Plot hole

In fiction, a plot hole, plothole, or plot error is a gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot.^[1]

Plot holes are usually created unintentionally, often as a result of editing or the writers simply forgetting that a new event would contradict previous events.

Sometimes viewers disagree on whether a certain plot element constitutes an error.

At the end of the film Revenge of the Sith, it is considered imperative to hide Luke Skywalker from Darth Vader, but Obi-Wan Kenobi does so in plain sight on Vader's home planet, even using Luke's real name. He himself only slightly alters his name and makes no secret of his Jedi heritage.^[4]^[5]

Star Wars

In the narrative of The Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee are rescued from Mordor by three giant eagles after destroying the One Ring. Some readers and viewers of the film adaptation have regarded this as a plot hole because the eagles could have flown a suitable Ring-bearer directly to Mordor in the first place, obviating much of the story's plot. Craig Elvy of Screen Rant believes the perception of a plot hole might be due in part to the significantly compressed space and time dimensions of the film version, compared to the books.^[6]

climax

The 1991 Disney film includes a line about a rose blooming until the prince's twenty-first year, and a song in which Lumière the candelabra sings "ten years we've been rusting" - implying that the Prince was 11 when the curse was placed upon the castle, despite a painting showing him to have been older than this. The 2017 remake removed the rose reference and changed the lyric to "too long we've been rusting".^[7]

Beauty and the Beast

Idiot plot

Continuity (fiction)

Deus ex machina

Retroactive continuity

Screenrant's 16 Movie Plot Holes That Aren’t Actually Plot Holes

Star Wars Fan Debunks Huff Post's "40 Unforgivable Plot Holes in The Force Awakens"

Archived 2021-10-25 at the Wayback Machine