[Closed] Most complicated TV or movie plot?

Does Cloud Atlas count? A story within a story within a story within a story that then unwinds to the final conclusion. If you haven't read the book the film is likely to be utterly baffling.

Recently 'the Tourist' was a bit confusing..

Memento - Guy Pearce stars as someone who cant make new memories...

Ah, but memento was MEANT to start baffling (cos it's a movie played backwards..) and THEN make sense at the end (aka the start)

DrP

Oh yeah, thanks DrP - couldn't you have mentioned that about 15 years ago? :):):)

Memento

... was what I was going to say. It's not complicated per se, but it requires at least two watches to unravel. (IIRC the DVD had a 'play in chronological order' option)

Donny Darko? I'm sure there's far, far more complicated than either of these.

Jacobs Ladder

Usual Suspects.

Still not sure, who is Keyser Soze?

Tenet had me absolutely pickled. I stopped even caring/trying to understand waaay before the end..

Any recent Bond film.

Dune

I have no idea what was going on -but I also didn't care!
Homeland - started off well - but lost the plot really early on. Still have no idea if Damien was a goodie or baddie

Tenet had me absolutely pickled

The Nolan fanboys rave about its cleverness and intricate plotting. I'm afraid I just found it wilfully obscure to the point of tedium.

Tenet had me absolutely pickled. I stopped even caring/trying to understand waaay before the end..

Beat me to it. Really tried to begin with too.

I enjoyed Tenet, it actually made sense to me in the end, unlike inception, which had a few more confusing bits that i couldn't tie together at the end.

Lost had a complicated plot, but so do a few TV shows, which most unfortunately then try and water down, causing it to turn to rubbish like Game of Thrones, Lost, 24, etc.

+1 Tenet. I normally like a complicated plot that you have to think through, but after a couple of watches of Tenet I just couldn’t get it

Primer. Superb low budget time travel film. Not complicated for the sake of it but does need you to engage your brain.

Tenet has been on my list for ages but I have a review of it stuck in my head along these lines

wilfully obscure to the point of tedium

The TV series Rubicon was a bit complex.

I recently watched The Prestige for the first time. Was a good film but could have done with being pared back just a touch IMO. There were moments (especially the Tesla-related) ones, where I was just thinking "WTF is going on now?".

Memento

No, it was deceptively simple - once you "got" it. And that was the beauty of it.

Dune

I have no idea what was going on -but I also didn’t care!

Wasn't complicated enough IMO.

As a newcomer to the story, it seemed very broad and lacking in exposition or plot/character development for its length.

Maybe that was why Dune was unengaging though, that Villeneuve prioritised perfume advert aesthetics over exposition? Anyway, bit emperor's new clothes, I thought.

Recently ‘the Tourist’ was a bit confusing..

I thought that just wasn't very good. You could tell they were trying to make Fargo but with only 6 episodes to do it and too many characters involved. When you have to dedicate an entire episode to a 'hallucination' which magically ties up all the threads you've been dangling it feels like the writers are in trouble.

Dune

I have no idea what was going on -but I also didn’t care!

So glad I decided to read the book before I saw the film!  The film confuses partly because it stops and is left hanging halfway through the book.  It's a great film though and the book is even better.  Never bothered with SciFi much before, but Dune has awakened an interest in reading a bit more.

I would second Homeland, though mostly because it shunned the binary Hollywood world of clear cut heroes and villains and an absence of nuance.  It was complex because the all the characters made mistakes, had character flaws and questioned their motives. It acknowledged the complexity and murkiness of the real world in parts, while still being wildly unrealistic in others!

I gave up on 12 Monkeys in the final season. By the time each new season came out, I had forgotten what had happened before. The final season left me completely bewildered as to what was going on. It just made no sense at all and I couldn't be arsed rewatching it all from the start to try and figure it out.

I gave up on Homeland when the woman got pregnant. Season 1 was really good but it took a huge nosedive after that. I heard it got better again but I couldn't be bothered finding out.

Predestination beats Tenet by a long shot.

Dark on Netflix, nothing can touch that for complicated, awesome series and I reckon one of the best on netflix but I think its impossible to make it through all 3 seasons whilst knowing what the hell is going on

Westworld is absolutely baffling. its pretty much the only thing ive given up on, even though i was enjoying it! even reading the synopsis and recap articles afterwards were just as baffling.

Dark was very confusing - multiple parallel time threads (up to 5 IIRC), each character appearing 3 times (at different ages), two parallel universes (doubling everything before) and then in the last series everything intertwined and interacting.

Westworld is absolutely baffling

yes the Bernard's memory sequence of what happened at the end of Series 2 (?) was deliberately in the wrong order, keep meaning to try and find an explanation which stitches it all back into the right oder (someone on Youtube must have done one).

I'll second Dark. Really enjoyed the first 2 series, but then it just went up its own backside trying to be clever for the sake of it.

