Fan Theories-Good/bad and your favoroite ones.

[WingedSerpent]

Inspired by a recent io9 article about when fan theories turned out to be better then what was actually in the movies.

Personally, I love a good fan theory.  Some fan theories can make you reevaluate a movie and can make a flawed film make more sense. 

Probably, one of the best know is one that states that the events of Farris Buller's Day Off are all imagined by Cameron, one of the side characters.  Often the whole "it takes place in a character's imagination" subset of fan theories really only try to explain away the unlikely events within the narrative.  Soon postulate that all of the Harry Potter series takes in Harry's imagination to explain away the magic.  Some people seem to not want magic or the unreal even in clearly fictional settings.  One if the reasons the Farris Buller theory works is because it really does change the movie.  It makes Cameron more of the main character because he is the one that actually goes through a story arc.

Another one I really like is that in the movie Signs the invaders are not aliens but demons, or mythical beings.  They are never refereed to as aliens, we never see their technology, and it explains why they were stopped by closed doors and hurt by water.  (Part of the theory is that it is actually Holy Water as well).  Suddenly, we are not  witnessing an alien invasion but magic trying to reclaim its place in the world.

There are some others I really like and some that just don't make sense, but I'll talk about those as the discussion unfolds. 

Do you like fan theories?  Which ones do you like and which ones are just grasping at straws.

[claws]

This is the first time I've heard about the Ferris Bueller's Day Off one. I think that theory is pretty bad lol
I've got one of my own: Point Break (1991) was made to make Keanu Reeves look bad. I think director Kathryn Bigelow hated Reeves so she made his character suffer physical and emotional pain throughout. Next time you watch that movie keep that in mind. In regard of that Point Break can become a unintentional funny movie watching experience.

[akiratubo]

The old standby:

"James Bond" is simply a name whomever is 007 at that time uses.  If you squint hard enough, you can make it work.

[bob]

I like the Bond theory posted above.

In Inception Cobb's totem is his wedding ring.

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

I like the Unified Pixar Theory:
http://jonnegroni.com/2013/07/11/the-pixar-theory/

[WingedSerpent]

From the Terminator movies: Skynet never planned to stop the humans, only ensure its own creation.

The terminators were never meant to actually kill Sarah or John Conner.  Skynet needed them to create the events that would lead to John Conner becoming the resistance leader, thus Skynet would send a terminator back in time, thus John would send Kyle Reese back in time, thus leading to both the creation of Skynet and the resistance.

[VenomX73]

From the Terminator movies: Skynet never planned to stop the humans, only ensure its own creation.
The terminators were never meant to actually kill Sarah or John Conner.  Skynet needed them to create the events that would lead to John Conner becoming the resistance leader, thus Skynet would send a terminator back in time, thus John would send Kyle Reese back in time, thus leading to both the creation of Skynet and the resistance.

Whoooa...

[Josso]

I have a simple one for The Oregonian (2011) which is probably right: she ran away from her abusive boyfriend/husband, who she possibly killed/attacked. Was drunk and crashed the car, that's why she is in a coma.

It's more fun with weird movies. Anyone seen room 237? Analysis of the shining which is largely just pure speculation, there was some interesting meticulous things about that film though so I can see why people have such a field day with it.

[Trevor]

A film theory I proposed to my schoolmates in 1982 got a lot of laughs and me a few clouts upside the head. 

My theory on ET is that the alien is actually supposed to be Jesus as when he arrives on Earth, no one recognizes him for who he truly is, his Earth Mother's name is Mary, he has one true disciple (Elliot), he performs miracles (of a kind), he is persecuted, dies, is resurrected and then disappears from our sight. That led me to me (a) walking out of the cinema and (b) not seeing a Spielberg film until someone rooked me into seeing Jurassic Park in 1993. 

[Flangepart]

TERMINATOR TIME THEORIES. The perfect way to turn an otherwise useful human mind into duck guano with a hint of fish paste.

[BoyScoutKevin]

I like the Unified Pixar Theory:
http://jonnegroni.com/2013/07/11/the-pixar-theory/

As pointed out at the end of the blog article, Disney/Pixar is well known for putting Easter eggs into its films that refer to past films and to future films, but I have never seen an Easter Egg that welded so many films together, nor one that was so well done. So, well done Jon for the blog article and Ed for posting the link to it.

Looking at the time line, excluding "Brave" everything begins in the 1950's on this alternate earth. I was born in the 1950's on this earth, which raises the question: "If it was all possible, would I like to be born on this earth, or born on the alternate earth?"

Knowing how everything plays out in the future, I think I might like, if I had the choice, to be born on the alternate earth.

[Rev. Powell]

It's more fun with weird movies. Anyone seen room 237? Analysis of the shining which is largely just pure speculation, there was some interesting meticulous things about that film though so I can see why people have such a field day with it.

Yeah, ROOM 237 is a must-see if you want to be exposed to obsessed fan theories.

Some movies are entirely built off fan theories. In DONNIE DARKO, for example, the writer did not give the viewer quite enough material to build a coherent story within the movie, so fans have had to expand the film's mythology and mechanics to explain away the time travel paradoxes.

[WingedSerpent]

"If it was all possible, would I like to be born on this earth, or born on the alternate earth?"

Knowing how everything plays out in the future, I think I might like, if I had the choice, to be born on the alternate earth.

How do you know you weren't?

[Trevor]

Neil Blomkamp must have had a really crappy childhood in South Africa: my theory is that his films District 9 and Elazyium are anti-South African diatribes. 

[bob]

the aliens in Signs are demons

Chewbacca and R2-D2 are secret rebel agents in the prequels

The Tarantino movie universe

kids are part of Wonka's candy