Everyone loves a challenging puzzle, a dark secret, a thrilling mystery. Mysteries shall always remain a fan-favorite because people love to see the unexpected at the end. But what happens when the mysteries are left unsolved? It might be pre-planned by the filmmaker to give an experience of a cliffhanger, or an attempt to encourage the audience to reach their own conclusions. But usually, the mystery gets sidetracked by the plot, or in the worst case scenario, it’s just sloppy writing.
But whatever might be the reason, intriguing mysteries are always going to be hunted down by fans. But in a few cases, the mysteries are too vague to leave any definite answer. Here, we have compiled the 10 biggest unsolved mysteries which were left unanswered.
What was in the briefcase? (Pulp Fiction)
It’s been almost 14 years since the cult classic movie Pulp Fiction was released. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction was a bold attempt at filmmaking. With a non-linear storyline and over-the-top adult content, Pulp Fiction has been considered as one of the greatest movies of all time. But the most frequently asked question from the movie is regarding the suitcase. What exactly was in the suitcase? From the looks of it, the insides of the suitcase had a golden glow when Vincent opened it in the apartment. But till date, the content of the suitcase has not been revealed. There have been a lot of fan theories stating that it was actually William Wallace’s soul in the suitcase, as the password as 666, which is usually considered as the devil’s number. In an interview, Tarantino himself confirmed that there’s no official answer to this mystery.
Who is Supreme Leader Snoke? (Star Wars)
After the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, two major questions had risen. Who are Rey’s parents, and, who is Supreme Leader Snoke?
Two years later, when The Last Jedi finally released, the answer to the first question was answered. But till date, nothing noteworthy has been known regarding the Supreme Leader, who guided The First Order to become a force of nature? In the movie, Kylo Ren slices Snoke into two, throwing any back story out of the window. Though it’s a possibility that Snoke’s past will be explained in the novels, but it’s a long shot that it will be ever shown on the silver screen. The reason being very simple; Snoke was just a plot device.
Is Cobb still dreaming? (Inception)
Christopher Nolan’s Inception is arguably the most talked movie of the past decade. With an intricately designed plot and some serious acting from the cast, Inception received critical acclaim upon its release. But one thing which still infuriates the audience is the end scene, which questions the entire plot of the movie. Was Cobb still dreaming?
The movie deals with dream hunters, who use multiple layers of dreams to steal/implant ideas from people. But if not careful, the dream hunters can remain trapped in the dreams of their victims or their own subconscious. Cobb plans a dangerous heist including 3 layers of dreams, which makes the system quite delicate. But in return, his criminal record gets erased and he gets to reunite with his children. In the last scene, Cobb finally rotates his totem, a top, and goes to reunite with his children. While the top definitely wobbles a bit, it doesn’t necessarily arrive at a particular conclusion. In an interview with Nolan, he admits that he knows the definite ending to the movie, but he won’t be sharing it with the audience, leaving it to their imaginations. Now, that’s just cruel, Mr. Nolan.
What happened to the stolen embryos? (Jurassic Park)
In Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, there happened to be one incident which might have faded away after so many years and the Jurassic World; the stolen man-made dinosaur embryos which were stashed in a can of shaving cream, only to be left in the mud after a freak accident.
In the movie, Dennis Nedry, played by Wayne Knight and a shady man named Dodgson steal some embryos in a can of shaving cream, and run away to the docks. But unfortunately, the night is hit by a severe storm and Dennis crashes the car due to the rain. During his attempt to get back on the road again, he meets his grisly end by being eaten by a dinosaur. During the event, the can containing the embryos roll down to the jungle, never to be recovered again. Now, that’s just lazy writing.
Why did the birds go crazy? (The Birds)
Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds was released almost 50 years ago, but, it’s still considered as one of the best horror movies of all time. While the special effects look comical by today’s standards, but the tension is still palpable. The final scene of the movie, where hundreds of birds are waiting to strike, as the heroes drive off into the distance, will still be able to send a chill down your spine.
While the movie builds up the tension with dexterity, it never really reveals the reason behind the grisly attack by the birds. And since director Hitchcock and screen writer Ed McBain have been dead for years, the answer will probably never be revealed. But it’s a fact that Hitchcock was partly inspired from a real life incident which took place in Santa Cruz on August 18, 1961, where hundreds of birds went bat-shit crazy and started attacking everything in sight, only to meet their violent deaths. On investigation, it was revealed that the birds were high on poisonous algae. While the movie might have been created with the same lateral, but one thing which was confirmed that in the event of such an attack by the avians, we are definitely screwed.
How did the Joker get his scars? (The Dark Knight)
In the comics, there have been no definite answer to the Joker’s origin, and the Nolan brothers respected the source material in the acclaimed The Dark Knight trilogy.
In the movie, the Joker asks the same question multiple times to various characters, only to give a different answer in each case. From being beaten by his father to an accident which destroyed his marriage life, none of the stories give a definite origin to the clown prince of crime. And there lies the beauty of entire scenario. While Batman has a definite origin story which motivates him to stop crime, the Joker, being the arch-nemesis of The Caped Crusader shouldn’t have any origin story. Like all the decay and decadence of Gotham, Joker too belongs to the very shadow, which Batman tries to vanquish every night. And that’s a mystery, which shall never be answered.
What did Bob whisper to Charlotte? (Lost in Translation)
In Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation, an aging Bob strikes up an unusual friendship with the newly-wed Charlotte in Tokyo. After a week of hanging out and pouring their souls out, Bob and Charlotte seemingly part their ways. But before that, Bob whispers something into Charlotte’s ear, which is still a mystery.
Who is the Thing? (The Thing)
In John Carpenter’s The Thing, the villain is pretty unique by most standards. For starters, it’s a shapeshifter, which can presumably shift into anything. With such a cunning villain on the loose, everyone has to be on guard. The only solution to destroy the Thing, or at least, leaving it stranded on Antarctica, is by blowing up the research station. The plan works, but in parts. In the final scene, Kurt Russell’s Macready and Keith David’s Childs, share a bottle of whiskey, while eyeing each other with suspicion. The reason being, the Thing could have been any one of them. The movie goes on to keep it ambiguous till the end.
Did Croker’s gang get the gold? (The Italian Job)
In The Italian Job, the band of thieves, led by Michael Caine manage to steal 4 million dollars worth of gold, find themselves hanging from a cliff, as the bus they used to steal skids off the road. While the gang in on the part closer to the land, any attempt to get the gold and survive would have resulted in losing both of them. At this point, Croker says, “I’ve got a great idea” and the movie cuts to credits. The Italian Job never got any sequel, so there’s no way to determine the fate of the Croker gang.
Who killed Uncle Ben? (The Amazing Spiderman)
Everyone knows Uncle Ben. The guy who was pivotal in making Spiderman one of the greatest superheroes of all time. But sadly, the guy never gets a specific origin story. In the comics, the guy who shoots Uncle Ben dies of a heart attack. In Sam Raimi’s Spiderman, the killer is retconned to Spiderman 3, where it is revealed that it was the movie’s third villain, Sandman, who had killed Uncle Ben.
In The Amazing Spiderman, though Uncle Ben provides the necessary motivation to a young Peter Parker before breathing his last, the movie kind of forgets him afterward. Parker goes out to hunt down the guy who killed his beloved uncle, but soon afterward forgets it after he falls for Gwen Stacy. As far as we know, the guy might be still out there, shooting down old uncles, and inspiring young kids to be a vigilante.
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