15 Plot Holes From Underrated Fantasy Movies That Shocked Us

Fantasy fans are a forgiving bunch. We’ll sit happily through two hours of glowing swords,
cryptic prophecies, and villains who dramatically swirl capes just to sit down. But even the
most devoted fantasy nerd sometimes hits a moment on screen and thinks, “Wait… that makes
absolutely no sense.” And weirdly, those head-scratching plot holes tend to show up most
often in the underrated fantasy movies we love to champion.

Over the past few years, lists of underrated fantasy gems have consistently shouted out movies
like Stardust, The Fall, The Secret of Kells, Ladyhawke,
and Krull as cult favorites that deserve more love.
At the same time, movie fans and critics are happily poking at the logic gaps and continuity
errors that slip into even the most imaginative worlds.
That’s the sweet spot of this article: celebrating the magic, while also laughing (kindly) at
the big “huh?” moments these films ask us to ignore.

Below, we’re diving into 15 plot holes from underrated fantasy movies that genuinely shocked
ussometimes because they’re so wild, and sometimes because we’d watched the movie ten times
before we finally noticed. Consider this your spoiler warning and your invitation to grab a
snack, pause your disbelief, and enjoy some gloriously messy movie magic.

Why Fantasy Movie Plot Holes Hit Different

Every genre has plot holes, but fantasy movie plot holes feel uniquely dramatic. These stories
ask us to accept dragons, curses, time loops, and talking skeletons as normal. Once we’ve
bought into all that, a tiny piece of lazy logic can stick out like a neon sign: “This part
wasn’t fully thought through.”

Add in the fact that many of these underrated fantasy movies were working with tight budgets,
messy edits, or studio interference, and suddenly those gaps in the story start to make more
sense behind the sceneseven if they don’t make any sense in the story. That’s part
of the charm: the movies feel handmade, and sometimes you can see the stitching.

15 Plot Holes From Underrated Fantasy Movies That Shocked Us

1. Stardust (2007) – The Inconsistent Aging Spell

Stardust is one of the most beloved underrated fantasy movies ever, a whimsical
mash-up of fairy tale romance and pirate cosplay.
But fans have long noted something strange about Lamia’s aging magic. The witch uses
star-powered youth to restore her beauty, then slowly deteriorates as the magic wears off.
So far, so good.

The problem? Her appearance doesn’t always match what the story tells us. Certain scenes show
Lamia suddenly looking fresher or less decayed than she logically should, given how much power
she’s just used. Viewers have pointed out at least one moment where she’s battered and aged in
one shot, then magically “camera-ready” in the next with no explanation.
It’s like the spell itself got confused in the editing room.

Does it ruin the movie? Not really. But once you notice her “yo-yo aging,” you can’t unsee it
and you might start mentally tracking her hit points like a video game boss.

2. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) – Mercedes and the Missed Opportunity

Guillermo del Toro’s dark fairy tale is often hailed as a masterpiece, but even its defenders
admit there are a few head-tilting logic gaps.
One of the most-discussed involves Mercedes, the housekeeper secretly working with the
resistance. She manages to escape the monstrous Captain Vidal, wounds him badly, and has a
clean shot to finish him off.

Instead, she chooses to spare him and flee. Dramatically, it keeps the villain alive for the
final act. Logically, it makes almost no sense for a character who knows exactly how dangerous
he isto her, to Ofelia, and to everyone she loves. Later discussions and essays have basically
admitted this is less “character choice” and more “we needed the plot to keep going.”

The result is a movie where the emotional logic is razor-sharp, but the tactical logic… not
so much.

3. Labyrinth (1986) – So… Was It All Real or Not?

Labyrinth is a cult classic that still lands on lists of underrated fantasy films for
its practical effects, wild imagination, and David Bowie’s legendary goblin glam.
But the movie’s internal reality is deeply confusing.

The story seems to frame Sarah’s journey as a sort of dream or psychological test. Then, just
when you’ve settled into that interpretation, the ending throws it out a window. Goblin
friends appear in her bedroom, everyone has a dance party, and an owlhinted to be Jareth
watches from outside. Fans have complained that the movie wants to have it both ways: the
“it was all in her head” metaphor and the “no, actually, magic is real” twist,
without doing the work of reconciling them.

Is it a plot hole or a deliberate fairy-tale ambiguity? Depends on how generous you’re
feeling. Either way, the story’s rules are about as stable as a goblin staircase.

