with the baddie next to you and you are bashing into each other side by side. Why not just slam your brakes on?

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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Why do Bond villains always take time out of their busy schedule of world domination to explain to 007 the precise and intimate details of their scheme including the get-out clause that only a secret agent would need to know in order to counter said plans for world domination, before they try to kill him?
Or something.

Hackney

6,811 posts

207 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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I hate obvious plot devices.
Something random appears early in the film (an obvious but actually good example is the Battle of the Bands scene in Back to the Future) which makes you think,"why would they do that, it makes no sense".
But then later said object turns out to be key to the plot.
(In BTTF Marty invents Rock n Roll)

mike-r

1,539 posts

190 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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Bullett said:
Good thread idea.

A bit of a general one this. In a car chase with the baddie next to you and you are bashing into each other side by side. Why not just slam your brakes on?
This is answered in Pineapple Express.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uddXJ_USe2U#t=2m40...

Edited by mike-r on Friday 19th September 11:25

nicanary

9,751 posts

145 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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Why run away from baddies in a car by running down the road in front of it? Just wait for it to reach you and sidestep.

MacW

1,349 posts

175 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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The Walking Dead season 1.

Tents.


JonRB

74,402 posts

271 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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Most of the film Prometheus involves you thinking "but why would they do that; it makes no sense".


remkingston

472 posts

146 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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Everything involving Americans in U571.

Nezquick

1,453 posts

125 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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In horror films, why do people not just run away.

"Yes, I know there's a ghoul/monster/maniac/murderer/demon in the cellar, in the dark, but i'm going to stay in the house without turning the lights on and see if I can hide!"

Very odd.

But.....I suppose it wouldn't be a horror film if it was just 2 hours of people running away.

SpudLink

5,669 posts

191 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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JonRB said:
Most of the film Prometheus involves you thinking "but why would they do that; it makes no sense".
Yep. One or two "why would they do that" moments can be forgiven in a Hollywood blockbuster. But not the whole film!

MacW

1,349 posts

175 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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Nezquick said:
In horror films, why do people not just run away.

"Yes, I know there's a ghoul/monster/maniac/murderer/demon in the cellar, in the dark, but i'm going to stay in the house without turning the lights on and see if I can hide!"

Very odd.

But.....I suppose it wouldn't be a horror film if it was just 2 hours of people running away.
No, that would be a French war film.

shakotan

10,679 posts

195 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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Die Hard With A Vengeance.

Baddie develops extremely complicated bomb which requires two inert substances to mix to be volatile.

So simply smash one of the containers containing the inert substance and allow it to drain away to diffuse the bomb on discovery, rather than trying to figure out the puzzle/throw it off the back of the subway train/figure out which wire to cut (ok, that one was a fake anyway)/jump off the ship.

SpudLink

5,669 posts

191 months

Friday 19th September 2014
quotequote all
Nezquick said:
In horror films, why do people not just run away.

"Yes, I know there's a ghoul/monster/maniac/murderer/demon in the cellar, in the dark, but i'm going to stay in the house without turning the lights on and see if I can hide!"

Very odd.

But.....I suppose it wouldn't be a horror film if it was just 2 hours of people running away.
"Cabin in the Woods" explained this one. The teenagers have been treated with drugs to make them stupid and horny, all for the entertainment of the film going audience.

Megaflow

9,347 posts

224 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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Back to the Future.

Why 88mph?

kowalski655

14,599 posts

142 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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Megaflow said:
Back to the Future.

Why 88mph?
Why not?

HereBeMonsters

14,180 posts

181 months

Friday 19th September 2014
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Megaflow said:
Back to the Future.

Why 88mph?
It's when all the bits of the LCD are used, so it's at maximum powah.