Terrible plot devices in films

For some reason since I woke up this morning I have been unable to stop thinking about the bit in Die Hard 3 where he figures out where Jeremy Irons has gone by checking the address on the bottle of aspirin he gave him. How did he know that’s where he was? Why did the aspirin have an address on it? .

Please list some more terrible plot devices that I can get unduly annoyed about.

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The bullet fingerprint bit in the Dark Knight. Utterly ridiculous

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Theres a bit in one of the batman films, maybe batman and robin, where Batters is trying to work out who the baddy is

Mr Edward Nigma
Mr e.nigma
Mystery Engima
OMG HE IS THE RIDDLER!

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when computers beep and chirrup in literally any 90s film

actually love this kind of stuff

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That was either a very nice playback to Adam West style Batman or just an awful plot device and I don’t know which.

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Also this from A Quiet Place

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I get massively irked by how people still don’t use a mouse on computers. They do everything by typing.

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Was literally about to post this. See also, ‘Hackers’.

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I don’t like it when a film’s plot relies on the breakdown of a friendship or relationship as a result of a mistruth or holding back of the truth that goes against everything that has been set up in that friendship or relationship.

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There’s an episode of NCIS where they’re being hacked and to fight back, two people use the same keyboard.

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“Zoom in on the top left”

typing sounds

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The old Mars Attacks ending

“Enhance the reflection in her eye”

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The whole plot of Se7en is one massive device that depends on coincidences and the cops taking certain decisions to make it work. Good film though.

See also: Skyfall

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“zoom. enhance.”
“what’re you seeing chief?”
“the chief’s seen some action in the honeymoon suite.”
“shut the hell up, smartass. okay now blow up to full scale 500PX.”
“chief, what do you see?”
“it’s not what i can see. it’s what they can see. those bastards have been watching us the whole time. mother of god. get me the president on line 1.”

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The bit at the end where Kevin Spacey explains to everyone how clever the film is is an all time bottom 5 cinematic moment for me.

In Taken 3, Liam Neeson is framed for the murder of his ex-wife, and he flees the scene, fights loads of cops etc and is on the run for the majority of the film.

However, he had no reason to run, he had an alibi and there was no forensic evidence to tie him to the crime, if he’d just stayed there and explained himself and allowed the police to investigate everything would have been fine and there would have been no reason for the mayhem that ensued.

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