A plot hole, or plothole, is a gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot, or constitutes a blatant omission of relevant information regarding the plot. These include such things as unlikely behaviour or actions of characters, illogical or impossible events, events happening for no apparent reason, or statements/events that contradict earlier events in the storyline.
-Wikipedia definition of plot holes
Has everybody got that? Ok, good. Now we can begin.
So more than a few threads have been derailed over discussion of the plot of the previous two films. Let's redirect that energy hear to save other threads the trouble. Quite simply the trouble is accusations of plot holes by people who frankly do not know the definition of the term.
What counts as a plot hole? As the above quote dictates it's something that goes against the logic of the established plot, or blatantly leaves out information relevant to the plot. Amazingly, this thread will discuss both films...Transformers, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
The sad truth about what people consider plot holes is that it can be influenced by bias. If you didn't like the film you'll see plot holes everywhere, usually fueled by inability or refusal to pay attention due to said dislike. Due to this we'll use what is listed at the Transformer's Wiki pages on the two films for examples. What we will not be listing are as follows due to thier common nature in any and all films:
1) Technical errors
2) Factual errors (getting the names and numbers of military equipment wrong, etc)
3) Continuity errors with no bearing on the plot (cups changing from glass to plastic between shots, etc)
4) Errors in sattelite continuities (books, comics, etc)
With that out of the way, let's begin.
Transformers (2007]
Barricade seems to disappear after the highway scene, as he is never shown again in the movie or the sequel.
A continuity error, at least if he doesn't show up in the third film.
Also unclear is why the military thought they could smuggle the All Spark out of town on a slow-moving helicopter, when fast-flying guys like Starscream and Megatron were around and well aware of the cube's location.
Agreed that helicopters are far too slow for evacuating anything in the given scenario, but at the same time only those who'd been at the Hoover Dam knew of the true threat so this is acceptable.
Why didn't Bumblebee use the All Spark to restore himself as Frenzy had done? Most likely because he was unaware the Allspark had such healing properties.
I've always wondered this myself. Rule of Drama was probably in play as well.
Fans have speculated that Starscream actually participated in the F-22 attack run on Megatron. While there's no concrete evidence either way, it doesn't make much sense for him to be destroying the jets beforehand if he's just going to turn around and help them in their mission a few seconds later. When asked about it, screenwriter Roberto Orci explicitly refused to address this theory since it would pose a plot thread for the sequel.
A deliberate Shrug of God rather than a continuity error. To be fair, there's no reason for him not to attack them either.
For that matter, the fact that Starscream completely incapacitates Ironhide and Ratchet (they're absent from the last eleven minutes of the fight) is not made clear. When we last see them, they are falling down, but Ironhide is still talking and moving.
While Ironhide did sound injured, they could have done a better job with this.
Epps emphatically states that F-22 pilots would never fly between buildings, as they'd just observed Starscream doing. Yet a few minutes later, that's exactly what the real F-22s do.
Yeah that one was pretty bad.
The denizens of Mission City are remarkably well-composed considering that global communications networks have been shut down. You'd think there'd be a bit more "panic in the streets"... especially with all the audible explosions, and people fleeing from previous battlegrounds. Yet nobody ever panics until those freaking giant robots come literally crashing into the next nearby building. You'd think the girl whose steering wheel is brought to life by the Allspark would have bigger problems than Sam denting her car... such as those giant robots fighting everywhere. Weirdness censor doesn't even begin to describe this.
Gonna agree with this one. The film does not take into account the reactions of people to a global crisis.
Mission City itself.
This one's more complex, and something that's bugged me. Mission City seems to become Los Angeles between the two films but I'll put that plot hole here. I wouldn't be surprised if Paramount wanted to avoid flak from people sensetive to scenes of city destruction in a post-9/11 world, so they invented a fictional city. In the original script it was actually Las Vegas.
That's it for the first film. RotF will be in the next post. For a list of other errors not pertaining to the plot, check here: http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers_%282007%29#Errors and http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Mission_City
Please hold your responses until I've posted the second half...
