15 Movies Where the Main Character Could Have Just Used Common Sense
Real human beings throughout history have made all kinds of silly decisions, leading them to incredible discoveries or an untimely demise. Characters in fiction often do this too, although we judge them with a higher stick than people in reality: we want things to happen in the story, but we also want them to have common sense.
A balance between these two concepts is tricky, hence why there are plenty of examples of characters that, with just a bit of common sense, could’ve avoided their film’s entire premise. These are our picks for instances when, if common sense had been in the room, the plots would’ve been far simpler.
Alien
Ripley actually follows quarantine protocol in Alien, refusing to open the airlock after Kane returns infected. Ash overrides her and opens the door anyway, allowing the creature aboard. Following Ripley’s original decision might have ended the crisis immediately.
Justice League vs. Teen Titans
Damian Wayne’s aggressive, rebellious behavior repeatedly creates problems throughout DC’s animated universe. In Justice League vs. Teen Titans, his inability to cooperate contributes to disaster, eventually forcing Batman to send him away to learn teamwork with the Titans.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Doctor Strange agrees to cast a dangerous memory-altering spell before fully establishing Peter’s requirements. Peter repeatedly changes the spell while it is being cast, causing it to destabilize. A thorough conversation beforehand could have prevented the magical catastrophe.
Star Wars
When an escape pod launches from the captured Tantive IV, Imperial personnel determine that it contains no life forms and therefore do not fire. Unfortunately, R2-D2 and C-3PO are aboard, carrying the stolen Death Star plans.
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo mysteries routinely involve Fred and the gang running from apparently supernatural villains who turn out to be ordinary criminals. Fred does eventually trap them, but the sheer amount of elaborate fleeing and chasing makes simply confronting the culprit tempting.
The Karate Kid
Daniel and Johnny’s feud begins with misunderstandings involving Ali, while Kreese actively encourages Cobra Kai’s aggression. Mr. Miyagi even attempts peaceful negotiation, but communication repeatedly fails before the conflict eventually reaches the tournament.
Burn After Reading
The entire disaster of Burn After Reading depends on people misunderstanding information, jumping to conclusions, and refusing to communicate properly. Chad and Linda mistake personal files for government secrets, while their attempts to exploit them spiral into increasingly absurd consequences.
The Little Mermaid
Ariel loses her voice after making her deal with Ursula, creating an enormous communication problem with Eric. Since she can still communicate through writing and gestures, a simple note explaining who she is could have clarified matters.
Limitless
Eddie Mora becomes extraordinarily intelligent after taking NZT, rapidly turning a $100,000 loan into millions. Yet his expanding criminal and financial complications demonstrate that enhanced intelligence does not automatically prevent extraordinarily basic mistakes, including dealing with dangerous creditors.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Dumbledore knows Harry’s visions can be manipulated by Voldemort, but his secrecy contributes to Harry’s vulnerability. Explaining that danger clearly could have made Harry more motivated to learn Occlumency and less likely to trust the visions.
The Evil Dead
Five friends discover the Necronomicon in an isolated cabin containing disturbing evidence of previous events. Yet they proceed to read its incantations aloud. That decision awakens the evil spirit haunting the woods and turns their weekend into a nightmare.
The Warriors
The Warriors spend the movie desperately trying to reach Coney Island while navigating New York’s subway system and hostile gangs. A detailed route plan, better knowledge of the transit system, or simply avoiding unnecessary detours could have made their journey considerably less disastrous.
Avatar
Avatar’s RDA wants extraordinarily valuable unobtanium, worth $20 million per kilogram according to Pandoran records. Instead of destroying a sacred ecosystem to reach surface deposits, one could argue that underground extraction deserved consideration, avoiding having to deal with the locals entirely.
Batman v Superman
Batman and Superman spend much of Batman v Superman fighting because Lex Luthor successfully manipulates their distrust. While they eventually explain the situation, an earlier straightforward conversation could have prevented their entire confrontation.
Jurassic World
When the Indominus rex apparently escapes, the characters rush into the enclosure despite the obvious danger. The film’s chaos escalates because they fail to fully account for the dinosaur’s capabilities and tracking technology before entering the supposedly compromised area.