TWO destructive FLAWS in this movie
I cannot believe that NOT ONE person who posted didn’t see the TWO HUGE FLAWS in the end of this movie, nor how it got this stature in the first place. First of all, someone told me 30 years ago that this was his favorite movie and I finally got to see it the other day. I was very disappointed. I don’t know what all the hoopla about ‘best movie ever’ is with such gigantic plot flaws.
Here are the huge flaws explained, I hope.
We are supposed to believe, and I accept, that it is the “soul” which contains all of the person’s characteristics and ‘humanity’ as that’s what we see when Joe Pendleton is in “Heaven” and also later in the two “new” bodies, because they never really make that point. Also, when Joe is “IN Heaven” AND in the new bodies, we SEE JOE, so WE know that it’s really him “inside” the body (wink wink) and we are to believe that everyone else in the movie sees the “real” person who originally owned the body he has assumed. Everyone ‘sees’ ‘Farnsworth’ or ‘Murdock’, but we see ‘Joe’ (Montgomery), to make it easier for us, I guess (and to use two fewer actors? LOL). OK, let’s accept that and go with it.
So now, Joe was brought to “Heaven” by mistake, and is told by the angels that he, Joe, was supposed to live to 1991. Ooops. More of this in a moment.
Also, near the end, when Murdock dies, really dies, we must assume given the plot of the movie, that Murdock’s soul, with all HIS personality and character, goes to ‘Heaven’, as Joe did originally. BUT, in the end, when Joe is supposed to be “permanently installed” in Murdock’s body, it is NOT Joe’s personality, NOT Joe’s “soul” if you will, who is actually in there, because Mr. Jordon said he would have NO memory of being Joe, but it would be Murdock’s personality and character that resides in the “resurrected Murdock” and NOT JOE’s.
So, (flaw 1) how could Murdock’s “soul”, his personality and character, be BOTH “really dead” and in Heaven, where we expect him to be according to the movie’s plot, AND back in HIS OWN body to live as himself to, presumably, 1991, and with Joe’s “girl” to boot??
And, (flaw 2) though it was Joe who was supposed to be living until 1991, “Joe”, his soul, his essence, his personality and characteristics are REMOVED from Murdock at the end by Mr. Jordon and replaced with...MURDOCK’s. So, WHERE is Joe’s “soul”?? Where is “Joe”? He can’t be in “Heaven”, cause then he’s DEAD. And, he’s NOT in Murdock, because Murdock is now back in Murdock. With Joe’s girl. LOL
These flaws were glaring and made no sense, and infuriated me at the end of the movie. I kept asking “So, where’s Joe?”
I hope I have made the two enormous flaws clear. Once you “get it”, it hope it becomes clear.