4. Willow (1988) – The Vanishing Third Acorn

In Willow, our aspiring sorcerer hero is given three magical acorns that can turn
enemies to stone. He uses one on a troll, one (unsuccessfully) on Queen Bavmorda, and then…
what happened to the third acorn?

Viewers noticed that the film seems to forget about it entirely. For a while, this looked like
a classic “we never paid off the setup” plot hole. Years later, director Ron Howard explained
that a subplot explaining the missing acorn was shot but cut for pacing, leaving the final
film with a dangling magical MacGuffin.

On one hand, this is a production issue more than a story flaw. On the other, that unused
acorn could have solved a lot of problemsincluding, arguably, the entire third act.

5. Ladyhawke (1985) – The Curse That Sort of… Changes?

Ladyhawke has a brilliant premise: two lovers doomed by a curse, with one human by
day and the other human by night. The problem is how often the curse’s exact timing seems to
wobble.

The transformations are supposed to be linked to sunrise and sunset, but the movie plays fast
and loose with what counts as “day” or “night.” Characters transform at dramatically perfect
moments that don’t always line up with the sky we’re shown on screen. Fans have pointed out
multiple scenes where the curse’s rules bend just enough to make a key rescue or emotional
beat work, even if it contradicts earlier scenes.

It doesn’t make the romance any less swoonybut the astrophysics of this curse are deeply
suspicious.

6. Krull (1983) – Why Didn’t You Just Use the Glaive Sooner?

Krull is a glorious slice of early-’80s fantasy cheese featuring a legendary weapon
called the Glaivea spinning, telekinetic star-blade that’s basically a fantasy drone strike.
It’s introduced as unbelievably powerful… and then barely used.

Prince Colwyn spends most of the movie fighting enemies the old-fashioned way while holding
onto what is effectively a magic guided missile. The Glaive finally comes out for the climax,
at which point it’s wildly effective. The obvious question: why didn’t he use it in any of the
earlier, life-or-death situations?

The script’s answer seems to be “because then the movie would be 20 minutes long,” which,
while accurate, is not exactly satisfying story logic.

7. The Dark Crystal (1982) – The Prophecy That Needed a Calendar

Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal is visually stunning and thematically rich, but its
central prophecy raises big questions. We’re told that a Gelfling must heal the Crystal during
a once-in-a-thousand-years event. That’s a pretty specific deadline.

Yet the Skeksiswho are terrified of this prophecywait until the absolute last minute to do
much about it. They’ve had centuries to wipe out Gelflings, secure the Crystal, or adjust
their security measures, but instead they mostly lean on half-baked schemes and petty palace
politics.

It makes the villains feel weirdly incompetent: if you’re going to fear a prophecy for a
millennium, maybe invest in a better long-term strategy than “hope nobody shows up.”

8. The Secret of Kells (2009) – The Forest That’s Somehow a Secret

This gorgeously animated Irish fantasy follows Brendan, a boy in a monastery who sneaks into a
magical forest just outside the walls. For a place that’s supposedly dangerous and mysterious,
it’s shockingly accessibleno spell, no barrier, just… trees.

The plot treats the forest as an unknown, forbidden world the villagers can’t comprehend. Yet
geographically, it appears to be right there, close enough that no one has ever tried mapping
it, foraging in it, or accidentally wandering too far while looking for firewood.

It’s a minor plot hole in an otherwise tight, symbolic story, but it does make you wonder if
everyone in this village just collectively agreed not to look left.

9. The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) – Adult Logic on Vacation

The Spiderwick Chronicles leans into the classic “kids see magic, adults see nothing”
trope. But even by fantasy standards, the level of parental obliviousness is impressive.

Houses are torn apart, windows smash, and there’s clear physical damage that can’t be blamed
on “imagination.” The mother spends most of the movie insisting it’s all acting out, even
when the evidence looks like a tornado specifically targeted her property.

The story needs adults to be in denial so the kids can be the heroes, but the gap between what
’s happening on screen and how the grown-ups respond is a full-blown logic canyon.

10. The Golden Compass (2007) – The Daemon Distance Problem

One of the coolest ideas in The Golden Compass is that every human has a visible
animal soul, or daemon, that can’t stray far from its person. The movie repeats this rule
oftenand then quietly breaks it whenever the blocking gets inconvenient.

