Continuity mistake: When Mike rolls Mary's Audi into the street, his head goes from being within the vehicle to poking out between shots. (00:26:30)
Continuity mistake: When Mike reaches the playground in a stolen van, his friends are there waiting with bikes. On the right we see Greg wearing sunglasses, a red cap and headphones. But in the next shot where they approach the van's rear doors, Greg is suddenly missing his sunglasses. (01:38:55)
Continuity mistake: In the first shot of Mike barreling downhill with the van, he passes by a group of three onlookers. But after Elliott figures out how to disconnect the plastic tube and lose the two men struggling within it, an overhead shot of the neighborhood shows Mike driving past the same group of people yet again (note the orange winter hat and black & white striped jacket worn by the kids). (01:37:15)
Other mistake: When the kids pedal away from the FBI and turn towards the homes under construction, skidmarks from previous takes are visible before the FBI cars arrive.
Continuity mistake: When Elliot shows up behind the fridge his mom kneels down and puts her head on his chest. From the opposite angle she is standing taller, with her head by his right elbow.
Continuity mistake: When the movie starts and ET is about to arrive to his spaceship with the cops behind, the scenes involving ET and the cops are filled with smoke, the ones with the spaceship are smoke clear. This swaps back and forth.
Revealing mistake: When the boys' bicycles lift off they cast no shadow on the police cars nor on the road below.
Continuity mistake: When the movie ends and the spaceship takes off, all the people in the forest suddenly disappear.
Continuity mistake: When Elliot says goodbye to dead ET, his robe swaps from open to closed around the neck.
Continuity mistake: When the boys are in the garage looking for things, the light is out, door closed, and they are using torches. Cut to the outside shot - the door is open and the main light is on. This shot is shown with the van outside, then not outside.
Revealing mistake: When ET is grabbing things from the fridge, in the close-up his fingers swap from thin and long to chubby and short, obviously a puppeteer's glove.
Continuity mistake: While ET is reading the ABC book and brings life to the wilted plant, the position and number of the leaves and flowers are completely different between the front and back shots.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Elliott is grieving over E.T., he suddenly rests his head on the casing's circular glass window between shots. This happens a moment before he starts talking. (01:32:05)
Continuity mistake: As Elliott creeps up to the tool shed with a pizza box, watch how the porch swing rotates 180° from one shot to the next. (00:10:15)
Continuity mistake: When Elliott asks Mike about joining the Dungeons and Dragons game, Steve turns his head toward Elliott. In the next shot Steve is staring down at the kitchen table instead. (00:08:45)
Continuity mistake: While escaping from the cops, right before ET makes the bike fly, Elliot is pedalling standing away from the seat, half a meter above ET's head. A frame later, from the front angle, he is seating, his head at ET's level.
Other mistake: When one of the bikers escaping from the cops cries "We made it!", 15 men appear from each side. Plus, there's a dozen or so police cars in front, as it is later revealed. Although this adds up for more action and suspense, it is absurd to believe neither he nor any of Elliot and Mike's friends saw none of them.
Continuity mistake: When the van enters the playground, the 3 friends and their bikes are parallel to each other. A frame later, the guy with a red cap is several meters behind.
Continuity mistake: The van reaches the playground, skids and white chunks fall off the rear, covering the grass. When the angle changes, the grass is clean and the chunks are falling down again, though much less amount than before.
Continuity mistake: When the van enters the playground, a woman in blue walking by the curb suddenly disappears in the following angle.
Answer: The BMX stunt riders were aged between 15 and 20, so older than the kids in the film who were about 10.
Sierra1 ★