Updated January 10, 2023 81.6K votes 19.1K voters 971.2K views
Over 19.1K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of Oscar-Nominated Movies with Plot Holes You Can't Unsee
There’s an unspoken deal between filmmakers and spectators. Filmmakers ask that spectators accept films as make believe and know that in order to get lost in a film world they must agree to some level of suspension of disbelief. Seasoned spectators accept those terms in order to insert themselves into the world created by the filmmakers. However, there are limitations to that deal. Even though an audience is perfectly willing to accept things like a little boy that sees ghosts, or a teenager that can travel to the future in a DeLorean through a wormhole when it hits 88 mph - that doesn’t mean that an audience is willing to overlook parts of the plot that don’t add up. Here are the Oscar-nominated movies with plot holes you can’t un-see.
Yes, there are even plot holes in Academy Award nominated movies. The Matrix is one of the most innovative sci-fi films ever made and its introduction of bullet time technology and a mind-bending plot earned it four Academy Awards, but it’s far from perfect.
It’s easy for a spectator to accept the premise of a dystopian future in which machines hold the bodies of humans captive, while their minds are part of a simulated reality or dream world called the Matrix. But, we can’t ignore the giant plot hole that puts Cypher into the Matrix without the benefit of an operator or with someone there to plug him in. It goes against the narrative rules of the film that have been constructed for the audience, therefore it’s a plot hole that needs to be at the very least brought up for discussion. There are theories out there attempting to explain away this plot hole, but none truly satisfy all the rules previously established by the film.
The Matrix is just one Academy Award film that actually has a slew of plot holes. Check out these other plot holes in great movies and vote up the film plot holes that bother you the most.
Nominated for sound editing, the John Krasinski-helmed horror pic created intense tension in its simple premise of noise-hating aliens invading Earth, killing off anyone who dares to eat a bag of chips. But it also created a weird plot hole.
The movie establishes a loud, large waterfall as a safe place to talk since the noise is constant and ignored by the aliens. So why not just live near it? Especially if there will be a noisy newborn joining the group soon, why not live in the safe zone?
Actors: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe
Yes, Armageddon is an Oscar-nominated film, in fact, it received four nominations. Ben Affleck himself pointed out one major plot hole that pretty much blows up the whole movie. Affleck asked Michael Bay, "Wouldn't it be easier to train astronauts to drill than to teach drillers how to be astronauts?" Bay's response to the actor? "Shut the f*ck up."
Actors: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, Will Patton
John Woo's sci-fi thriller Face/Off was nominated for a Best Sound Effects Editing Oscar in 1998. An FBI agent (John Travolta) undergoes a face transplant so he can look look like a terrorist (Nic Cage) in order to stop an extortion plot. The bad guy then puts on the FBI agent's face and a classic game of switcheroo takes place. The gaping plot hole is that the two men have just switched faces, not bodies. It's hard to believe that the agent's wife doesn't realize that her husband has a completely different body.
Of course, in the film, the actors play each other's characters and appear to magically switch bodies. In 2021, it was announced that the film would get a “direct sequel” directed by Adam Wingard, who said the plot hole would be addressed.
Actors: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola, Gina Gershon
In 1995, Disney/Pixar's Toy Story was nominated for best writing, best song for Randy Newman's "You've Got A Friend In Me," and best score. But despite all the accolades, there is still one glaring issue with the story and it has to do with Buzz Lightyear.
In Toy Story, it is made clear that the toys will freeze if there is a person around who can witness their actions. It is a rule of toydom. However, since Buzz does not believe he is a toy, why does he abide by these rules? Do space rangers have similar rules?
Actors: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn
A lot has been made about the plethora of plot holes in Christopher Nolan's 2014 film, which received five Academy Award nominations and won for Best Visual Effects. Here's a big one that the entire narrative is based on: the earth is supposedly screwed as humans are losing the ability to grow crops because of a plague called Blight. However, it's shown that food can grow in space stations without issue. So why can't people just grow their food in a controlled green house set with the same parameters as the space station? That seems like it would be a lot easier than figuring out how to live on another planet.
Actors: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Bill Irwin
Pat Morita earned an Oscar nod in 1985 for his performance as Mr. Myagi in The Karate Kid. But did you know that the crane kick that Daniel (Ralph Macchio) used to defeat his opponent/arch nemesis Johnny (William Zabka) was actually illegal? Throughout the karate tournament, we hear officials say kicks to the face are against the rules. Daniel should have been disqualified for using the crane kick, instead he won the tournament.
Actors: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Randee Heller, Martin Kove