In crowd scenes and big action moments, you’ll spot daemons drifting farther than the
established “several feet” limit, or disappearing altogether when animating them would be
too expensive or complicated. The result is a world where the core metaphysical rule is
technically firm but visually flexible.

For viewers who loved the books’ precise daemon logic, those moments feel less like
stylistic choice and more like “the CGI budget tapped out.”

11. Trollhunter (2010) – Why Is the Government This Bad at Cover-Ups?

This Norwegian found-footage fantasy has become a cult favorite internationally. The premise:
trolls are real, the government knows, and one exhausted guy is stuck managing them.

The plot hole isn’t the trollsit’s the cover-up. Massive creatures stomp through the
countryside, destroy infrastructure, and leave behind colossal evidence. The official
explanation is often something like “a gas-line explosion” or “a bear attack,” offered with
straight-faced confidence.

The film has fun with the absurdity, but if you think about it too long, the scale of damage
makes the conspiracy feel hilariously impossible. At some point, someone on social media
would absolutely post, “Hey, that’s not a bear.”

12. The Fall (2006) – A Fantasy Story That Rewrites Itself

The Fall is a visual feast and a beloved underground gem, often cited as one of the
most underrated fantasy movies of the 2000s.
Its fantasy sections show the story a bedridden stuntman tells a young girl, with her
imagination shaping the visuals.

That’s a brilliant devicebut it also quietly breaks its own rules. Some images and scenes
clearly reflect things the girl hasn’t seen or couldn’t know. The fantasy narrative shifts
styles and details in ways that don’t always line up with what either storyteller has
experienced.

You can argue it’s all metaphorand many fans dobut if you’re looking for strict internal
logic, the movie’s dreamlike structure creates plot holes wide enough to ride a horse through.

13. The Green Knight (2021) – The Quest with Optional Consequences

The Green Knight is widely praised but still feels underrated compared to bigger
fantasy franchises.
It’s a moody, symbolic retelling of a medieval poem, and like many art-house fantasies, it
plays loosely with literal cause and effect.

The biggest “plot hole” moment comes late in the film, when Gawain seems to experience an
entire life’s worth of consequences… only for the movie to reveal much of it as either a
vision or hypothetical. It’s a powerful psychological beat, but it also undercuts the very
stakes the story has spent two hours building.

If the narrative can simply unwind itself at will, how real were any of the choices we just
watched? The movie wants you to live in the ambiguity; the plot hole part of your brain
wants a user manual.

14. Strange Magic (2015) – Love Potions with Selective Side Effects

Lucasfilm’s animated musical Strange Magic is often labeled underrated, especially
by fans who love its jukebox soundtrack and fairy-tale world.
The story hinges on a powerful love potion that can make anyone fall head over heels.

The potion’s rules, however, are wildly inconsistent. Sometimes it works instantly,
sometimes it takes a while. Sometimes it can be undone by “true love,” other times it seems
to wear off because the story needs a character to snap out of it. The exact limits of who
can be affected, how long it lasts, and what counts as a “real” feeling are never clearly
spelled out.

That may be thematically appropriate for a movie about messy lovebut as plot mechanics go,
it’s like trying to follow a recipe where the measurements change mid-page.

15. The Princess and the Frog (2009) – The Royal Logic of That Frog Curse

This Disney film is beloved but often considered underrated compared with the studio’s biggest
hits.
Its central curse says that only a princess’s kiss can break the spell turning Prince Naveen
into a frog. Tiana kisses him while not a princess and becomes a frog herself. Later,
when she marries Naveen as a frog, they both turn human becausesurpriseshe’s now a
princess by marriage.

Okay, but if the magic recognizes royal status that broadly, why didn’t Charlotte’s brief
status as “Mardi Gras princess” count for longer? Why was there a ticking clock at midnight,
as if the curse were secretly reading local parade bylaws?

The internal rules of the spell wobble just enough to keep the plot cute and dramatic, even
if it means the magic system might need its own legal department.

What These Fantasy Plot Holes Teach Us

When you line these plot holes up, a pattern emerges. The weakest logic usually shows up at
the point where the filmmakers had to choose between airtight rules and emotional impactand
they chose emotion. Directors and writers will nearly always sacrifice strict world-building
continuity to get a better character moment, a more gorgeous shot, or a more thrilling final
act.

