10 Movies Where The Subplot Is More Interesting Than The Main Story, According To Reddit

Although the recent Black Panther sequel has been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews, one of the biggest complaints that audiences have posed against the film is that it prioritizes the wrong part of the narrative. Many fans wished to see more of Namor’s subplot and less of Wakanda’s recovery after T’Challa’s death.

This complaint is an extremely popular one, and it’s very common for a film to face criticism for having subplots that completely outshine the central story. Whether that’s because of uneven writing or simply a supporting actor that’s much more watchable than the other, it happens much more frequently than people expect.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

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X-Men Origins: Wolverine is probably most audiences’ least favorite entry in the superhero’s extensive filmography, but many Reddit users actually believe that there’s a great story hidden underneath the surface. Perhaps if it had focused more strongly on certain aspects that it merely glosses over, it could have been much more entertaining.

Redditor seek_n_hide refers specifically to the opening montage of Logan “fighting wars throughout history,” which they believe would have made a more interesting story. But instead, it simply forgets this subplot after the first scene and moves onto something much less engaging.

Jurassic Park III (2001)

Available To Stream On HBO Max

Many audiences continue to argue that Jurassic Park never needed a sequel in the first place, and that’s reflected in the fairly poor reception of both the second and third entries in the series. However, there’s a certain subplot in Jurassic Park III that many fans would have loved to see explored further.

“[I was] way more interested in how that kid survived alone on a dinosaur island for weeks than whatever we got,” writes Reddit user tfbillc. Transforming Jurassic Park III into a survival thriller would have been a fascinating way of bringing life back into the franchise rather than giving audiences more of the same.

Avatar (2009)

Available To Stream On Disney+

Despite being one of the biggest box office hits ever made, there are several audiences who’ve soured on Avatar‘s story over the years. It’s got an undeniably genius concept at the story’s core, but many believe that its focus is simply in the wrong place.

“I’d much prefer a version of Avatar […] that just showed the Navi civilization on its own terms clashing with humans, and properly developed characters on each side,” writes Redditor paulfthumpkins. This would really make the most out of Cameron’s extensive world-building rather than making humanity the protagonists in a story that isn’t their own.

The Matrix: Resurrections (2021)

Available To Stream On HBO Max

The Matrix is the pinnacle of the cyberpunk genre, and many people cite the original as one of the most influential films ever made. So when Resurrections presented itself as a self-aware love story rather than a sci-fi epic like the others, many audiences were left disappointed.

Reddit user kursch50 refers to a moment in the film that mentions “a civil war among the machines,” before completely ignoring this subplot and guiding the story in a different direction. If the movie had focused more closely on this aspect of The Matrix‘s history, the film would have been a bigger success and established a more consistent lore.

Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984)

Available To Stream On Paramount Plus

Much like its predecessor Raiders of the Lost Ark, the second Indiana Jones adventure opens with a completely unrelated scene that exists solely to get the audience hyped and build up Indy’s charm and reputation. While it works really well in the original film, many fans actually believe that the subsequent plot of Temple of Doom isn’t quite as interesting as the opener.

“Indy has a whole cool adventure going on in China recovering the lost Emperor’s remains, complete with the villain Lao Che and two sidekicks,” says Redditor whitepangolin. And just when the audience is given the chance to immerse themselves in this fun story, the film switches it up for something completely different.

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (2017)

Available To Stream On HBO Max

Contrary to what the title might suggest, Fantastic Beasts really isn’t a story about mythical creatures at all. It has some great moments that center around Newt Scamander and his magical collection of animals, but the majority of the story focuses on growing political tensions in the Wizarding World.

Grindelwald is one of the most powerful Potterverse villains, and his presence in this film immediately raises the stakes tenfold, but many argue that it would have been more fun as a low-stakes family comedy. Many Reddit users like _balrog_of_morgoth_ argue that the film should have “actually been about fantastic beasts.”

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

Available To Stream On Netflix

Nocturnal Animals is a captivating thriller about a woman who loses herself in the fictional world of her ex-husband’s new manuscript, as she struggles to separate fiction from reality. And while it’s an undeniably clever film with exciting twists, many audiences felt disappointed whenever the narrative switched from the in-universe story back to the real-life plot.

“The book story was so engaging and Gyllenhaal and Shannon’s performances are so captivating,” states Redditor samwize78. They call the main story “boring by comparison” to the fictional subplot, though other people suggest that this was done intentionally.

Dunkirk (2017)

Available To Stream On Tubi TV

It’s hard to pinpoint any part of Dunkirk as the main storyline, as it’s split fairly equally between several different perspectives. And while this approach worked excellently for some audiences, others argued that it would have been much more effective if it just stuck with one of the many subplots.

“It needed the story of the civilians rescuing the soldiers,” argues Reddit user mightierthanmighty. If the entire film had been told from this perspective, it would have become an inspiring story about the power of humanity in the face of adversity – and perhaps even become one of Christopher Nolan’s best movies to date.

The World’s End (2013)

Available To Stream On HBO Max

Edgar Wright’s movies are all notorious for their eccentric stories and absurd concepts, but The World’s End is the rare example that might have been better without them. Although Wright’s story about an apocalyptic alien invasion is still loads of fun, many connected more strongly with the first act, which focuses solely on the human characters and their relationships.

“There’s a better film in there without the silly aliens, about a guy who’s desperately holding on to his past and trying to keep his mates around,” argues Redditor frayedtendon. It would have been a bold and risky move for a director like Wright, but the brilliant chemistry of Pegg and Frost would have been enough to keep it afloat.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Available To Stream On Disney+

It’s hard to imagine the Star Wars sequel trilogy without Daisy Ridley’s character Rey as the main character, but many fans of the franchise argue that John Boyega’s Finn was actually a much more interesting character with more engaging subplots.

“[Finn] should have been the main protagonist instead of turning him into comic relief,” argues Redditor callmemacready. His status as a “defected Stormtrooper and a force sensitive” offered lots of potential, but the trilogy decided instead to keep him in the background.

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