Best movie mistakes of all time

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Young Frankenstein picture

Continuity mistake: When Dr. Frankenstein introduces himself to the monster with a soothing "Hello, there", his right hand is on the restraint over the monster's chest. The next shot shows the doctor placing his hand on the restraint again.

Scott215

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Scream picture

Visible crew/equipment: As Wes steps out of the shower and is drying his hair, you can just see the reflection of the camera man in the glass on the right side.

TerrenHurley

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Flight picture

Factual error: Whenever the fire extinguisher is activated for a jet engine, that engine becomes inoperable. In the movie, the co-pilot first activates the extinguisher for the left engine, and 30 seconds later, for the right engine. At that point, both engines should be shut down. However, the engines are still operating (and revving up) and Whitaker even asks Margaret to apply full power, which is also audible. (00:23:00)

NoDouty

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The Good Son picture The Good Son mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: When Henry helps pull Mark onto the treehouse at the beginning of the film, if you look very closely to the left you can just make out a crew member dressed in black helping him on to the platform. The crew member then ducks back under the platform.

TerrenHurley

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Roxanne picture

Factual error: It is not possible to be "allergic to all known anaesthetics". Amongst the amide local anesthetics lidocaine, prilocaine, bupivicaine, mepivacaine and dibucaine are naturally occurring substances and if administered without a preservative they cannot trigger an allergic reaction. If Bales is allergic to them, he'd be allergic to the metabolic processes of his own body. They are all powerful local anaesthetics and could easily be used for a radical rhinoplasty such as that required by Bales.

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Monster picture

Revealing mistake: How on Earth can Selby get those skin tight T-shirts over that huge cast on her arm? They cannot possibly stretch any more than they already are - look at the scene where she and Eileen are checking the mail. There is no way that sleeve would fit over the cast without ripping! It is well beyond the capacity of that tight T-shirt to stretch to that extent! Obviously Christina Ricci had the cast fitted after she was in costume.

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Jack Reacher: Never Go Back picture

Revealing mistake: When the leading hitman jumps from the balcony you see him land on a rubber mat.

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Broadcast News picture

Other mistake: How could Jane not be aware that Tom had only used one camera for the date rape interview, recording his fake tears later? That's the way things are done on television news shows and as an experienced, hard-bitten television producer she could not possibly be unaware of that. The reporter always records his or her reaction shots (called 'noddies') after the interviewee has left. Shooting with two cameras would involve two crews, two lighting rigs, a vision switcher and so on and so on and a straightforward interview simply would not justify such a complex and expensive set up.

PEDAUNT

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Ocean's Eight picture

Plot hole: When Sarah Paulsen pulls the necklace out of the water, the necklace clasp is obviously closed. Since the circumference of the necklace is too small to fit over the top of Anne Hathaway's head, why would anyone believe that it fell off her when she was running to the bathroom? The only way that could have happened is if the clasp (which we were earlier told can only be opened by a magnet) had opened. The trained security guards wouldn't have suspected something wasn't right about a closed necklace falling off over of her? They were following her. They saw that at no point did she lower her head on her way to the bathroom for the necklace to fall off over her head to begin with. It also could not have fallen off her when she was vomiting into the toilet in the bathroom since the clasp was closed. (01:18:25)

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The Italian Job picture

Factual error: While Bridger is watching the film of the Mafia boss following Beckerman he signals for the film to be stopped so he can look at the close up shot of the man. He is watching a 16mm film shown through a bog standard projector - stop a film like that for more than two seconds without closing down the projector shutter (this doesn't happen - if it did the screen would darken instantly) and it will melt and catch fire. This doesn't happen.

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Shrek Forever After picture

Continuity mistake: Rumpelstiltskin looks completely different in this movie than he did in the previous film Shrek The Third; Prince Charming momentarily talks to Rumpelstiltskin in the tavern during the third film, and the character looks completely different, has a different voice and different demeanor.

Purple_Girl

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Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery picture

Revealing mistake: When Austin enters the bathroom at the casino, keep your eyes on the door during the scene - it opens by itself before closing. (00:31:10)

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Jurassic Park III picture

Audio problem: After the aeroplane crashed, a dinosaur stepped over it and the windows shattered making the typical sound of made-of-glass things when broken. They are made of plexiglass (a sort of fibrous plastic).

