The ’80s was a wild time to be alive. The era was chiefly defined by three things: hair, music, and film. In fact, some of the great classics of our time were released in this decade .
To go along with that, this is also the age that boasts some of the most ridiculous plot holes in cinema. See for yourself and check out these 10+ plot holes from famous ’80s movies fans can’t get over.
1. How did Biff make it back to 2015?
In Back to the Future Part II , Biff goes back in time and hands the Sports Almanac to his younger self. Afterward, he’s able to take the Delorean back to the exact spot where he stole it from Doc Brown.
The timeline should have repaired itself as soon as Biff gave his younger self the book.
2. Daniel should have been disqualified in *The Karate Kid*.
During the tournament, there are several reminders about no hits to the face, as well as low blows.
Yet Daniel is somehow able to secure the victory by pulling off an incredibly illegal crane kick to the face?
3. Indy shouldn’t have been able to pull himself up.
One of the tests Indy must pass in order to obtain the Holy Grail involves him stepping on a specific set of stones that spell out the name “Jehovah.”
When he accidentally falls, he’s able to pull himself up by holding onto the letters “L” and “Y.”
Neither of those letters is found in “Jehovah,” so it doesn’t make sense that they would hold firm.
Indy should have fallen to his death.
4. Did *E.T.* not want to go home in the beginning?
Pretty much the entire premise of E.T. makes zero sense. We all know that he can fly, thanks to the iconic bicycle scene with Elliott on Halloween.
So why didn’t he just fly up to his spaceship in the beginning of the film? It was hovering maybe 30 feet off the ground?!
5. The premise of *Gremlins* is incredibly ambiguous.
“Don’t feed him after midnight…” What exactly does that mean? Technically, it’s always “after midnight” to a certain extent.
And just exactly what time zone do Mogwai/Gremlins default to? I have so many questions…
6. Don’t Marty’s parents question why he looks so much like their old friend, Calvin Klein?
Calvin Klein (Marty) was the reason that his parents got together in the first place. He orchestrated the scenario in which his father, George, was able to knock out Biff in the parking lot.
Did they never wonder as Marty got older why he bore such a striking resemblance to Calvin Klein?
7. The timeline in *Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back* makes no sense.
Think about it for a second. Luke is shown training with Yoda for weeks, months even. And in that time all Han and Leia were able to do was fly through an asteroid belt and accidentally get eaten by a giant space worm?
I’m not buying it.
8. Indiana Jones could have just stayed home in *Raiders Of The Lost Ark*.
Indiana Jones doesn’t stop the Nazis from acquiring the Ark of the Covenant. Upon opening it, they’re destroyed by its awesome power.
Afterward, the government swoops in and the Ark is stored in an unmarked box in a giant warehouse. Which is precisely what would have happened whether Indy was there or not.
9. It certainly doesn’t look like summer in *Friday The 13th*.
This cult classic launched one of the most successful horror franchises of all time. The entire premise revolves around a group of summer camp counselors being stalked by an unknown killer.
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Judging from the leaves on the trees, as well as the clothing, it looks a heck of a lot closer to autumn.
10. Why didn’t Gozer change into Hoover in *Ghostbusters*?
Venkman explains Gozer’s ability to transform into whatever form they think about. He says that if you’re thinking of J. Edgar Hoover, that’s what Gozer will become.
Right there on the spot, Gozer should have transformed, but didn’t.
11. Shouldn’t the police have arrested the Joker in *Batman*?
Remember when the Joker hijacks the local television signal to announce his parade?
Later on, while he’s strolling down the streets of Gotham, there isn’t a police officer in sight. They’d been chasing him for the entire movie, so why wouldn’t they have shown up?
12. The rules regarding ghosts are inconsistent in *Beetlejuice*.
When Barbara and Adam first attempt to scare the Deetz’, it’s clear that the family can neither see nor hear them. Yet when they dress up in the sheets and start moaning, Delia mistakes them for the TV.
So which one is it? Can they or can’t they interact with the living?
13. Why doesn’t Ariel just write down what she wants to say to Eric?
She clearly knows how to write. She was able to sign Ursula’s contract after all. So why all the fuss? Why not just write down “Kiss me or an evil witch will come and take me back to her underwater prison.”
It seriously couldn’t be simpler!
14. How does Vernon not smell the pot in *The Breakfast Club*?
You’re going to tell me that a bloodhound like Richard Vernon would permit someone like John Bender to smoke up in the library? Furthermore, that he’d be so oblivious as to not even smell it?
I don’t think so.
15. What was the point of Luke giving the droids to Jabba in *Return Of The Jedi*?
It’s a moot point, to say the least. Basically, C-3PO and R2-D2 walk in unaware that Leia has already hatched her own plan to save Han.
If that was the case, why did 3PO and R2 have to be there at all?
16. Why wouldn’t Superman go farther back in time in *Superman II*?
If Supes has the power to go backward in time, why would he only go back just far enough to save Lois Lane?
Why not go back just a bit farther to the moment where he opened the lead-lined box of kryptonite and simply not open it at all?
17. Was Takagi only three years old when he served in *Die Hard*?
We learn that Takagi was actually born in Kyoto back in 1937. But when a computer screen displays his military service record, the date reads 1940.
It goes without saying that he wouldn’t have been able to be a member of the armed forces as a toddler.
18. Why are they sitting on a table in *Sixteen Candles*?
I’m not saying it’s a glaring plot hole, but it does make you stop and think. I mean, why on earth would two people choose to sit on top of a table?
It’s not even romantic. It’s just dumb.
19. Wasn’t Charlie expelled in *Dead Poets Society*?
I’m pretty sure he was, considering it literally happened three scenes earlier. Yet a careful scan of the classroom will reveal that Charlie is one of the boys shown standing atop his desk during the “Oh Captain, My Captain” scene.
20. There was no giant octopus in *The Goonies*.
Then what exactly was Data talking about when he was describing it to the reporters at the end of the film?
It turns out that the line is actually referencing a deleted scene that didn’t make the theatrical cut. So why wasn’t this scene axed?
21. How does Josh get paid in *Big*?
During his interview scene, it’s revealed that Josh “forgot” a few numbers from his SSN. He even ends up making them up!
If that’s the case, then how would payroll have been able to process his checks?
22. There was a second time machine in *Back To The Future III*.
In the final installment of the franchise, Doc and Marty become stuck in the old west after Marty accidentally cuts the gas line on the Delorean.
But don’t forget that the only way Marty was able to go back in time in the first place was because the Doc had stashed the Delorean for him to find. Therefore, it should have still been in the cave intact.
