What if? That's the question that movies about conspiracies always put forward. Nothing is clear cut or as basic as it seems. There's always a hidden agenda. A president is dead? Someone in the government must be involved. A man reading a newspaper on a bench? He must be a spy. Two people sitting in a car? FBI agents, definitely.
While some conspiracies are close to reality, some are downright bizarre and shocking. Nevertheless, when screenwriters and directors take liberties with the truth, the results are usually interesting. Here are some of the most needlessly convoluted conspiracies in popular movies.
JFK: Vice President Lyndon B Johnson Killed Kennedy
Why was President Kennedy murdered? Who murdered him? Lee Harvey Oswald? Tonny The Sausage Eating Mafia Hitman? And why are so many mafia members called Tony? This question was asked by Jimmy Hofa in The Irishman but no answer was given. We'd really love to know. We really would. JFK judges Oswald and concludes that his shooting skills weren't good enough to pull off the assassination.
The film also implies that Kennedy was killed because he wanted to dismantle the CIA and end the war on Vietnam. The conspiracy doesn't end there. The film further states that Vice President Lyndon B Johnson was involved. Luckily, despite the cliche about the Vice President being involved in the president's death, this movie was no Angel Has Fallen. Thanks to Director Oliver Stone's brilliance, it received eight Academy Award nominations. Good job Oliver.
Wag The Dog: A War To Cover Up a Sex Scandal
Imagine if Clinton started a war with a country like Bosnia and Herzegovina to distract people from the Lewinsky Scandal? "He has lost his mind." That would be a good way to describe him. Well, this exactly the type of theory that's present in Wag The Dog. Interestingly, the movie came out just a month before the Lewinsky scandal broke out. It's like the God of Fate watched it, loved it and said: "I have to make this real."
In Wag The Dog, the President gets accused of engaging in sexual acts with a minor. So, does he apologize and resign? No. He seeks the advice of Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro). Brean is a master fixer that can make Scandal's Olivia Pope jealous. He advises the president to start a war with Albania to take people's minds off the scandal. Goodness! In real life, it's not that easy for an American president to declare war. So, what does Brean do? He hires a movie director to make fake footage of a war for the public.
Angels and Demons: The Illuminati Killing Cardinals
Though not real, the existence of a secret society known as the Illuminati is one of the most widespread conspiracy theories of all time. At one point, popular celebrities like Jay Z and Lady Gaga were even rumored to be members.
Angels And Demons takes the Illuminati theory and runs away with it (maybe a bit too much). In the movie, a conclave is called so that a new pope can be appointed. The previous one has died so as per the protocol, four candidates are chosen to replace him. But before voting takes place, they are all assassinated. Clues indicate that the killer is a member of the Illuminati. That's right. The Illuminati is taking down the leaders of the Catholic church. Come here Agent Jay Z. Were you involved in the assassinations? Time to come clean.
They Live: World Leaders Are Actually Aliens
What if our leaders weren't who they thought they are? This is normal. But what if they really really weren't who we thought they are. John Carpenter's 1988 science fiction thriller They Live tries to explore this perspective.
The film stars former wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper as Nada, a man who isn't doing anything meaningful in life. He then discovers a pair of sunglasses that show the world the way it truly is. Through the glasses, Nada discovers that most of the leaders are not actually humans but skull-faced aliens who want to dominate the world. So, Nada decides to defend humanity. Hey Superman, look at this guy trying to be you.
Conspiracy Theory: Conspiracy Theorists Aren't Crazy
When a film about conspiracy theories settles on Conspiracy Theory as its title, you know it's going to be bad but still entertaining. It's like calling a boxing movie 'Fight'. Or calling a Vietnam movie 'War'. We know good titles are not easy to come up with but come on.
In Conspiracy Theory, Mel Gibson stars as Jerry Fletcher, a taxi driver who imagines conspiracy theories about everything. He can even conclude that you have big ears because your great grandfather was an elephant. Jerry even publishes a journal about his theories. But one day, things get real and rogue CIA operatives begin to hunt him down.
The Manchurian Candidate: It's About The Vice Presidency Again
What if the candidate for Vice President isn't really the war hero he claims to be? The Manchurian Candidate thrills you while exploring this possibility but leaves you scratching your head more than necessary. In it, Sergeant Raymond Prentiss Shaw (Liev Schreiber) is a war hero. After allegedly saving his platoon from ambush in Kuwait, he receives the Medal of Honor.
He is now running for Vice-President of the United States. However, Marco (Denzel Washington) —a veteran who was in the same platoon—is having visions of a different reality. He believes that Shaw is lying. But is he?
Capricorn One: Faking The Mars Landing
What if Neil Amstrong has no idea what space looks like? In, Capricorn One, three astronauts are about to embark on the first-ever journey to Mars but a mechanical failure forces NASA to remove them from the mission. Since the Mars-landing was already hyped in the media, NASA fears a public outcry
So NASA officials make the craziest of decisions and launch the capsule unmanned. The astronauts are then forced to film fake footage about the landing in a studio. However, an ambitious journalist discovers the plot and things go crazy from there.
Syriana: Murdering a Gulf Prince For Oil Rights
What would the US do to make sure its oil reserves remain intact? According to Syriana, the answer is anything. Absolutely anything. Even if it means murdering a prince? Absolutely. Go ahead.
In the movie which actually has George Clooney putting up a great performance, a major US oil company loses profits after a prince in the Gulf decides to awards oil contracts to China. The US government isn't happy so the CIA makes plans to eliminate the prince. It doesn't succeed so the cover-ups begin.
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind: An Exchange Program With Aliens
The American government has consistently denied the existence of UFOs and aliens but conspiracy theorists never buy it. Directed by Spielberg, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind implied that the government even has an exchange program with aliens. Some come here to learn about the earth while some of our astronauts go "there"(wherever "there" is).
It is actually due to this harmony and understanding that the aliens have refrained from attacking earth. At one point in the film, the star is seen entering a cathedral-like space ship for a ride to Mars, Jupiter or wherever the aliens are based.
The Philadelphia Experiment: The US Has Invisible Warships
The Philadelphia Experiment is inspired by a common conspiracy theory. The theory states that in 1943, the US Navy carried out an experiment aimed at making warships invisible to enemies. Apparently, this experiment was a success.
The USS Eldridge was the warship used in the experiment. Unfortunately, there were consequences. Some of the sailors ended up getting strange diseases while some time-traveled to either the future or the past. In the film, a couple is thrown 40 years into the future. They thus have to figure out how to correct things.