I realized half way through the process that I am not talking about plot holes so much as points of debate that have been around for decades. There are very few actual plot holes in the film, but there are many people who argue that certain things in the film could be a plot hole depending on your perspective. I have strongly argued against this position for a long time as there are usually alternate possible explanations for all of the supposed plot holes.
That being said here is the second part of the plot holes article:
6) Take the Gas out of the Buried Delorean.
Many people think that when they run out of gasoline in 1885 that they can simply go to the Delorean buried in the mine and take the gas out of that one. This would solve the problem. There are of course many problems with this, other than effectively reducing the movie by an hour.
Any person with any knowledge of cars at all knows that fluids left in a vehicle over time would corrode and destroy the car. Any and all fluids would have been drained at the time the Delorean was buried.
Even if this was not the case and the Delorean did in fact have gasoline in it, there is no way that Doc is going to risk going back to the Delorean and take the gasoline from it.
Look at it this way
-They need gas because Marty ripped the fuel line
-Marty ripped the fuel line because he traveled back to 185 and was outrunning Indians
-Marty went to 1955 in the time machine that was buried in the mine.
-The machine was originally buried and left, never to be touched again so that Marty could use it in 1955.
So, in the original history The Delorean is left and used for its original intended purpose. What would happen if they went into the cave, while they siphoned of the gas, Marty dropped the lamp, it ignited the gasoline and the Delorean blew up? Now you have the classic "Grandfather paradox" where the cause and effect can not exist. Marty could not have been sent to the past to rip the gas line or be in the cave to cause the explosion if the explosion has destroyed his way to get there at all.
As a side note, a couple people have made the comment that they should just go back to Western Union, get the letter and write "Bring Gas" at the bottom. This is a Bill and Ted suggestion and it would not work. Marty is already there in 1885 and he did not bring gas. Gas would not just magically appear by doing this to the letter.
7) Marty Should Disappear Right Away
In 1955 when Marty saves his father from getting hit by the car, his brother starts disappearing in the photo. Some have argued that they should all be wiped out from existence right away. This is false. The opening scene with the family at the dinner table establishes the fact that Lorraine falls in love with George when she kisses him on the dance floor a week later.
When Marty prevented their first meeting he still had until the moment of their original kiss to set it right and that is why he nearly disappears at the dance, not at the car.
8) Marty and Jennifer could not see themselves in 2015
If Marty and Jennifer leave 1985 to travel to 2015 then they effectively left the timeline for 30 years, like they disappeared off the face of the earth. If they are gone, and do not reappear until 2015 they can not exist in the future to see themselves. I will admit, the logic of this argument is solid. This claim can not really be faulted. You could consider this a plot hole if you wish. However, Doc has already been to the future, he has visited old Marty and Jennifer, he knows they exist in the future. It makes sense that a universe that allows time travel to exist at all would account for a situation like this by leaving time travelers in the "hypothetical" timeline when their younger selves travel forward. The timeline may register their departure, but it could also register their return from the future later in the day.
If Marty and Jennifer skip over 30 years, then they could skip over the time when they return, even though they will not actually do it until later in the day (from their perspective)
You can argue that they either skip over their return, or that the timeline simply will not allow the universe to change when time travelers go forward in time because its too hard to re write the entire universe to accommodate the departure.
9) Precisely 10:04
Marty could never have returned to 1985 in the original movie because the lightning could have struck the clock at any one of the 60 seconds during the minute.
The only thing that needs to be said about this plot hole is the use of the word "PRECISELY" it means exactly.
The lightning was going to strike at exactly 10:04. I don't know how they know the exact second, I don't care how they know, but the time was established down to the second.
10) Clara erecting the Tombstone
Many have argued that Clara could not have erected the tombstone for Doc because she died going over Clayton ravine in the original history. This is correct, however, the original history did not have Doc trapped in 1885. When Doc was trapped in 1885 without Marty he volunteered to pick Clara up at the train station. Without a reason not to pick her up, he would have, and being the man, he would have driven. He would have gotten Clara home safely where they could fall in love. She would have been with him three days later when Buford shot him and with him two days after that when he died.
She would have been very much alive to erect the tombstone for Marty to see 70 years later.
I had intended to stop at ten plot holes, but I can not end the article without bringing up the honorary eleventh.
11) Red the Bum VS Red Thomas the 1955 Mayor
Although IMDB stupidly refers to the Bum as Red the Mayor, they are not the same person.
Red Thomas is pictured on a billboard, the photo is of a crew man named Howard Gausman, and he looks to be about 50 years old.
Red the Bum is played by Buck Flower, and is also (arguably) in his fifties, but his character is 30 years farther in the future than Red Thomas is.
The DVD commentary reveals that Michael J Fox adlibbed the name "Red" in the scene where his character returns to 1985, and while the use of the name twice in the film is odd, it is impossible that the mayor and the bum are the same person based on the age factor alone, forget the different casting and the knowledge of the adlibbed line.
These are by no means all of the debates. There are others that rage out there, but these in my opinion are the top ten that continually surface between fans. Let me know if you disagree with me on any of these and I will correct you, um, I mean discuss it with you.
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| Mouthing Off |
Every other Thursday
Mouthing Off is the no bull, tell it like it is column on various issues in the Hollywood arena. You want PC, then keep on moving, you won't get it here.
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| Jeff Winston |
I am a part time writer and full time teacher. I am currently stationed in the middle of nowhere, northern Alberta, Canada. I love movies, and I love to vent, I am happy to have an outlet to incorporate both here on Matchflick.
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If you have a comment, question, or suggestion, you can send a message to Jeff Winston by clicking here.
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