Continuity mistake: When the Mexican alien is running away, the whole scene is all wrong: He runs for a long time and passes by many bushes and cacti, but when K takes out his gun, the alien is just 10 meters away. Plus, from the POV angle, he passes by the cactus to the left of the guard twice. (00:06:50)
Continuity mistake: In the beginning, when K shoots Mikey, one of the cops gets covered with blue slime all over his face and hat. Watch the right side of the hat: The length of the slime differs between the front and back shots. It's more seen when the scene is about to end and the slime starts to fall down in the front shot, but stays still in the back one. (00:07:25)
Continuity mistake: When K shows the neutralizer at the border patrol guys, he holds it parallel to his face, but in the close-up it's next to where his shoulder meets the arm. (00:07:50)
Continuity mistake: When the truck gets smashed at the start, the tree beside the truck is well alight, but when the man comes out of the house, it is only a little alight. (00:12:40)
Continuity mistake: When Edgar/The Bug is drinking water with sugar, the way he holds the glass changes between shots. (00:15:21)
Continuity mistake: The Bug pulls his new "Edgar Suit" skin back tight over his face and the wife faints. In the wide shot, he is still holding it back, but the head is completely normal. (00:15:30)
Continuity mistake: After Kay neuralizes Jay the first time, Jay 'wakes' up in a restaurant and Kay hands Jay a card. He tells him to report to that location. The address can be seen written on the back on the bottom edge of the card. Jay flips the card over to read the address and it's still on the bottom edge of the card. When flipped, the address should now be on the top edge of the card. (00:22:00)
Continuity mistake: In the beginning of the film when "Edgar" kills the exterminator, the exterminator's truck has a small almost unnoticeable plastic roach decoration on top. Yet during the rest of the movie the roach is huge and it sticks up away from the vehicle. (00:22:30 - 00:33:20)
Continuity mistake: When Will Smith and the other recruits are taking their written tests, the white table first appears to be situated between the second and third men from the left. When Smith goes to the table to pull it across the room, it is much further to the right of the scene. (00:24:25 - 00:26:35)
Continuity mistake: The MIB applicants are all sitting in the testing room and Zed talks about how they are all the best of the best of the best like, "Rangers, Navy SEALs, NYPD". The only sailor sitting in the room is not a SEAL, he's EOD. You can tell because he is not wearing the Special Warfare badge on his uniform, he's wearing the badge for Explosive Ordnance Disposal. (00:24:35 - 00:27:30)
Continuity mistake: Throughout the whole movie it is summer. Green trees with leaves, green grass, etc. After the scene where Will Smith is deciding to become a Man in Black (summer), there is a shot of the Bug Mobile driven by Edgar where it is obviously winter. A wide shot of Manhattan with steam coming out of the tops of some of the buildings, and some trees without leaves in the background (winter). Then in the next scene and those following it is back to summer. (00:31:20)
Continuity mistake: After doing his recruitment test, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are sitting down on a bench and talking. The distance between them decreases between the first and second shot. (00:31:20)
Continuity mistake: When the jeweller leaves his shop, the shop window clearly shows the reflection of the parked exterminator's van. Then you see the van being driven up the cross-street as the jeweller leaves in the taxi. Then Edgar/bug parks the van, goes to the shop, and you can see the same reflection in the jewellery shop window. (00:38:35)
Continuity mistake: When Zed sends Kay and Jay out on Kay's first mission, Reggie's unauthorised departure from Manhattan, Tommy Lee Jones legs cross and uncross from shot to shot. (00:39:25)
Continuity mistake: When J and K first get in the car (the Ford POS),the windows keep switching from up to down. Interior shots Will Smith's window is up, exterior shots his window is down. (00:40:30)
Continuity mistake: Just before the diner scene, where the two aliens are discussing the galaxy, we see the outside of the Russian restaurant. The neon sign says "haroshaya" meaning "good" all the way across the window, in the next shot inside the restaurant, the "ha", which looks like the English letters "xo", is gone and the sign is centered. (00:41:00)
Continuity mistake: When the two men with the cat are eating at the diner, the table behind the old man is either empty or has an old woman sitting by it, depending on the angle. (00:41:30)
Continuity mistake: In the restaurant scene, the jewel case containing the diamonds is to Mr. Rosenberg's right, but when the Arquillian asks what it is, the jewel case is to Mr. Rosenberg's left. (00:41:55)
Continuity mistake: When the cat in on the table in the diner, the word "ORION" on the cat's collar is in normal capitalized block lettering. But when the cat is on the table in the morgue, the word "ORION" is in calligraphy. Also, the colour of the cat's collar seems to change between these two points. (00:42:40 - 01:08:15)
Continuity mistake: When the farmer kills the two men at the diner he exits the place and encounters a passer-by. When the angle changes the man has vanished. (00:43:05)
Answer: The MIB - or K specifically - had already erased the memories of all the police that were involved to cover up the alien sighting. It stands to reason therefore that theyd already have a cover story in place - that is the report that the captain is reading, and for which he congratualtes J.
roboc