Spaceballs

Spaceballs (1987)

42 mistakes - chronological order

(11 votes)

Continuity mistake: During the scene where the princess' Mercedes is being viewed on radar, you see that the ship is headed toward Spaceball 1; however, in the next scene the princess is moving away from Spaceball 1.

Continuity mistake: In the scene where Dark Helmet is luring Princess Vespa outside, she awakens with the left strap of her wedding gown up and the right one down. However, when she steps outside, her left strap is down and her right strap is up.

Spaceballs mistake picture

Character mistake: During the scene in the diner, there is a sign that reads "EMPLOYEE'S ONLY." There shouldn't be an apostrophe.

Low Cow

Continuity mistake: When Yogurt is looking at Lone Starr's medallion in the far away shot, his fingers are around the medallion. When it shows the close-up, he's holding it by the top with two fingers. When it goes back to the far away shot, his fingers are around it again.

Continuity mistake: When Barf and Lone Star are rescuing Dot and the princess for the first time (from the Mercedes), they position their ship over the Mercedes but facing the other way (ie. facing Spaceball 1). However, in the interior shots showing Lone Star in the cockpit, the view is just clear space. Spaceball 1 is a gigantic ship, and they are very close to it (as well as angled slightly up to it), together with Spaceball 1's "mouth" being open which makes the ship even bigger vertically. It should block their entire view, but it's not seen at all.

Gary O'Reilly

Continuity mistake: When Lone Starr and Barf are at the diner after returning Princess Vespa to her father's castle, you see a creature burst out of a man's stomach. The creature then puts a hat on its forehead and begins to sing while walking along the countertop. But later, just before the creature exits, the hat is on the middle of its head.

Revealing mistake: When Pizza the Hutt is telling our heroes that they owe him money, watch his mouth. You can see the actor's real mouth appear a couple of times through the whole speech. The actor's chin is covered in the special effect pizza stuff, but you can still see his very human mouth every so often through this segment.

Continuity mistake: In the scene where Dark Helmet and Col. Sanderz turn off the picture, they turn it back on and we see the nurse making out with the doctor. She hurriedly zips up her dress. However in the next shot her dress is unzipped again.

Continuity mistake: When Colonel Sanders and Dark Helmet meet to discuss Vespa's disappearance, Dark Helmet looks into the periscope and sees Lone Star's ship right behind them. But when they show the periscope Dark Helmet is using there is no view from the other side. How can he see from the other side of the periscope with no window there?

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Suggested correction: That's part of the gag.

Bishop73

Other mistake: When Dark Helmet kills the crew member, he chops straight down the man's right side, but the slash mark shows a right-to-left downward slice.

Revealing mistake: In one of the shots of Dot in the "Mercedes" near the beginning, the outline of the blue screen is visible around her.

manthabeat

Continuity mistake: After Lone Star and Barf drop the giant hair dryer, they lift up the empty case. In the "Instant video Cassette" of the movie, Lone Star and Barf are lifting the case, but the hair dryer is missing.

Movie Nut

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

Suggested correction: It's not the same scene. Notice that in the scene where they drop it, it's relatively flat where they are walking. In the instant cassette scene, they are walking down a hill.

LorgSkyegon

They were by a hill, but the angle didn't allow the camera to see it.

Movie Nut

Visible crew/equipment: In the desert, Helmet asks the guys "combing" the desert if they've found anything. The camera crew is reflected in the helmet of the guy that says "we ain't found shit."

manthabeat

Revealing mistake: When Vespa starts shooting at the guards on the platform, the one on the end flips over when shot, and you can see him bend over after he's shot to prepare himself for the stunt.

Continuity mistake: As the shaving guard falls, he gets shaving cream on Lonestar's right jacket arm. In the next shot Lonestar reaches down to grab the badge and that same arm comes into view and it is completely clean. There isn't enough time between shots for him to have wiped it off.

Guy

Continuity mistake: In the desert when we first see Lone Star and Barf carrying the luggage, Barf has two bags basically under his arms, with the straps over his shoulders. In the next shot the smaller bag has shifted over almost in front of him and the strap has dropped around his arm and chest.

Bishop73

Continuity mistake: When Dark Helmet takes the ring from Lonestar, he throws down into a grate. Later, when Megamaid explodes and Lonestar and company cheer, for a brief second, you can see the ring back on his finger.

Dark Helmet: Before you die there is something you should know about us, Lone Star.
Lone Starr: What?
Dark Helmet: I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate.
Lone Starr: What's that make us?
Dark Helmet: Absolutely nothing! Which is what you are about to become.

More quotes from Spaceballs
More trivia for Spaceballs

Question: When Spaceball 1 achieves ludicrous speed and overshoots the Winnebago, Barf is heard to remark "they've gone to plaid". Is this just a joke about eighties style special effects or is it a reference to a specific film?

Answer: Its a reference to how the stars streak around the ships in "Star Wars". "Ludicrous speed" had to have a ludicrous color. It is also referencing 2001: A Space Odyssey, where this "tartan" effect occurs when Dave is in the pod towards the end of the film.

Grumpy Scot

Those answers are quite correct and possible, but how about this: Warp and weft are the two directions of yarn in weaving (of plaids and other things). It might be a very meta joke since plaid is at much higher level than warp. On the other hand, it's Mel Brooks. On the gripping hand, he was born in Brooklyn in the mid 20's and might have been exposed to the basics and vocabulary of the tailor at a young age.

Btw, it's also a clear reference to the sentence from Star Trek "They've gone to warp."

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