That doesn’t mean we can’t poke fun at the gaps. But it does explain why the “best” plot
holes often live in good movies. The story is strong enough that we only notice the
problems on the second or third watch, when we’re no longer just swept along by the magic.
Articles rounding up frustrating plot holes even point out that many of them live in otherwise
beloved films.

In a way, spotting these flaws is a love language. You only bother to overanalyze a movie you
actually care about.

Bonus: Real-Life Experiences with Fantasy Movie Plot Holes

If you’ve ever rewatched a favorite fantasy movie with a group of friends, you know exactly
how this goes. The first time through, everyone is quiet, taking in the costumes, gasping at
the monsters, and tearing up during big emotional scenes. By the third or fourth viewing,
though, somebody inevitably leans forward, squints at the screen, and says, “Hold up. Where
did that magic item come from?”

For a lot of fans, noticing plot holes becomes part of the ritual. You’re not trying to ruin
the movie; you’re trying to squeeze more enjoyment out of it. Maybe you pause Stardust
to argue about exactly how much star-essence Lamia has left at each point. One friend pulls up
a fan forum on their phone, another insists there’s an interview where the director explains
it, and suddenly you’ve turned a continuity error into a full-blown group investigation.

The same thing happens with cult favorites like Willow or Labyrinth. Someone
in the room has never seen them before, and you’re desperately hoping they’ll fall in love with
the movie the way you did as a kid. At the same time, you’re bracing yourself for that moment
when they ask the question you’ve been politely ignoring for years: “Wait, why didn’t Mercedes
just finish off Vidal?” or “If the goblin world is all in Sarah’s head, who invited Hoggle to
the bedroom dance party?”

These conversations are often surprisingly affectionate. People don’t just point out plot
holes; they start fixing them. Someone comes up with a fan theory that explains why the curse
in Ladyhawke fudges its own rules. Another person argues that the missing acorn in
Willow was actually used off-screen in a moment we simply didn’t see. Before long,
you’ve basically run an impromptu writer’s room on your living-room couch.

Online, this energy is multiplied by a thousand. Threads dissecting fantasy movie plot holes
turn into long chains of memes, diagrams, and lovingly snarky comments. Fans swap lists of
underrated fantasy movies, then pivot into debating which ones secretly have the worst logic
and the best vibes.
You’ll see people defending their favorite flawed films with the kind of passion usually
reserved for sports rivalries.

What’s interesting is that very few fans actually abandon a movie over a plot hole. Instead,
the flaw becomes part of the film’s personality. The “gas explosion” excuses in
Trollhunter, the rule-bending daemon physics in The Golden Compass, the
time-bending vision in The Green Knightall of these quirks turn into in-jokes you
share with other people who’ve watched the same strange little film.

In that sense, these 15 plot holes don’t just shock us; they connect us. They give us
something to argue about, laugh over, and reinterpret together. Long after the credits roll,
we’re still living in those worlds, trying to patch their cracksnot because we need them to
be perfect, but because we enjoy them enough to keep the conversation going.

Conclusion: Loving Our Messy, Magical Movies Anyway

Underrated fantasy movies survive not because their plots are flawless, but because their
worlds feel worth visitingeven when the story logic occasionally trips over its own cloak.
The 15 plot holes we’ve highlighted here range from tiny continuity slips to giant
head-scratchers, yet every single film on this list has a devoted fanbase ready to defend it.

In a way, that might be the most important takeaway. Plot holes can be annoying, sure, but
they’re rarely the reason a movie becomes beloved. We remember the emotions, the imagery, the
characters, and the feeling of stepping into a world that doesn’t exist anywhere else. If we
have to ignore a missing acorn, a wobbly curse rule, or a suspiciously flexible prophecy to
stay in that world a little longer, most of us are happy to do it.

So the next time you find yourself yelling at the screen because a character ignored the most
obvious magical solution, take a breath. Then smile and remember: if the movie made you care
enough to shout, it’s already done its job.

flawed but magical cult favorites.

sapo:
Underrated fantasy movies are often the ones we cherish mostand the ones that ask us to
overlook the wildest story logic. From Stardust to Willow, from
Labyrinth to The Green Knight, we’re breaking down 15 fantasy movie plot
holes that genuinely shocked us, explaining what doesn’t add up, why fans still defend these
films, and how poking at the cracks has become part of the fun. Whether you love analyzing
magic systems or just enjoy yelling “that’s not how the curse works!” at your TV, this deep
dive will give you fresh reasons to rewatch some of the genre’s most overlooked gems.