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American Pie picture American Pie mistake picture

Continuity mistake: In the bedroom scene the girl is holding a clear cup full of beer. The camera goes off her and when it comes back she is holding a blue cup. The camera goes back off her then on her and the cup is clear again. [This mistake does not appear in the unrated version - the blue cup scenes were shot specifically to secure an R rating from the MPAA because the contents are obscured.]. (00:13:20)

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Spider-Man picture Spider-Man mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Norman is getting ready to test himself, he lies down on the bed, fastens himself in and the doctor goes to the computer. However, when it shows him being brought in to the chamber he has several electrodes connected to his chest and head. (00:15:20)

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: At first the electrodes are beside Norman's head. While the doctor is fixing him in place, at one point camera focuses on his face. Later when he's stepping back for the PC, the electrodes can actually be seen stuck on his body. You can see them if you have an HD copy. So the camera focusing on his face is indicating that the doctor's doing whatever necessary for the process.

MissedTake

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Hancock picture

Factual error: Basic physics - Hancock throws Michel from a dead stop to above cloud level in about eleven seconds. The clouds are bog standard cumulus which form at around 7,000 metres in temperate zones. This means that Michel accelerates to about 700 metres per second instantly, from a dead stop. Obviously he cannot accelerate during his ascent, so his starting speed has to be at least that. (In fact he would have to start his ascent much, much faster than 700 metres per second as he would be constantly decelerating due to gravity and air resistance, but it will do as a start point.) Michel accelerates from 0 to 2,520 kilometres per hour - twice the speed of sound - in zero seconds. He would be accelerating at around 5000 Gs, turning him into a very long streak of fine, pink mist.

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Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines picture Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines mistake picture Video

Continuity mistake: When John and Catherine are in the hangar at the runway, the Cessna's tail number is N3035C. When the plane is shown in the air, the number is N3973F. When they land, the tail number has changed back to N3035C. (01:22:25 - 01:25:50)

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E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial picture E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial mistake picture

Continuity mistake: In the exterior front shots of Elliott's house there are some significant changes to the landscape in different shots. For instance, the two lampposts at the bottom of the driveway change to an entirely different style in some shots, and the huge garden boulders repeatedly vanish and reappear. Also, note when Michael takes off on Elliott's bike to go search for ET, the in-ground lamppost that should be beside the mailbox has vanished, but it reappears when all the government agents are setting things up outside the house.

Super Grover

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Kong: Skull Island picture

Plot hole: The idea that Marlow would simply take a taxi to his wife's address after being missing in action for thirty odd years is stupid beyond belief. He was on a ship sailing from the central Pacific for days and those ships have radios! The US military would have known he was coming. Someone, somewhere would have notified the authorities that a US serviceman long thought dead was actually alive and on his way home and his wife and son would have been there on the docks to greet him, not standing slack-jawed in the kitchen dropping trays of drinks on the floor when he turned up! What would have happened if she had remarried? Or moved house? Or she was dead? Don't tell me the US military didn't know he was coming - he is wearing a brand new uniform, clean and pressed.

PEDAUNT

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: The implication is that Marlow went through an extensive debrief and nobody had contacted his family until the debrief had concluded, based on the top secret nature of the mission. As you say, the fact he has a brand new uniform suggests that he has contacted the US Military prior to ever contacting his family. The fact that his wife would have moved and re-married is irrelevant, he still would have made an attempt to contact her so he could see his son.

BaconIsMyBFF

And they wouldn't have contacted her after the debrief had been completed? What utter nonsense. Allowing him to just turn up on the doorstep without notifying his wife first is an utterly irresponsible and even dangerous act. She could have fainted with shock or even had a heart attack. She would absolutely, definitely, 100% carved in stone, been advised of her husband's survival and return.

Since we know very little about the completely fictional organization Monarch, we obviously cannot say they would "carved in stone" do anything. In order to be a mistake in the movie, it would have to be something that is impossible. A secret government organization that doesn't even exist in real life not behaving the way the real military would is not impossible. At least not by the rules set forth in the film. It's perhaps improbable but it is most certainly not impossible.

BaconIsMyBFF

It is an inviolable, carved in stone, fur lined, ocean going, top of the list rule that the next of kin are immediately advised of the change of status of military personnel. MIA, now confirmed dead? They'd be the first to know. MIA, now confirmed to be alive, same outcome. His wife would know he was on that ship coming home.

This is true in real life but in the fictional world of the movie Monarch is a secret, government agency that has some degree of control over the military. You can't apply the same rules as in real life in this situation.

BaconIsMyBFF

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs picture Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When the seven dwarves run scared down the stairs and out of the door, Dopey pulls the handle of the door from the inside until it breaks out and falls away. The next scene when the dwarf opens the door, the handle is there again. (00:33:00)

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