Same for Tenet.

I gave up on Homeland

Homeland is one of those shows that's hard to recommend. If they had concluded Season 1 differently and then finished, it would have been one of the best seasons of TV ever. But Season 2, 3 and 4 are pretty poor before getting better from 5 onwards.

I don't really have an issue with stuff that's intricately plotted so long as it makes sense. What's annoying is where stuff makes no sense or where writers just throw out previous character and plot development because they need something to happen.

GoT is a good example. Lots of well written intricate plots to establish characters, locations, rivalries etc and it all basically gets flung under the bus in the final season and the main characters just start doing mad things to service the need for a final spectacle.

Came to say dark, and agree with scienceofficer, last series went off the scale complicated for no good reason.  Pretty grim viewing at times tbh!

The Matrix 2 and 3 were either massively complex or woefully incoherent, I'd bet it's the latter. They're also terrible.

Haven't seen 4 yet.

Game of Thrones. Seems simple at first but there were so many side plots that all linked together.

Mullholland Drive and/or Inland Empire

Anyone that struggles with the likes of Dune, The Prestige or Memento will likely have an aneurysm watching those two

Any of Terence Malick's more recent films have plots that are not so much complicated as non-existent. But I still love them.

Inception was impossoble to understand, even after watching the whole thing.

Westworld - forget it!!

I was watching something recently where, with a couple of episodes left, I couldn't imagine how they were going to tie up all the remaining loose ends.

In the end, they didn't even try - they just left it as a massive set-up to a future, unmade season. So frustrating!

Mullholland Drive and/or Inland Empire

Anyone that struggles with the likes of Dune, The Prestige or Memento will likely have an aneurysm watching those two

Accurate. Mulholland Drive was waaaaay over my head.

I nearly mentioned the new Twin Peaks, but I loved it anyway and I feel Lynch was beyond criticism on that one, to a certain extent.

I think there's a difference between "intricately complicated", like, say Sopranos, Wire, (early) GoT etc, where the writers craft multiple intertwining storylines and characters, and "incomprehensively complicated" like Lost, Matrix and others, where the writers just throw every and any idea in there, no matter how ridiculous. The latter like to think they're clever, but they're not.

Since its been mentioned but glossed over, I'l just leave this here.

https://www.kevinmuldoon.com/primer-film/

(dark also similarly good).

the writers just throw every and any idea in there, no matter how ridiculous. The latter like to think they’re clever, but they’re not.

The other annoying thing is deliberately deceiving the audience. Obviously, they need to not reveal everything at the start or there would be no surprise at the end, but being deliberately deceptive isn't clever. I liked Westworld overall, but a lot of it rested on deliberately deceiving the audience. I'm sure there a plenty of other examples, I just can't think of them off the top of my head.

One of my favourite films is Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy but it definitely doesn't reward you for staring at your phone!

From the Mulholland Drive school of "what the hell was that about" is Synecdoche, New York. I thought I had a handle on what was happening but then I read a very lengthy explainer and found there was so much hidden meaning an symbolsm throughout that I'd completely misunderstood. Definitely worth repeat viewings to catch everything.

Donnie Darko.

I've read the explanation. It's still nonsense.

Dark on Netflix, nothing can touch that for complicated,

Can't believe this wasn't the first answer!

Honourable mention for Avengers Endgame, probably the best ratio of time travel brain hurt and makes no sense paradox to audience size.

From the Mulholland Drive school of “what the hell was that about” is Synecdoche, New York.

I think that's the movie that made me give up on watching pretentious artsy nonsense. WTF was the point again?

John Wick - just couldn't fathom it out.....

GoT main issue was running out of source material and then rushing to an ending far too quickly in context with the story as a whole.

John Wick – just couldn’t fathom it out…..

Try Cold Pursuit. Doesn't **** around with silly subplots, just straight line to eliminating the bad guys.

Prime Minister's Question Time. Huge number of odd characters, dialogue that jumps between bestial grunting and strangely archaic formal English, entire plot lines disappear by the following week's episode. And despite spending millions to improve the set over the last few years it hasn't really changed. Baffling.

Dark - as mentioned by a few already. I'm on season 2 and despite paying attention I still have to keep pausing it to have a little think. Excellent so far though.

Prime Minister’s Question Time. Huge number of odd characters, dialogue that jumps between bestial grunting and strangely archaic formal English, entire plot lines disappear by the following week’s episode. And despite spending millions to improve the set over the last few years it hasn’t really changed. Baffling.

You're not familiar with reality shows are you?  A load of dimwits thrust together desperately craving 15 mins of fame and a quick buck.

Try Cold Pursuit. Doesn’t **** around with silly subplots, just straight line to eliminating the bad guys.

Cheers. Sounds like my kinda movie! 👍

Shutter Island or Inception, one of those DiCaprio films, can't remember which. Wouldn't bother watching again to find out.

Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy. Not a clue. But then I am stupid.

Westworld

Totally clueless until the last few episodes.

I only stuck with it because my sister got me the box set for xmas, and there was sod else on tv.

Dark – as mentioned by a few already. I’m on season 2

OK, hasn't even got complicated yet! Wait for Season 3....

GoT isn't complicated, it's just lots of interweaving stories which are simple in themselves.

Donnie Darko.

I’ve read the explanation. It’s still nonsense.

I don't remember thinking that it was complicated. I do remember thinking that it might have been written by a pretentious 6th former. 😀

I give you Predestination starring Ethan Hawke. Absolute head mash where he is 4 characters in the film at the same time without knowing it.

I found Tenet irritating beyond belief

Came here to say Primer. Ridiculously complex and not explained until there’s a lightbulb moment when you realise “oh no wait, they’ve made a time machine! - nothing I’m watching is linear.” And you go back to the start and start to track people with a pencil and paper!

Mad.

Westworld is absolutely baffling. its pretty much the only thing ive given up on

Try the similarly-titled adult version then - very entertaining and the storylines are much easier to follow.

Lost

Try Google maps

Dark - German sci-fi on Netflix. Just layer subtitles over the top and it's ridiculously difficult to follow.

TBF the plot is deliberately complex - but I'll not expand as the reasons build up over the series

Edit - I see it's mentioned above - not just me then

The difference for me between Dark and Primer, is that Dark explains itself and Primer never does, it leaves everything up to the viewer to try to interpret (or not) Dark by contrast is just convoluted

Inception

Now this made sense to me, or at least as much sense as a film about multi-level dreams within dreams can do.

Tenet just took the piss. The last third of Interstellar could have probably done with a commentary from Neil deGrasse Tyson overlaid.

Star Wars, what's all that about.

Latest Doctor Who. WfT? bag'o shite, mumble grumble etc.

Heroes was a cracker too. In a good way.

IdleJon

I don’t remember thinking that it was complicated. I do remember thinking that it might have been written by a pretentious 6th former. 😀

Assuming you mean the 'sci-fi' interpretation (and depending which cut of the film), i'd be surprised if you got it without reading an explanation because a lot isn't explained well (or at all). For the full 'sci-fi' explanation you need to read the book which was on the website to understand the manipulated dead, that he can perform telekinesis, why he had to flood the school etc.

There are a lot of other interpretations though which are easier to follow (it's his descent into schizophrenia from his own perspective, it's him reimagining his life in his final second before death etc etc).

edit: i'm not endorsing it as a good film, i wouldn't say investing the time to understand it is worth it

Drive to Survive 2021

Shutter Island

Saw a good video on all the clues that the director put in....

The plot of The Big Sleep (1946) was baffling to its director (Howard Hawks) the screenwriters and the bloke who wrote the novel (Raymond Chandler).

Timely.

https://twitter.com/EmoPhilips/status/1484218226208739332

Dark also. Not managed to continue far through the 3rd series yet as the gap between the 2nd and 3rd was so big I'd forgotten the storyline and characters.

Irreversible, the French film is a good back to front film to watch. Only seen it once when it came out at the cinema, could do with a revisit.

retrorick

Irreversible, the French film is a good harrowing back to front film to watch. Only seen it once when it came out at the cinema, could do with a revisit.

ftfy!

Still occasionally get nightmares about a couple of scenes 10 years later

Shutter Island

Complicated, amd/or just crap?

Drive to Survive 2021

I hope so. If we had to put up with that shit in Abu Dhabi and it isn't portrayed as heinous ****ery most foul, I'll be cancelling my subscription.

I came here to say Mullholland Drive and not surprised to see it menyioned already

I was left baffled by it - but apparantly, if you pay attention during the opening credits, the rest of the film makes sense

Dark, without question the most complex plot one ever viewed in film or TV.

I'm actually relieved others think the same.

I was starting to think I could have cognitive ability issues.

I'd like to make a late entry for The Singing Detective.

A story within a story, one of the stories is being read by one of the characters in one of the other stories, all of them being unreliably narrated by an author prone to lucid hallucinations, being the story.

With a great soundtrack.

Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy. Not a clue.

The book is the same. There is a point about 2/3s of the way through where Smiley is clearly on to something but after many rewatches of the film and rereads of the book I can never quite pin it down.
I think all Le Carre's books and plots are a bit like that...I enjoy reading them but he makes assumptions about the reader's comprehension of subtle phrases that the whole thing often hinges on.

I must watch the Alec Guinness Tinker Tailor series sometime...it's supposed to be the definitive verison...

Interstellar was kind of confusing.

I’ve just started rewatching Legion with my wife as she never watched it before. The main character is an unreliable narrator and you never really know if what your seeing is real or in his head. I love it my wife has spent the whole time watching it saying “What the **** is going on?’ “You watch some weird s**t”.