Badmovies.org Forum

I speak, dear Bad Flick freaks, of the scourge of the Stupid Concept Usage Departure Syndrome.
IE; a film that has a concept that is used for a stupid purpose, that ignores a better use of same.
On the docket- UNIVERSAL SOLDIER...
Excuse me...they bring dead guys back to life, and they only see them as cannon fodder-again? Hello...what part of BRINGING BACK THE DEAD don't they get? Think about the societal changes this 'Dr. Fronkenstene' gig could have, and you can pass up the action/adventure for some other movie. Am I the only one thought that was an egregious missuse of an other wise interesting concept?

Next up- A film who's title I can't remember, but...it involved a cold fusion reactor, it blows up, bad guys try to kill survivors.
Villains work for oil company IIRC...
Uh...stupid plot point.
Alan Dean Foster wrote the novel of ALIEN, and he made a point in the book that showed the idea of blowing up the cold fusion reactor a 'head up the arse' idea.
Foster explains why the Nostromo was towing an automated OIL REFINERY through space. Sure, the fusion reactor was providing all the electrical power...but you still need oil for lubrication of moving parts, and insulation all that electrical cable you need to take advantage of the cheap power!
In short...oil companies should have bid out the wazoo to get dibs on the reactors, then build them, and sell cable from the new insulated cable distributors they owned.
Blow up a new source of power and profit? BAKA!
(Sigh)...
So...any other films with a plot point concept you saw as missed, missused or ignored for a lower grade plot?

in keeping with the acronym of the title I'll nominate C.H.O.M.P.S (1979)

that's Canine Home Protection System

a guy invents a dog with incredible super strength, X-Ray vision, and also has the telepathic ability to detect crimes, yet its chief purpose in the movie seems to be to sit around a lot and occasionally dance to disco tunes.

I think the mind-entering technology in The Cell seemed to be misused.  On on hand, the movie seems to have conflicting views on whether or not the technology was supposed to be secret or not.  The cops didn't know about it, but apparently plenty of people in the medical/psychological  professions knew about it.  And it was for public use, as the child in the beginning was being  treated with it.

you'd think the government would have tried to take control of such technology, to use on say terrorists to try to get secrets out of their minds.

I thought The Purge had a killer concept, but basically threw it away to make a pretty generic home invasion thriller.  The potential was there to do something great...