Continuity mistake: Before Dr. Marvin removes the helmet from the dead alien, Maj. Huglin is holding his rifle in his right hand. In the next shot he's using his right hand to remove the helmet. Then in the shot after that he's not touching the helmet at all. (00:56:15)
Continuity mistake: In the scene in which Hugh Marlowe and his fiancée are on the alien ship, speaking with the aliens, his arm is over her shoulder when shown from the front, but down and he is about a foot away from her when shown from behind. The shots alternate back and forth, front and behind, so that the mistake is fairly obvious. (00:37:50)
Continuity mistake: The UFO flies over the Marvin's car as they approach "Operation Sky Hook", and Dr. Marvin tells Carol to pull over. She immediately turns the steering wheel to the left but in the next shot she's steering straight ahead. (00:05:30)
Continuity mistake: We see the alien ship before it destroys the Pacific Paint Company with what looks like a beautiful cloud filled sunset behind it. In the next shot as the building blows up the sky is cloudless. (00:57:30)
Continuity mistake: A saucer crashes through the main window of a train station and the clock reads 11:10. Two shots later, we see the clock on the other side of the building, and it reads 10:43. (01:17:40)
Continuity mistake: Carol and Dr. Marvin walked into The Internal Security Commission meeting together. In the next sequence of shots inside the room she disappears, and when Dr. Marvin and Maj. Huglin leave the meeting together she's nowhere to be seen. (00:29:35)
Continuity mistake: Gen. Hanley drives up to "Operation Sky Hook" and stops in front of the guard post. At first he's in direct sunlight than in the next shot as he hands his ID to the guard, he's in the shade. (00:08:40)
Continuity mistake: During the final attack the cloud cover is continuously changing. One minute it's clear, than over cast, then wispy cirrus clouds, then puffy cumulous clouds all between shots. (01:13:00)
Continuity mistake: In the underground bunker Carol and Dr. Marvin listen to the aliens voice from the slowed down tape recorder. At first we see the tape in the middle of the spool than ten seconds later it jumps to the end. (00:25:45)
Continuity mistake: Carol and Dr. Marvin stand in the front of the Supreme Court Building as the aliens destroy it. As they cut away to the long shots of the front of the building they're not there but then in the close-ups they are. (01:19:05)
Continuity mistake: After the general says, "I'll show you how it works" they all turn and follow him. In the next shot they're in an entirely different room. (01:00:55)
Continuity mistake: After listening to the alien translating device from the helmet the general says, "I'll show you how it works" and Maj. Huglin turns to look at Carol twice between shots. (01:00:40)
Continuity mistake: As Prof. Kanter is incinerated by the alien's beam we can see the shadows cast by the leaves of the trees move before our eyes between shots. (00:55:00)
Continuity mistake: When they remove the helmet from the dead alien the front of Dr. Marvin's hair is combed differently than it was earlier in the scene. Carol's hair changes also throughout this scene. (00:56:20)
Continuity mistake: At Carol's barbecue a soldier drives up in a jeep with a message for Dr. Marvin stating that they lost contact with rocket No. 11. Dr. Marvin holds the message and an envelope in his hand as they look up and see the rocket burning up in the atmosphere. He never puts the message back into the envelope but when he sits down the envelope is alone and the messages is gone. (00:13:50)
Continuity mistake: In their spaceship the aliens use the infinitely indexed memory bank beam to read Gen. Hanley's mind and his hair is combed and his face is dry. In the next shot his hair is messed up and his face is sweaty. (00:24:20)
Continuity mistake: When the Marvin's start necking as they drive to "Operation Sky Hook", the background we see through the rear window shows a curve, but Carol's hands on the steering wheel never move. (00:03:25)
Continuity mistake: The telegraph report says that the UFO they're following is traveling in excess of 2000 mph but when they show the jets speed gauge it's only going 650 mph. (00:00:25)
Continuity mistake: As Dr. Marvin tries on the alien helmet the microphone on the table that Carol spoke into when they demonstrated the alien translating device is standing straight up. In the next shot it's moved sideways. (01:02:45)
Continuity mistake: As the aliens announce their intentions to the people of earth Dr. Marvin walks up to a radio in the back of the lab and says, "If I'm right they'll sail into Washington in broad daylightÂ…". If you look closely the radio is pointing to a different station that it was when we saw it previously in the scene even though no one has gone near it. (01:04:35)
